Dancing With the Stars has been going since 2005. It's an American version of the UK's Strictly Come Dancing, and it carried over the popular judges Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli. And, as with any show that has aired 29 seasons and over 400 episodes, the quality of Dancing With the Stars varies wildly. Some seasons are well worth watching and prove incredibly memorable, whereas others are more easily forgotten.
Ratinggraph.com is a great source for judging general audiences' reactions to a particular season, averaging out the IMDb scores of each individual episode and season. According to the website, there are the best seasons of Dancing With the Stars.
Season 16
Airing from March to May of 2013, season 16 contained a roster that included the likes of country music singer Wynonna Judd, comedian D.L. Hughley, famous comedian Andy Dick, and Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, Zendaya, and of course winner Kellie Pickler.
The cast is outstanding, and both Zendaya and Pickler made for an amazing and well-deserved final two. Pickler proved the winner with professional dancer Derek Hough, marking his fourth win of the series.
Season 21
Season 21 of Dancing With the Stars set numerous records, helping its reputation in the opinion of long-time fans. It contained 23 perfect score dances, seven celebrities earned at least one perfect score, and Bindi Irwin earned eight perfect scores - all records at the time.
It also proved to be Derek Hough's sixth win (which he earned with Irwin). The cast is also of note, including Gary Busey, Paula Deen, Tamar Braxton, and The Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter.
Season 22
Dancing With the Stars earned a stellar one-two punch with seasons 21 and 22, making the mid-2010s some of the best times in the show's long history. The season is marked by the return of Len Goodman, who had sat out the previous season. And it was a very welcome return.
The cast included the likes of Mischa Barton, Geraldo Rivera, and winner Nyle DiMarco, who proved a memorable winner by being the first deaf contestant to take home the Mirror Ball trophy (and the second to compete). Rivera also proved a memorable contestant through his horrible dances.
Season 17
Serving as Brooke Burke-Charvet's final season as co-host, season 17 aired throughout the fall of 2013. The season was marked by various events and differences. It was the first not to feature a results show, and it did not feature the skybox area from where Burke-Charvet conducted her post-dance interviews.
The contestants included Bill Nye, Snooki of Jersey Shore fame, Leah Remini, Jack Osbourne, and winner Amber Riley, who earned fame through Glee and danced with Derek Hough. Riley made DWTS history by becoming the first Black contestant to win.
Season 20
Season 20 aired throughout the spring of 2015, marking the tenth anniversary of the show. It proved a great anniversary, providing fans with one of the greatest seasons. Celebrity guests included Redfoo, Robert Herjavec of Shark Tank fame, R5's Riker Lynch, and winner Rumer Willis, daughter of famous actor, Bruce Willis.
Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy proved a great winning couple, earning eight highest-scoring dances and six perfect performances (five 40s and one 30).
Season 23
Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez became the youngest winner in DWTS history, at just 16 years old, by winning season 23 with Valentin Chmerkovskiy. She surpassed Shawn Johnson, another Olympic gymnast, from season 8.
The couple absolutely dominated the season, earning eight perfect scores and the highest score on seven of the show's 11 weeks. Other prominent celebrities competing in the season included Jake T. Austin, Vanilla Ice, and Hernandez's fellow Olympian, Ryan Lochte.
Season 27
Season 27 proved Tom Bergeron's penultimate season, as he was replaced with Tyra Banks for season 30. Luckily, Bergeron went out with a bang, as season 27 proved one of the greatest and most memorable in the show's history.
It contained a fantastic roster, including The Supremes's Mary Wilson, Lamar Odom, Karamo Brown, Kate Flannery, Sean Spicer, James Van Der Beek, Kel Mitchell, and winner, Hannah Brown. In fact, this could be the most stacked cast in the show's history, which of course aided in the season's stellar reputation.
Season 24
Season 24 proved the first win for professional dancer Emma Slater, who joined the show in its 17th season.
Season 24 contained a great cast that included the likes of comedian Chris Kattan (the first eliminated), Mr. T, Glee's Heather Morris (a controversial pick, considering her past as a professional dancer), Nancy Kerrigan (the famous victim of Tonya Harding), and winner Rashad Jennings.
Season 26
Season 26 was notable for numerous reasons. For one, the season was subtitled "Athletes," owing to its inclusion of all-athlete competitors.
These included baseball player Johnny Damon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tonya Harding (following Nancy Kerrigan's appearance in season 24), and the eventual winner, Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon. The season was also the shortest in the show's history, running for just four weeks. This resulted in another unique aspect of the season, as each week contained multiple eliminations.
Season 25
Season 25 is widely noted for its spectacular cast. This included a stellar final three in Frankie Muniz, Lindsey Stirling, and winner Jordan Fisher. Jordan and Lindsay Arnold proved a commendable and enormously memorable pair, earning nine perfect scores.
In fact, these nine perfect scores prove a Dancing With the Stars record, as both Laurie Hernandez and Bindi Irwin scored eight. He also became the youngest male winner in the show's history, at 23 years old. His performance alone made season 25 the most memorable in the show's history.