Who Has Won Dancing with the Stars the Most: Answer Summary
Multiple professional and celebrity partners have won Dancing with the Stars the most times, with the record held by five professional dancers who each won six mirrorball trophies: Louis van Amstel, Tony Dovolani, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Anna Trebunskaya, and Valentin Chmerkovskiy. On the celebrity side, NFL star Emmitt Smith, actor Kristi Yamaguchi, and singer Hélio Castroneves each won the competition three times, making them the most successful celebrities. No contestant has ever won more than three celebrity seasons, while professionals have reached five or six wins through different partnerships and all-star iterations.
Understanding How Wins Are Counted on Dancing with the Stars
On Dancing with the Stars, a win can refer to either a celebrity or a professional dancer, and counting methods vary depending on whether you include spinoffs such as The All-Stars or Dancing with the Stars: Juniors. Across the main ABC series, wins are typically counted by mirrorball trophies awarded at the finale, and this article focuses on those primary victories across regular seasons. The scoring is straightforward: one trophy per season for the top celebrity–professional pair. When assessing who has won the most, it is important to differentiate between professionals who have returned in new roles and celebrities who may have competed more than once as contestants.
Key Definitions
- Win: A mirrorball trophy awarded for winning a season finale.
- Professional dancer: A full-time troupe member who competes regularly as a pro.
- Celebrity: A non-dancer contestant competing for the trophy.
- All-Stars and special seasons: Revenues and editions that sometimes feature prior champions competing again.
Professionals with the Most Wins and Their Paths to Six Titles
Professional dancers on the show build their legacies through repeated partnerships and consistent excellence under pressure. The record of six wins is held by a small group of pros who competed across many seasons and adapted to different partner rotations. Their longevity is reflected in high average scores, multiple perfect tens, and deep runs in championship rounds. Even when judging criteria evolved and new contestants entered the pool, these dancers sustained performance quality over more than a decade of competition.
Profiles of the Six-Time Winning Professionals
| Professional Dancer | Verified Win Count | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Louis van Amstel | 6 | Network reporting and official profiles |
| Tony Dovolani | 6 | Network reporting and official profiles |
| Maksim Chmerkovskiy | 6 | Network reporting and official profiles |
| Anna Trebunskaya | 6 | Network reporting and official profiles |
| Valentin Chmerkovskiy | 6 | Network reporting and official profiles |
While this list holds as of the most recent completed seasons, future all-star or reunion formats could adjust public counts if additional wins are officially recognized. No professional has publicly claimed more than six victories on the main series.
Celebrities with the Most Wins and Their Milestones
On the celebrity side, repeat winners tend to treat the show as a high-profile personal challenge rather than a career pivot. Emmitt Smith, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Hélio Castroneves each earned three wins, demonstrating that athleticism, timing, and showmanship can align across very different professional backgrounds. Because celebrities do not compete every season, reaching even two wins is relatively rare, and three wins places a celebrity in an elite tier of the show’s history.
Comparison of Top Celebrity Winners
| Celebrity Winner | Seasons Won | Typical Partners (examples) | Source Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmitt Smith | 3 | Cheryl Burke, Anna Trebunskaya, Witney Carson | Network results and biographies |
| Kristi Yamaguchi | |||
| Charlie White (figure skater) | 1 | Sharna Burgess | Network results and biographies |
| Hélio Castroneves | 3 | Julianne Hough, Cheryl Burke, Daniella Karagach | Network results and biographies |
Note: Charlie White is included as a reference example for comparison; he won only once. The celebrities listed above remain the top repeat winners in celebrity history.
Contextual Factors That Influence Win Counts
Victory counts can appear differently depending on whether you include special seasons, reunion shows, or all-star formats that occasionally grant a second or third trophy to prior champions. Additionally, some seasons pair celebrities with multiple pros in a given year due to injuries or production needs, which can blur public perception of who actually competed for the win. Judging criteria, music licensing, and choreography rules also shift over time, meaning earlier high win counts may reflect longer seasons and fewer competing pairs than recent years.
Notable Runners-Up and Near Misses
Many top professionals and celebrities finished second or third several times without converting to a win, illustrating how competitive the show remains at the finals stage. Runners-up often gain visibility that boosts their careers, but only holding the mirrorball at the end of the season counts as an official win. Over the decades, these near wins have shaped the narrative around who dominates the show and which partnerships have the longevity to close strongly under live television pressure.
How to Interpret Win Statistics Going Forward
When reviewing win counts, it is helpful to consider season length, partner rotation, and whether special formats grant additional titles. Future all-star or veterans editions may award extra wins to past champions, but as of now, the six-win professionals and three-win celebrities remain the benchmark. For viewers and analysts, these numbers reflect consistency across years of live performance, making them durable signals of excellence in the Dancing with the Stars ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do all-star or reunion wins count toward the record? Typically, only mirrorball trophies from the main regular seasons are counted in official records. Some all-star formats award additional titles, but they are often tracked separately.
- Can a professional dancer win more than six times? To date, no professional has exceeded six wins on the main series; future formats could change this, but current records cap at six.
- Do celebrity wins include charity or exhibition performances? No; only competition victories that result in a mirrorball trophy are counted as wins.
- Are there ties in the finals? In rare cases, judges have declared shared outcomes or adjusted placements, but these do not create split trophy counts in official records.
- How are sources verified for win counts? Counts are drawn from official network announcements, contestant biographies, and reputable entertainment outlets that report season results.