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45 Rules 'Dancing With the Stars' Contestants Have to Follow
There's something extremely entertaining about seeing Wayne Brady do the cha-cha and Teresa Giudice dressed in sequins — and that's exactly why Dancing With the Stars has remained a fan favorite show for 31 seasons. But what goes on behind-the-scenes as the stars compete for the Mirrorball Trophy? From the grueling rehearsals to the makeup guidelines that often get pushback, we're breaking down all of the rules the Dancing With the Stars competitors have to follow.
Stars have to get an offer from the casting director.
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In Hollywood, DWTS is often seen as a great career move and celebrities clamor to get cast on it, but it's the producers's jobs to seek out only the most interesting celebs for the show. "For your marketing, for your career, this is like Willy Wonka's golden ticket," former DWTS executive talent producer Deena Katz told Slate.
They don't have to be a trending celebrity.
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Sometimes the cast of DWTS reads like a crazy dinner party from a dream. That's because producers purposefully includes a mix of celebrities from across the entire pop culture zeitgeist, choosing nostalgia picks, people in the news, and even people who "the idea of them dancing makes you laugh," Katz told Slate.
Being a fan could help a star get cast.
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Why? Producers specifically look for celebs who are fans of the show, because this increases the odds that the star will sign on and helps ensure a good attitude during the process.
Stars can't tell anyone they've been cast.
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Sorry, but the show doesn't want any spoilers before their big reveal! During the first few rehearsals, the celebrities on season 31 wore face shields to protect their identity from paparazzi as they made their way into the studio.
They aren't locked into the show after the cast reveal, though.
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With all the fanfare that goes into announcing the DWTS cast, one would think that the contestants would be locked into an iron-clad deal by the big reveal. Nope. There are always loop holes in show business that keep stars from actually filming.
Stars can (but shouldn't!) drop out at the last minute.
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"Vincent Pastore was the guy from The Sopranos and was rehearsing with Edyta Sliwinska but had heart issues, so that's when John Ratzenberger joined. And Mark McGrath dropped out and Rocco DiSpirito came in," Katz told Glamour.
Some stars are cast as backups.
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In the event that a celebrity contestant doesn't show up, there is usually a backup person to take their place.
When producers were afraid Master P wasn't going to show, they had Kill Bill star David Carradine rehearsed and ready to go in a trailer on set, just in case.
There's no disclosed age limit.
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Dancing with the Stars has never disclosed an age limit and the youngest contestant to ever compete was 14-year-old Willow Shields. ABC also produced a spin-off show, Dancing With the Stars: Juniors, for child stars and children of celebrities.
Stars are matched with their pro dancer strategically.
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Ever wonder how the DWTS pairings come to be? Former showrunner Rob Wade told E! News it's a simple formula, "based on height, build and personality and compatibility."
Producers try to make sure partners like each other too.
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After all, the stress and rigor of live ballroom dancing is enough to serve up plenty of drama for the cameras.
"We don't pair people who aren't going to get on. It's too intense. It's not like The Bachelor or something, we couldn't do that," Wade told E! News. "You don't want to see two people who don't like each other."
Cast romances are encouraged.
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Romances between contestants are a big topic of debate on DWTS and producers love them, because they help generate buzz for the show. While a host of legitimate relationships have come out of the reality show, most of the flings fade with the spotlight.
Stars don't get to choose their dancing partner.
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"There are some celebs that have wishes, and we always say we can't guarantee," Katz told Glamour. In the end though, the producers have the final say.
Dancers don't get to choose their star either.
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Although fans think they've spotted trends in partners — why are Mark Ballas's partners always young? — the professional dancers have no input on who they compete with.
Same-sex partners are allowed.
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In 2021, JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson made history as the very first same-sex duo on DWTS. "I think it breaks a wall that's never been broken down before," JoJo told press during the Television Critics Association summer tour. "I think it's really special that, not only now do I get to share with the world that you're going to love who you want to love, but also you can dance with who you want to dance with."
