10 of the biggest 'Dancing With the Stars' controversies of all time
Nasha Smith
- ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" is a dance-competition show that's had some controversial moments.
- For season 28, fans and the show's then-host were unhappy when Sean Spicer, a divisive figure who used to work for the White House, was cast on the show.
- On season 23 of the series, two men stormed the stage during one of Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte's performances.
- Many couldn't believe Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess won season 27, especially because their scores were so low.
Although ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" is a family-friendly dance-competition series, it's not immune to a bit of drama.
Read on for some of the biggest "Dancing With the Stars" controversies of all time.
Fans were enraged when Kelly Monaco beat fan-favorite John O'Hurley — and it resulted in a dance battle.
In 2005, on the first season of "Dancing With the Stars," "General Hospital" star Kelly Monaco and "Seinfeld" alum John O'Hurley made it to the finale and were left to duke it out for the trophy.
In an upset, Monaco and her partner climbed all the way from the bottom of the pack to snatch the title from fan-favorite O'Hurley.
With the actor and viewers more than a little miffed, producers then suggested a dance-off for ultimate bragging rights.
After the viewer vote that followed the dance rematch, O'Hurley emerged the victor ... but Monaco is still recognized as the official season-one champion.
When Bristol Palin made it to the final three on her season, many were seriously confused since her scores were so low and her dancing was panned.
Bristol Palin, daughter of former Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, became a divisive figure when she was cast on season 11 of "Dancing with the Stars."
During her time on the show, Bristol Palin was known for earning low scores from the judges — and, at one point, her partner Mark Ballas said on camera, "I know that Bristol is not the best dancer."
And so, it was especially shocking when Bristol and her partner made it all the way to third place, beating out fan-favorite competitor Brandy.
Some even speculated that Bristol only made it that far because of a "right-wing conspiracy" that political supporters of her mother were voting for her.
Sarah denied claims that she was asking people to vote for her daughter, saying she didn't have the time and her daughter has a great work ethic.
In 2012, contestant Hope Solo alleged that her professional dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy had "manhandled" her.
In her 2012 memoir, Olympian and soccer star Hope Solo alleged that Maksim Chmerkovskiy "manhandled" her during her time on season 13 of the ABC show.
"He manhandled me in rehearsals from the start, pushing me, whacking my stomach, bending my arms roughly," Solo wrote in her book. "Maks was rough and mean with me, flinging me and pushing me around."
Chmerkovskiy has repeatedly denied these allegations.
Although they seemed like great dance partners and pals, Chmerkovskiy and Kirstie Alley's friendship seemingly ended on a sour note after the show.
Back in 2011, dancer Chmerkovskiy and actress Kirstie Alley appeared to be quite close when they competed together on the show during season 12.
But during a 2014 appearance on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live," Chmerkovskiy said that his relationship with Alley had soured, and some speculated it had to due with her ties to Scientology.
"I thought we had a great relationship and if it was something else or not, I don't know," he said on the show."But I got a message that now that I'm associating with 'other people' that she can't be associated with, I am no longer to be spoken with, and sorry, but that is what it is."
Although he would not elaborate on the "other people" in question, fans have speculated that Chmerkovskiy was referring to his connection to actress Leah Remini, who famously broke away from Scientology in 2014 and competed on season 17 of "DWTS."
Jaleel White reportedly had issues with his pro dancing partner, Kym Johnson.
Actor Jaleel White played one of television's most beloved characters on the sitcom "Family Matters," but he wasn't received quite as positively when he competed on season 14 of "DWTS."
During the competition, White reportedly went on a tirade after he accidentally stepped on pro partner Kym Johnson's foot.
A source told Us Weekly that White "got in [Johnson's] face" went as far as calling the well-liked dancer an "idiot."
Per Us Weekly, when fellow dance pro Mark Ballas stepped in to diffuse the situation, White turned his ire on him saying, "You remind me of that annoying sitcom neighbor who gets into everyone's business!"
White later told People magazine that reports that he'd started drama with Johnson were "exaggerated."
"We go to work every day, and there is an alley full of tabloid reporters," White told the publication at the time. "It's not fair to us and that's life, and I hope people can see through it. There's no drama in my life."
Some were concerned when Julianne Hough became a judge since her brother was a regular competitor on the show.
Former pro dancer and two-time "DWTS" winner Julianne Hough joined season 19 of the show as a judge, but some questioned her ability to remain impartial while her brother, dancer Derek Hough, was competing on the show.
