When did Dancing with the Stars start?: A brief history on the celeb competition

Dancing with the Stars has been around for 18 years in the U.S., and the popularity of the celebrity dancing competition series still has not died down. And I for one am definitely a fan, and love to tune in to the show every season! With it being around for almost two decades now, with season 32 currently airing, you might be wondering when exactly it started and some of the show’s history. Well, that’s what we’re here for! I’ve got you covered.

Dancing with the Stars first premiered June 1, 2005 on ABC. If you thought we came up with the idea first, that’s not right. Like many popular shows today, DWTS is based on Strictly Come Dancing (more commonly known as Strictly), which is a U.K. dance competition show. The British version is similar to the U.S. one where celebs are partnered with professional dancers and have to impress a panel of four judges. And in 2023, the U.K. series is still running and a popular watch.

In terms of it being broadcast, the competition series has always aired on ABC since it first began. Then in 2022 for season 31, it was announced that the show would be completely moving to streaming on Disney+. The following year for season 32, the network once again changed its mind and currently airs the episodes live on both ABC and Disney+. Episodes are also available to stream on the platform after the live airing and streaming.

Nearly 20 years is a long time, and that means there’s been a number of judges and celeb contestants. So who are the most notable ones throughout the years? Read on below to find out!

Dancing with the Stars throughout the years

In terms of hosting duties, Tom Bergeron, who you might also know as the host of America’s Funniest Home Videos, was the very first one to take on MC duties for Dancing with the Stars. And he stayed there all the way up until 2019 when the show decided it wanted to see new faces. He’s seen multiple co-hosts throughout the years, which we detail below.

Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Len Goodman all started out as the first judges, and have mostly remained since. Goodman came in and out in the last few seasons. The iconic judge passed away April 26, 2023 at the age of 76 due to bone cancer.

The celebrity contestants on the competition series range from actors, talk show hosts, Olympic athletes, reality stars, and more. General Hospital actress Kelly Monaco was the very first star to win the competition series back in season 1 and was paired with professional dancer Alec Mazo! Charli D’Amelio is the latest celeb to win on DWTS season 31. She was paired with Mark Ballas. Read on below for a more in-depth list.

Hosts

• Tom Bergeron, seasons 1-28
  • Co-host Lisa Canning, season 1
  • Co-host Samantha Harris, seasons 2-9
  • Co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet, seasons 10-17
  • Co-host Erin Andres, seasons 18-28
• Tyra Banks, seasons 29-31
  • Co-host: Alfonso Ribiero, season 31
• Alfonso Ribiero, season 32
  • Co-host: Julianne Hough, season 32

Judges

• Len Goodman
  • Judge seasons 1-18 in full, partly season 19, season 20 and 22, seasons 24-28, seasons 30 and 31
  • Absent from season 21, most of season 23, absent from season 29
• Carrie Ann Inaba
  • Judge seasons 1-32
• Bruno Tonioli
  • Judge seasons 1-32
• Julianne Hough (also used to be professional dancer)
  • Guest judge seasons 17 and 18
  • Judge seasons 19-21, seasons 23 and 24
• Derek Hough (also used to be professional dancer)
  • Judge seasons 29-32

Notable celebs and their professional dance partners

* For a full list of winners from all seasons, click here *

• General Hospital actress Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo – season 1 winners
• TV actor and host Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff – 2nd place in season 3
• Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough – season 4 winners
• Spice Girls singer Mel B and Maksim Chmerkovskiy – 2nd place in season 5
• Actress & businesswoman Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel – 8th place in season 6
• Reality star Kim Kardashian and Mark Ballas – 11th place in season 7
• Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough – season 10 winners
• NFL wide receiver Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd – winners of season 14
• Actress Zendaya and Valentin Chmerkovskiy – 2nd place in season 16
• Actress Lea Thompson and Artem Chigvintsev – 6th place in season 19
• Wildlife conservationist Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough – season 21 winners
• The Bachelor’s Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd – 6th place in season 24
• Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and Sasha Farber – 4th place in season 24
• NBA center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lindsay Arnold – 7th place in season 26
• Social media personality & dancer Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas – season 31 winners

DWTS around the world

The Dancing with the Stars franchise has grown since the U.K. version first aired on May 15, 2004 on BBC One. Overall, there’s a version of the series in 60 countries. But not all of those are active in 2023. Some of the ones happening right now are Dancing With Stars Bel Araby in Abu Dhabi, Dança dos Famosos in Brazil, Danse avec les stars in France, and Let’s Dance in Sweden.

Dancing with the Stars season 32 airs Monday and Tuesday nights on ABC and Disney+.