Producers choose the music for the dances.
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According to dancer Kym Johnson, the pros are allowed to suggest songs at the beginning of the season, but since there are so many pairs to coordinate performances with, producers take the lead on deciding who will dance to what.
Contestants can't choose their theme either.
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Whether it's cha-cha night or all about Disney, the teams don't pick the themes and they vary from season to season.
Everyone on the cast gets paid.
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Both the dancers and stars are compensated for appearing on the show. According to reports in 2019, celebrities earned a $125,000 signing bonus and could earn up to $295,000 in total.
Stars can compete for bonus payments.
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How, exactly, do celebs make more than their $125,000 signing bonus? Their paycheck increases the more they advance on the show, with finalists reportedly earning up to $50,000 for the final two episodes. This creates an incentive to keep stars committed to the competition.
Pro dancers don't get paid as much as the stars.
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It's been reported that the professional dancers make close to $5,200 per episode, which adds up to about $100,000 per season.
Teams have to practice seven days a week.
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DWTS has a reputation for having a demanding rehearsal schedule and, as former Olympian Amy Purdy told The L.A. Times, there are "no days off." Celebrities meet and rehearse with their partner every day to prepare for the Monday night live show.
Stars have to use the show's hair and makeup teams.
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The show receives a lot of pushback on this rule. "Women have had this fear about [wanting] to have their own hair and makeup artists, but you can't have that here. Our team is award-winning and fantastic. Kirstie Alley had a really hard time with it and really fought it. Now Kirstie uses our makeup artist for her. I get that fear, but they just have to take a leap with all of it. We promise they're going to look great," Katz told Glamour.
The same rule applies to wardrobe.
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The wardrobe team is award-winning and is specially versed in ballroom dancing costumes.
Because of this, the show insists that all wardrobe decisions are made by their team.
Being flexible with wardrobe is a must.
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Former dancing pro Tony Dovolani says that costumes usually aren't finished until an hour before the show. "People don't get to wear their costumes until dress rehearsal," he told Glamour. "There are alterations being made from dress rehearsal until the live show."
Contestants have to get spray tans every week.
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The show's rumored "Spray Tan Sundays" are all too real — or, at least they were. The show's former head makeup artist, Zena Shteysel, revealed to People in 2013 that each contestant was bronzed from head to toe once a week in preparation for taping. Who knows if that's still true today!
Teams have to arrive early on the morning of the live show.
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Every pair must arrive at 7:45 a.m. ahead of the run through with the live band.
Pairs don't hear the band's arrangement until the day they perform.
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On show days, couples are finally able to practice along to the live version of the song. "Sometimes the band's arrangement will be a little different from the track," former executive producer Joe Sungkur revealed to Insider. "So it's very useful for the couples, because they might give notes to the musical director."
The dress rehearsal is mandatory.
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This is when producers and the show's director make sure the show is mapped out the way they want.
Know your angles.
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Another important part of dress rehearsal includes camera blocking. With 18 cameras operating at once, dancers need to practice their movements (as well as understand the camera movements) so that every step is captured on-screen.
Producers can change anything in a performance.
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During the dress rehearsal, producers and the director have control over the performance and are allowed to tweak any aspect of it — from wardrobe to lighting.
Stars are expected to contribute to the choreography.
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While the pro dancers take the lead, celebrities aren't just along for the ride. Both team members are expected to contribute — which often ends up being a great source of drama on the show.
For the group number, stars don't get a say.
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The group opening number that fans have come to love is choreographed by an on-staff head choreographer. Contestants don't have any say in the creative direction for this dance, but are required to participate each week.
Teams have to give an interview after every performance.
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As soon as the pair steps off of the dance floor, they're thrown in front of the camera for an interview. While it may be a welcome distraction for some of the stars, as they wait for their scores to be determined, it's also necessary for the show to get their reactions to their performance.
