Getty Derek Hough attends NBC's Los Angeles Mid-Season Press Junket on February 20, 2019
Here are all the romances that have blossomed out of “Dancing With the Stars” between the pro dancers and celebrity contestants, plus a few romances that were never confirmed but had the rumor mill abuzz.
Mario Lopez & Karina Smirnoff, Season 3
This couple burned up the dance floor, finishing 2nd on season three, and they burned up off the dance floor as well, dating from 2006 to 2008. When they split, Smirnoff’s rep told People, “Karina has parted ways with her two-year relationship with Mario Lopez. The relationship wasn’t heading in the right direction.”
Lopez’s statement at the time said, “Karina and I have the utmost respect for each other. She is a phenomenal and talented woman. I support her always and feel blessed to have her in my life.”
Sabrina Bryan & Mark Ballas, Season 5
This pair finished 7th on season five and Bryan later returned for season 15, the all-stars season, where she finished in 8th place with partner Louis Van Amstel.
Bryan and Ballas’ relationship lasted for a few months after their time on the show, then they split in May 2008 because their schedules were just too busy for a long-distance relationship, according to Reality TV World.
Shannon Elizabeth & Derek Hough, Season 6
This couple finished 6th on season six of “Dancing With the Stars” and continued dating outside of the show for another year and a half. They announced their split on Twitter (via NBC New York), with Hough writing, “Hi everyone, we wanted you all to know directly from us, that Shannon & I have decided to end our relationship as boyfriend & girlfriend… however, we love and care about each other very much and will remain friends and in each other’s lives.”
Hough has now been dating “Dancing With the Stars” troupe member Hayley Erbert for over four years.
Chuck Wicks & Julianne Hough, Season 9
These sixth-place finishers actually went so far as to buy a house together, though they knew each other before partnering up on “Dancing With the Stars.” They met touring with Brad Paisley, according to People. The pair split in late 2009.
In 2020, Wicks said on his podcast that the split was not as amicable as they made it seem at the time, saying, “It wasn’t fine. S*** hit the fan. I’m not going to throw anybody under the bus, but… it wasn’t my fault.”
Chad Ochocinco & Cheryl Burke, Season 10
This pair took 4th place on season 10 and along the way, they had a “fling,” Burke told Ellen DeGeneres on an episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“We had a fling,” said Burke (via Showbiz Cheatsheet). “We worked so much together and we had great chemistry, but it was the same pattern I had with my boyfriends in the past. … He was just really unavailable to me. I just knew that didn’t work and I’ve moved on and he’s obviously moved on.”
Robert Herjavec & Kym Johnson, season 20
Talk about a “Dancing With the Stars” love story. These two didn’t win season 20 (they finished in 6th place), but they later married and now have 3-year-old twins Hudson and Haven. They also recently were hailed as heroes after helping a family that was stranded with no power in the middle of a lake get back to shore.
Amber Rose & Val Chmerkovskiy, Season 23
This couple was not actually paired together on season 23; Rose was paired with Val’s brother Maksim Chmerkovskiy, finishing in 9th place. But she and Val dated for five months following their time on the show. After the split, they both expressed their mutual love for each other on Instagram.
“(Val) and I broke up due to our own personal reasons but we still care about each other tremendously and we love each other’s families even more,” wrote Rose.
Chmerkovskiy added, “She’s an amazing woman that I feel very lucky to have gotten to know and love.”
Chmerkovskiy went on to marry fellow “Dancing With the Stars” pro Jenna Johnson in 2019.
Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev, Season 25
This pair did not actually start dating while they were on the show together in 2017. At the time, Bella was actually engaged to fellow pro wrestler John Cena. These two reconnected in 2019 after she had split from Cena. They welcomed their son Matteo in July 2020 and are now engaged to be married.
Alexis Ren & Alan Bersten, Season 27
These 4th-place finishers dated while they were on the show together but split shortly after the season wrapped. Bersten told US Weekly at the time that Ren working in Japan and himself going on tour was going to make a relationship too hard, but they “still consider each other friends.”
Chrishell Stause & Keo Motsepe, Season 29
These two went public with their romance after season 29 ended. They were not actually partners; Stause fought rumors for the latter half of the season that she was actually dating her partner Gleb Savchenko. But it turned out it was Motsepe who was her new boyfriend.
They split after three months of dating, with Stause calling Motsepe a liar at the time. She has since moved on to dating her “Selling Sunset” boss Jason Oppenheim.
The Rumored Hookups
Rumors have flown about several couples that were never publicly out about their relationship (if they even had one). These include Janel Parrish and Val Chmerkovskiy from season 19, who had to take a lie detector test for “Access Hollywood” to prove they weren’t dating (via US Weekly); James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd from season 18; Erin Andrews and Maksim Chmerkovskiy from season 10 (via Page Six); Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff from season nine (via Reality TV World); Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough from season five (via “Today” and “Extra TV”); Willa Ford and Maksim Chmerkovskiy from season three (via The Daily Mail); and Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke from season two (via Star).
Finally, Jana Kramer has admitted to having “flirts and flings” during her time on “Dancing With the Stars,” but she has never named names of whom she is speaking. Her partner on season 23 was Gleb Savchenko. The two remained friends after the show, recently talking on Kramer’s podcast about how they have been supporting each other through each other’s recent divorces.
“Dancing With the Stars” season 30 premieres Monday, September 20, 2021, at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times on ABC. The first two cast members have already been revealed, with the remaining cast coming on “Good Morning America” on September 8.
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