It's been just over a month since NBA guard Iman Shumpert upset the most popular contestant JoJo Siwa to win season 30 of Dancing With The Stars. Whether it's athletes, actors, politicians, or reality stars there are plenty of categories that Dancing With The Stars contestants have fit into over the show's 16-year run.
Given how important music itself is to the show, it should be no surprise that so many of its most notable celebrity dancers have come from the music industry. The show is known to dip into the worlds of pop, country, R&B, and sometimes even hip hop and opera to find contestants and they've delivered some of the best and worst performances the show has ever seen.
Lil Kim, Jive to Jailhouse Rock
When Lil Kim was first announced as part of the show she was seen as a controversial pick by fans, though not the most controversial due to the inclusion of Jackass star Steve-O. She fought off low expectations before her and partner Derek Hough finally silenced their doubters by taking the highest score of week 6 with their Jive accompanied by the Elvis staple Jailhouse Rock. The dance was immeasurably charming and saw the two dressing up as a cop and robber pair while making use of the entire stage to chase each other around. While Lil Kim didn't make it as far into Dancing With The Stars as some fans had hoped this was her most memorable moment of the season.
Nelly, Argentine Tango to Can't Feel My Face
The most recent musician to make a splash on the show comes from season 29 where R&B star Nelly and partner Daniella Karagach hung on through the season's first half despite never really making a huge impact on the fans or judges. Their breakout moment came on villains night when they dialed up the creativity on a Freddy Kruger inspired dance to The Weeknd's 2015 hit Can't Feel My Face. They turned in a dancing character study of the Nightmare On Elm Street villain alongside one of his teenage victims. The dance produced one of the season's most viral moments that propelled the pair all the way to the season finale.
Normani, Quickstep to Good Time Good Life
Week 1 of a new season of Dancing isn't often filled with drama or viral moments, it's seen as more of a low-stakes introduction to the new competitors. Normani and pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy were tasked with kicking off season 24 of the show and in their very first dance, they delivered a performance for the ages. Turning Erin Bowman's Good Time Good Life into a stuttering quickstep feels like a move too bold for the very first week but the pair pulled it off, and scored a combined 27 from the judges in the process. They dazzled the judges with a dizzying dance that made prominent use of her stage presence as a singer.
Drew Lachey, Paso Doble to Thriller
2006 brought with it season 2 of Dancing and with a finale that was viewed by over 27 million people the show professed their love for boy bands by crowning former 98 Degrees singer Drew Lachey and partner Cheryl Burke as champions. Their first dance of the finale show was a paso doble to Thriller that was unlike anything the show had seen up to that point.
They became one of the first acts to truly implement TV-grade theatrics into their performance and elevated it with dramatic movement back and forth across the entire stage. They earned perfect scores from every judge and became the show's sophomore champions.
Mel B, Samba to Spice Up Your Life
Season 5 of Dancing saw the show expanding its love of boy bands into the world of girl groups with Mel B, aka Scary Spice of the Spice Girls. Her performances felt like the center of attention nearly every week but the best moment for her and partner Maks Chmerkovskiy came in week 5 when they took on one of Mel's own songs with a riveting samba rendition of Spice Up Your Life. Their take on the dance was fiery and sensual but also nailed down some finer details in their costume and stage arrangement that really helped sell it all. With this dance, Mel B really grabbed people's attention and proved she was one of the most uncompromising contestants the show had seen so far.
James Maslow, Tango to Dark Horse
James Maslow represented a generational shift in the show's cast as they transitioned from the '90s boyband craze into its modern counterpart, tapping the Big Time Rush member for season 18. Despite rumors that James and partner Peta Murgatroyd didn't like each other, they impressed right out of the gate. But it was when the competitors were required to switch partners for a week that James really won fans over. Cheryl Burke joined James for just one week but it was enough for them to leave an impact with their tango to Katy Perry's Dark Horse. They turned the stage into a royal ballroom and performed a dance that fully lived up to the larger-than-life promise of its aesthetics. Though the positive momentum didn't last him all season he certainly made his mark early with one of the season's overall highlights.
Katherina Jenkins, Paso Doble to Time Is Running Out
Rock night always brings out some of the most interesting and unconventional performances the show has to offer. So it's fitting that one of season 14's most unique dancers, Welsh classical opera singer Katherine Jenkins, would pick rock week to deliver one of her most memorable dances. Katherina and partner Mark Ballas took a style of dance that originates from Spanish bullfighting and applied it to Muse's 2000's alt-rock hit Time Is Running Out.
The combination helped her usually timid demeanor come to life on the dancefloor with one of the most physically impressive performances the show has ever seen. They took a risk and it paid off netting them one of the best scores of the night on their way to a 2nd place finish that season.
Kellie Pickler, Jazz Dance to Lights
Country singer Kellie Pickler fell short on American Idol but almost ten years later came back and teamed up with Derek Hough to light up the Dancing stage for 10 weeks. They began to emerge as clear favorites after a week two performance that turned everyone's attention away from Zendaya's jive early in the night. The pair had the final dance of the evening and turned in a rousing reimagination of Ellie Goulding's 2010 breakout hit Lights that earned them the highest score of the week. The stage design made excellent use of lighting in line with the song that inspired the dance and Kellie looked quicker and more versatile than any of her competitors swaying perfectly in tune with her classic moves.
Nick Carter, Contemporary Dance to Can't Help Falling In Love
After 7 weeks of season 21 former Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter, and partner, Sharma Burgess, had managed to stay alive but hadn't really turned heads. In week 8 they bucked convention for icons night and turned in a contemporary dance to Hailey Reinhart's cover of Elvis' classic Can't Help Falling In Love. They wrapped around each other with slow and intimate brushes throughout and set the modern standard for partner dynamics on the show. The dance became one of the season's most buzzworthy moments and helped propel the duo all the way to the finale where Nick and Sharma were the runner-ups.
Nicole Scherzinger, Viennese Waltz to Hold You In My Arms
Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger and partner Derek Hough put together one of the most dominant runs in the history of the show when they won season 10. But it was the very first dance the pair performed that set the tone for their victorious season when they delivered a heartwarming Viennese waltz to Ray LaMontagne's modern folk classic Hold You In My Arms. From the moment the pair first embraced in the center of the stage it was clear that their chemistry was electric and the classical stylings they chose to embody in their dance perfectly accentuated both their talents and their unmatched compatibility. Their score of 25 was the highest of any group in week 1 and foreshadowed an entire season of show-stopping dancing that ended with the pair winning it all.