Producers have control over the storylines.
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However, Wade insists they only follow emerging storylines that develop from the contestants. To do this, producers keep a close eye on what’s going on with each team and build on any potential drama.
Dancers must be willing to be vulnerable on camera.
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The show's producers told Glamour that the cast opening up to viewers is one of the key parts of the show. "You have to open yourself up to the process. Seeing Maks [Chmerkovskiy] at his most vulnerable with Meryl [Davis] made people want to see his journey," Sungkur said.
And the stars can't be camera shy either.
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Both the judges and viewers loved watching Olympic gymnast Suni Lee break out of her shell in season 30. "Having Sasha, we’re complete opposites, he’s crazy outgoing and fun and all that and I’m super shy. I'm getting there," she told Access Hollywood at the time.
Contestants can't compete if they get injured.
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DWTS has survived 31 seasons, but not without a few injuries. Sometimes contestants are cleared to dance, but if an injury is deemed too serious, they're forced to drop out of the competition.
Stars can be replaced.
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Sometimes, the show must go on — with another star. In the case of Christie Brinkley, who broke her wrist and needed surgery, the model subbed in her daughter, Sailor Cook-Brinkley.
Contestants can't wear logos on television.
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Due to licensing rights, no logos, brand names, or sports teams can be featured on any clothes on the show. But Master P got to break this rule. "I was at a couple of [meetings] when Master P threatened to leave," Sungkur told Glamour. "He wanted to wear this jacket with a logo on it and threatened to leave because of it, and I was like, 'OK, you can wear the jacket!'"
There's a strict no lift rule.
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DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba has made it clear that she supports the ban, "which was to keep the playing field level for the older and less physically strong contestants so that all the dances didn't just become show dances with lifts and tricks," she wrote in an essay for FEMESTELLA in 2013.
The teams aren't just scored by the judges.
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In 2019, DWTS debuted a new voting system, where live votes from the audience determines a bottom two and then the judges have the final say on who stays and who goes.
This choice was QUITE controversial.
Scores must be verified before being announced.
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After judges write their scores down, the papers are taken to the control room. "Standards and practices from ABC then verifies that everything is fair and checks those scores, and we then go to the judges to reveal their scoring and we double-check that the score they hold up reflects the score they wrote down," Sungkur told Insider.
Contestants have to be patient during live eliminations.
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In 2020, host Tyra Banks infamously told the wrong couple they were in the bottom two, later saying it happened because of a mix-up in the control room. It's live television, after all, so the cast has to be prepared for anything!
Contestants have to promote the show.
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There is a ton of press attention that goes with appearing on DWTS.
From revealing the team pairings to weekly elimination updates, the cast has to agree to doing the morning talk show circuit.
The winners take home more than just bragging rights.
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In addition to their salary and, of course, the title of DWTS champion, the winning team receives the Mirrorball Trophy, which they can take home and display wherever they like.
For some, the competition doesn't end at the finale.
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ABC puts on a live tour after the season wraps. The tour means that some contestants, whether they were Mirrorball Trophy winners or not, get more time on the dance floor.
Janaya Wecker Lifestyle Editor Janaya is a Lifestyle Editor for Hearst Magazines.
Dancing with the Stars Season 31: Premiere, cast, everything to know
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Joyce Eng joyceeng61
- Reality TV
ABC/Sebastian Kim
“Dancing with the Stars” is back for 31st season — with a twist. The long-running series moved to Disney+ from ABC for Season 31. Here’s everything to know about the current installment and what you can expect.
Is “Dancing with the Stars” returning for Season 31?
Yes, and also Season 32. The show was renewed for a 31st and 32nd season on April 8, so you won’t have to wonder about its status once Season 31 wraps up.
Where is “Dancing with the Stars” airing?
