Which ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pros Have Stayed in the Ballroom Longest?
With a new host, a “fresh take” on the format, and new safety guidelines, Dancing With the Stars will look a lot different this season. Luckily, not everything is changing: ABC’s ballroom competition will include 13 returning pro dancers.
As previously announced, Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Sharna Burgess, Cheryl Burke, Artem Chigvintsev, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Jenna Johnson, Keo Motsepe, Peta Murgatroyd, Pasha Pashkov, Gleb Savchenko, and Emma Slater are all returning for another shot at the coveted Mirrorball trophy.
So which professional dancers have sashayed through the ballroom the most? Scroll down to see who has the highest episode tallies, in ascending order.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 29 Premiere, Monday, September 14, 8/7c, ABC
Julianne Hough (147 episodes)
Julianne, who recently exited the America’s Got Talent judging panel after one season, won the 2015 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for her work on DWTS.
Sharna Burgess (150 episodes)
Sharna joined the show as a dance troupe member in Season 13 before getting bumped up to pro status in Season 16.
Val Chmerkovskiy (173 episodes)
Val’s first appearance on the show was back in Season 2, but he’s been a pro since Season 13 and he has won the competition twice.
Kym Johnson Herjavec (191 episodes)
Kym, another two-time winner, was also a pro on the Australian version of Dancing With the Stars.
Karina Smirnoff (228 episodes)
Karina — who, by the way, is Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s ex-fiancée — has been paired with celebrities including Apolo Anton Ohno and Steve Wozniak.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy (232 episodes)
Val’s older brother won with Meryl Davis in Season 18 and is married to longtime DWTS pro Peta Murgatroyd.
Driton “Tony” Dovolani (233 episodes)
Fun fact: Dovolani coached Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere for 2004’s Shall We Dance? and appeared in the film as Slick Willy.
Mark Ballas (252 episodes)
Mark has dabbled in acting, too: He played a Hogwarts student in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Derek Hough (272 episodes)
Julianne’s older brother won the Mirrorball a record six times, with celeb partners Brooke Burke, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley, and Bindi Irwin.
Cheryl Burke (304 episodes)
Cheryl competed in every DWTS season between Season 2 and Season 19, then appeared on the show more sporadically. She’ll be back for Season 29!
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