One person who publicly voiced her concerns was fellow "DWTS" pro Karina Smirnoff.
"I think she is a great girl, I've known her for many years, I think that she is wonderful, gorgeous, and talented, but I don't know if it's ethical that she is judging while her brother is competing," Smirnoff told Us Weekly at the time.
In response to those who doubted her, Julianne said she would not be biased, nor would she be tougher on her brother to prove a point.
Derek and his partner, YouTuber Bethany Mota, would later come in fourth place that season and Julianne would go on to be the judge for a few more seasons.
During season 23, two men stormed the stage during one of Ryan Lochte's performances.
Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte was dealing with a lot of backlash in 2016 after he alleged he was the victim of an armed robbery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that authorities in Brazil say never happened.
But that same year, the disgraced athlete, who was put on a 10-month athletic suspension following the events in Brazil, competed on "DWTS" season 23.
And, after his first dance with pro partner Cheryl Burke, Lochte was nearly ambushed and verbally attacked by two audience members who rushed onto the stage.
"Honestly, it felt like someone just reached inside, took my heart out and tore it to shreds. I was really hurt when I saw that, and I was in shock," Loche later told Entertainment Tonight Canada.
In 2016, Amber Rose called out one of the judges, who she felt had body-shamed her.
Amber Rose was left with a bitter taste in her mouth after Julianne Hough's critique of her week-three samba on season 23.
"Last night was like, they did the commentary, and I, it was a point in the dance where I had to lift my leg up and Maks [Chmerkovskiy] dipped me and [Julianne] said, 'Oh, I'm uncomfortable,' and instantly I felt, I did feel body-shamed," said Rose on her radio show, "Loveline with Amber Rose."
"You know, all the beautiful professional dancers that are on 'Dancing With the Stars,' I mean they dress very sexy and they do the splits and they grind up on these guys and they look absolutely stunning and get a standing ovation," Rose continued. "And me, and my body, my hips, my ass, my breasts made her uncomfortable."
Rose later apologized to Hough saying, " ... When you said that 'I felt very embarrassed' I felt like you weren't talking about the dance. But if I misunderstood, then I apologize. I'm a very positive person, I don't like to argue or bicker or make things weird."
Hough said she accepted Rose's apology and she also clarified her initial comments, saying she was only speaking about the dance, not Rose's body.
"The thing that I love so much about dance is that dance is a universal platform for people to express themselves — any person. Whether that is age or height, body shape, ethnicity, sexual orientation," Hough added.
Many couldn't believe Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess won their season, especially because their scores were so low.
Season 27 had what's been called a "Mirror-Ball Miracle" — one of the biggest upset wins on the show.
Bobby Bones, a radio host, and his pro dance partner, Sharna Burgess, had incredibly low scores throughout their entire season of the show.
Prior to the finale, Bones even told Good Housekeeping that he thought the judge's harsh critiques were fair, and that he didn't think they wanted him to win,
But ultimately the 2018 winner came down to the audience voters, who chose Burgess and Bones.
"We were never the ones who were supposed to win. I had the worst odds," Bones said after the finale, per Fox's report.
There was some controversy when Sean Spicer, who used to work for the White House, was cast on the show.
When Sean Spicer, who was a White House press secretary under Donald Trump's presidency, was cast for "Dancing With the Stars" season 28, not everyone was pleased.
After the announcement, many threatened to boycott the show because of Spicer's controversial political past.
And although the show has had political figures compete before, some, including then-"DWTS" host Tom Bergeron, felt things were different this time around.
After Spicer was announced as a new competitor, Bergeron tweeted that he had previously been under the impression that the show wouldn't book any "divisive" politicians who are affiliated with a certain political party, but that he was apparently wrong.
He explained that he and the show's executive producer "can agree to disagree" as they currently do because it's ultimately their call who is cast on the show, not his.
"DWTS" pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy also spoke to People magazine about Spicer's casting, saying that he understands why some people were upset about the casting choice but said he doesn't think viewers have to "agree [with] or follow" every contestant.
Read More:
13 surprising things you probably didn't know about 'Dancing With the Stars'
10 of the worst celebrity dancers on 'Dancing With the Stars'
The first person on every season of 'Dancing With the Stars' to get a perfect score
8 of the biggest upset wins in 'Dancing With the Stars' history
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