After 16 years and 30 seasons on ABC, “Dancing” moved exclusively to Disney+ starting with Season 31. The news was announced in conjunction with the show’s two-season renewal. “Dancing” is the first live series to stream on Disney+. It premiered on Monday, Sept. 19. The finale will air on Monday, Nov. 22.
When does “Dancing with the Stars” Season 31 air?
For the first time in the series’ history, “Dancing” will air live across the country on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT this season. Season 31 will also air commercial-free. Week 5 had two episodes on Monday, Oct. 17 and Tuesday, Oct. 18.
SEE ‘Dancing with the Stars’ shocker: Series moving to Disney+ after 16 years on ABC
Who is in the “Dancing with the Stars” Season 31 cast?
Here are the celebrity-pro pairings:
– Fitness model and actor Joseph Baena with partner Daniella Karagach
– Movie star Selma Blair with partner Sasha Farber
– Comedian, actor and singer Wayne Brady with partner Witney Carson
– “Good Morning America” contributor and WABC-TV New York’s weather anchor Sam Champion with partner Cheryl Burke
– TikTok star Charli D’Amelio with partner Mark Ballas
– Heidi D’Amelio (“The D’Amelio Show”) with partner Artem Chigvintsev
– Country star Jessie James Decker with partner Alan Bersten
– TV star Trevor Donovan with partner Emma Slater
– Daniel Durant (“CODA”) with partner Britt Stewart
– Teresa Giudice (“The Real Housewives of New Jersey”) with partner Pasha Pashkov
– Vinny Guadagnino (“Jersey Shore”) with partner Koko Iwasaki
– “Charlie’s Angels” star Cheryl Ladd with partner Louis Van Amstel
– Jason Lewis (“Sex and the City”) with partner Peta Murgatroyd
– Drag queen superstar Shangela with partner Gleb Savchenko
– Platinum recording artist Jordin Sparks with partner Brandon Armstrong
– Gabby Windey (“The Bachelorette”) with partner Val Chmerkovskiy
Two-time champ Ballas and Van Amstel are back for the first time since Seasons 25 and 21, respectively. Murgatroyd also returned after sitting out last season, while Iwasaki, a “So You Think You Can Dance” alum and “DWTS” tour performer, is a new pro.
Former champs Sharna Burgess, Lindsay Arnold and Jenna Johnson are not participating due to family priorities. Burgess, who had her first child, Zane, with boyfriend and Season 30 partner Brian Austin Green on June 28, said in a series of Instagram Stories on Aug. 31 that while she’s ready to dance, she was “not ready to spend a minimum of 10 hours a day away from Zane.” Arnold, who has a nearly 2-year-old daughter and lives in Utah, announced on the same day on Instagram that she will also sit out the season. “This has been one of the hardest decisions to make but ultimately I have chosen what I feel is best for myself and my family,” she wrote. “Logistically there is SO much involved with making this happen and there is a lot of sacrifice that has to be made that unfortunately just did not feel right for us this time around. ” Johnson is expecting her first child with hubby Chmerkovskiy in January.
Is Tyra Banks hosting Season 31?
Yes, and she has a co-host this time: Season 19 champ Alfonso Ribeiro (the two go way back to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”). Banks’ performance has been polarizing — former host Brooke Burke thinks the supermodel is ill-fitted for the show — so the addition of a beloved former winner with hosting bona fides (Ribeiro replaced Tom Bergeron on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” in 2015) is not surprising.
SEE Confused by ‘Dancing with the Stars” judges’ vote? The ‘tiebreaker’ rule, explained
Are all four judges back for Season 31?
Yes, Len Goodman, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba all returned, marking the second season with this combo behind the judges’ table. After missing Season 29 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and being replaced by Hough, Goodman returned in Season 30 to make it a four-person panel, which wreaked havoc on the judges’ vote and forced the introduction of a tiebreaker rule that the show and Banks kept failing to properly explain. During the Season 31 semifinal, Goodman announced that this will be his final season.
What changes will there be in Season 31?
There is a new executive producer, who’s actually an old face: Conrad Green, the original executive producer and showrunner who left after Season 18, returned. He replaced Andrew Llinares, the executive producer since the “Athletes” season in 2018, who departed “Dancing” in March. Llinares is most famous (infamous?) for the controversial decision to fire co-hosts Bergeron and Erin Andrews for Banks in 2020 in an attempt to freshen up the show. Bergeron reacted to Llinares’ exit appropriately and calls Green’s impending return the “best decision they’ve made since 2005, when they hired him the first time.”
What themes will there be in Season 31?
Season 31 has featured Premiere Night Party, Elvis Night, Bond Night and Disney+ Night, a twist on the usual Disney Night. Week 5 was a two-night with two themes: the requisite Most Memorable Year Night and Prom Night. The Oct. 24 episode was Michael Bublé Night, during which Hough performed with his fiancée Hayley Erbert to the singer’s tune “Higher,” the music video for which Hough directed. Bublé also served as a guest judge that episode. After a three-year absence due to COVID-19, team dances returned on Halloween Night, which actually fell on Halloween this year. The ’90s Night-themed Nov. 7 episode and the theme-less semifinal had double eliminations. The finale will feature another Hough-Erbert performance and Selma Blair will also make her return to the dance floor after dropping out in Week 5 due to concerns over her MS.
How does voting work?
Fans in the U.S. and Canada can vote during the broadcast via disneyplus.com/vote and U.S. fans can also vote via text. The live votes will be combined with the judges’ scores every week to determine the bottom two, after which the judges will save one couple.
Be sure to make your predictions so that the contestants can see how they’re faring in our racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs every Monday on ABC. You’ll compete to win a spot on our leaderboard and eternal bragging rights. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
Dancing with the Stars 2022 photo, video, release description
- Olga
Medynich - Marina
Zudina - Andrey
Malakhov - Nikolai
Tsiskaridze - Maria
Mironova - Dmitry
Kharatyan
Dancing with the Stars 2022 is a continuation of the popular entertainment TV show on the Rossiya channel.
About the show
In 2004, the show called Strictly Come Dancing premiered in the UK, in 2005 it was adapted by America (there it was called Dancing with the Stars ), and in 2006 the Russian version was released. Despite a four-year break, which the TV show went on in 2016 after ten seasons, she returned to television screens.
The peculiarity of the project is that couples take part in the competition, each of which consists of a professional dancer and a person who is not so good in this area. Well-known Russian singers, actors and TV presenters became partners of experts in dancing: Yulia Savicheva, Natalia Ionova, Boris Smolkin, Ksenia Borodina, Christina Asmus, Angelina Vovk, Alena Vodonaeva and others. Competitors are evaluated by jury members and viewers.
People's Artist of the Russian Federation Nikolai Tsiskaridze, TV presenter Daria Zlatopolskaya, choreographers Vladimir Varnava and Yegor Druzhinin became members of the jury in the show "Dancing with the Stars" in 2022.
As in the previous season, Andrey Malakhov acted as the host of the popular dance project.
Participants
The names of ten star participants of the next season were announced by the project organizers at the end of 2021.
Together with professional partners, the star of “Midshipmen, go ahead!” Dmitry Kharatyan, actresses Maria Mironova, Alexandra Rebenok, Marina Zudina, Olga Medynich and Alexandra Revenko, actors Valery Nikolaev and Anatoly Bely, singer and blogger Vanya Dmitrienko and stand-up comedian Vladimir Markoni.
Mikhail Shchepkin will dance with Alexandra Child. Previously, he performed in a project with Ekaterina Volkova (in 2015), Alisa Grebenshchikova (in 2016) and Katerina Spitz (in 2021). Alexandra Revenko's partner in the show was Denis Tagintsev, who had previously been a participant in the project twice: in 2015 he fought for victory with Ksenia Alferova, and in 2016 with Alexandra Ursulyak.
Anatoly Bely's partner is Inna Svechnikova, who a year ago danced with the star of "Londongrad" and "Optimists" Yevgeny Morozov. Valery Nikolaev paired up with Alexandra Akimova, Vanya Dmitrienko with Lyubina Kuznetsova, and Vladimir Marconi with Evgenia Tolstaya, who danced with rapper Alexander ST Stepanov last year.
Dmitry Kharatyan's partner is Ulyana Maksimkina, who in 2021 took third place with the actor of the Lenkom Theater Anton Shagin. And with Marina Zudina, an experienced dancer and husband of Agnia Kuznetsova Maxim Petrov came out on the floor. Even before the show went on the air, fans of the project expected big surprises from the incendiary couple Maria Mironova and Evgeny Papunaishvili.
Dancing with the Stars 2022 participants Dmitry Kharatyan and Ulyana Maksimkina were forced to leave the show due to the coronavirus
21:09, 23.01.2022
News
Last week, the 13th season of the show "Dancing with the Stars" started on the Rossiya TV channel. The project participants are Russian stars who perform in tandem with professional dancers. However, three couples at once could not take part in the show in today's edition of the program for various reasons.
Dmitry Kharatyan and Ulyana Maksimkina missed the second round of the dance marathon. It turned out that a few days ago, both artists fell ill with the coronavirus. The host of the program, Andrei Malakhov, contacted Dmitry and Ulyana via video call to find out about their well-being. “Looking at our cheerful appearance, it’s probably hard to believe that we could get sick with something at all. Nevertheless, unfortunately, this is so, ”Kharatyan noted with a smile. By the way, this week Dmitry celebrated his birthday: he turned 62 years old. On his holiday, Kharatyan gave a concert in one of the capital's clubs. “Apparently, everything came from there,” the artist suggested.
Andrey Malakhov contacted Dmitry Kharatyan via video call
In turn, Maksimkina noted that, unfortunately, excesses happen in life. However, the choreographer emphasized that she had a fighting spirit. Dmitry supported the upset dancer and confidently stated that their couple would soon return to the project. “Everything will be fine or very good,” assured the 62-year-old artist. Andrey Malakhov noted that the participants can still rehearse their performance and perform some exercises via video link. To this, the couple stated that they had already prepared their number, and, according to them, very well.
Ulyana Maksimkina
The jury members also did not stand aside and supported Kharatyan and Maksimkina. Vladimir Varnava and Daria Zlatopolskaya approached the situation with humor and even gave the couple the maximum mark for the missed performance. And Yegor Druzhinin urged participants and viewers to take care of themselves. Nikolai Tsiskaridze said that next time he expects two dances from Dmitry and Ulyana at once. The host of the show recalled that according to the international rules of the Dancing with the Stars project, the couple will be able to continue their participation in the project, starting from the next release, if they manage to recover in a week. “So don’t hang your nose, midshipmen, we are waiting for you!” Malakhov supported the artists.
Anatoly Bely also missed participation in the show - he could not get out of Anapa due to heavy snowfall. According to the actor, he made more than one attempt to fly from different airports in the Black Sea region, but the weather did not allow it. It should be noted that Bely and his partner Inna Svechnikova became the leaders of the show according to the results of the first edition, gaining 35 points. The audience did not see the performance of Maria Mironova and Yevgeny Papunaishvili on the air either - Maria, like Dmitry Kharatyan, also fell ill.
We add that last week after the performance of Marina Zudina and Maxim Petrov, the actress admitted that her partner felt unwell shortly before the broadcast. Andrei Malakhov drew attention to the fact that the artists looked harmonious during their performance, but they did not have enough time to prepare for the number - the dancer's sudden illness affected. Petrov confirmed that a couple of days before the broadcast, he caught a cold. Nevertheless, Maxim's health returned to normal, and he and Marina showed excellent results.
