DWTS Winners

Drew Lachey was born on 8 August 1976 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Carol (2015), The Comebacks (2007) and Snow Day (2000). He has been married to Lea Lachey since 14 October 2000. They have two children.

An active athlete, Kelly Marie Monaco grew up on the East Coast, where she participated in soccer, swimming, track and softball, among other sports. After the last of five girls was born, her family decided to move from the bustling city of Philadelphia to the more peaceful environment of the Poconos. Monaco proudly states that she is a born competitor. In addition to athletics, she participated intensely in speech, debate and theater during high school. Monaco's television debut came in 1997, when she landed a recurring role on Baywatch (1989). She has since segued into the feature film world with roles in Idle Hands (1999), Mumford (1999) and BASEketball (1998). Raised in an Italian Catholic home, Monaco is very close with her family, especially her great-grandmother. She enjoys volunteering for children's charity events, as well as working with elders. She currently resides in West Hollywood, California.

Emmitt Smith was born on 15 May 1969 in Pensacola, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for Little Giants (1994), How I Met Your Mother (2005) and CSI: Cyber (2015). He has been married to Pat Smith since 22 April 2000. They have three children.

Apolo Ohno was born on 22 May 1982 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is an actor, known for Hawaii Five-0 (2010), Tasmanian Devils (2013) and Superstore (2015).

Helio Castroneves was born on 10 May 1975 in São Paulo, Brazil.

Kristi was the Gold Medalist in figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. She was World Champion twice, in 1991 and 1992, and U. S. National Champion in 1992. Kristi was also U.S. National Pairs Champion twi ce, in 1989 and 1990, before deciding to focus on singles. In 1988, she won the Wo rld Juniors Championships in both singles and pairs.

Brooke Burke holds many titles, including: mother, television host, fitness guru, pod-caster, author, social media mogul (with almost 4 million followers), and cancer survivor. Forbes recognized Brooke's work by listing her as one of America's top ten moms to follow.

Brooke wrote her first biography entitled, "The Naked Mom, A Mother's Fearless Revelations", and then co-authored her 2nd book, Chicken Soup for the Soul's, "The Joy of Less".

Amongst her many credits, Brooke is often recognized for first winning, and then going on to Co-Host 8 seasons of, "Dancing With The Stars". For the past two years, she hosted and co-produced the award winning Saturday morning educational show, "Hidden Heroes". Currently she stars in TV Land's new branded content series entitled, "I Dare You", in which she is dared by the TV Land audience and fans of her social media to take on the wildest of challenges.

Brooke has ventured into the world of Podcasting, launching "The Brooke Burke Show". Her guests have included authors, celebrities, chefs, inspirational women and close friends.

In 2007, Brooke founded and launched BabooshBaby.com, the online store for her popular post-pregnancy belly wraps, Tauts. Brooke later developed Baboosh Body, a fitness product (belly wrap) made to trim the tummy. In 2011, Brooke launched the online mommy destination, ModernMom.com, of which she remains the CEO.

In 2012, Brooke brought her own personal brand of fitness workouts via her DVD series with SONY HOME ENTERTAINMENT, "Transform Your Body With Brooke Burke", "Strengthen & Condition and Tone & Tighten", "Brooke Burke Body: Sexy Abs", and "Brooke Burke Body: 30-Day Slimdown".

Inspired by her dedication to promote women's awareness of the importance of physical and mental health, Brooke's next fitness project was to create her signature "Booty Burn" workout which she personally teaches in her hometown of Malibu, California. "Being a teacher and helping women transform their lives has been one of the most rewarding efforts of my career."

Continuing her quest to educate women about health and the value of exercise, this year Brooke designed and produced her newest passion project BrookeBurkeBody, a fitness lifestyle app that allows anyone to take a fitness journey with her anytime, anywhere.

Brooke has graced the cover of countless fitness, fashion, and lifestyle magazines proving that she is an inspiration to women. She has proudly been the feature story in Health, Fitness, Women's Health, Redbook, and Ladies Home Journal, to name a few.

In 2007, Brooke did her first Primetime Network hosting gig on CBS's "Rock Star INXS" and then "Rock Star Super Nova" with iconic producer Mark Burnett. In 2010, she hosted, "She's Got The Look", while simultaneously taking on (then) her new role as co-host of "Dancing With The Stars". She continued to co-host DWTS' for eight consecutive seasons. Brooke also co-hosted Miss America for four years.

Synonymous with Health & Wellness, over twelve years ago the Skechers Shoe Company chose Brooke to become a spokesperson for their brand starring in multiple National commercials for them.

Brooke has always been heavily involved in humanitarian causes. 12 years ago, she became a "Smile Ambassador" for Operation Smile. Her efforts have included hosting their biggest fundraisers in Los Angeles and New York, appearing in PSA's, raising funds, and traveling on medical missions with her family to personally experience the miracle of helping those less fortunate. Brooke has personally helped raise large sums of money for Operation Smile, but more importantly she has helped change children's lives forever. Continuing to pursue her dedication to charities, in the past two years Brooke has emceed the annual UNICEF gala in Dallas, Texas.

Brooke beat cancer in 2013, but she continues to bring awareness and inspiration to people regarding the disease. She became the face of the American Cancer Society's "Bucket List" campaign in 2014.

The most important pursuit in Brooke's life is and always will be the raising and caring of her four children.

Shawn Johnson was born on 19 January 1992 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. She is an actress, known for The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008), Beijing 2008: Games of the XXIX Olympiad (2008) and Dancing with the Stars (2005). She has been married to Andrew East since 16 April 2016. They have three children.

Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond was born December 9, 1957 in Ogden, Utah, to Olive Osmond (née Davis) and George Osmond on . He was the seventh of eight brothers and has one sister. When Donny was young, his family went to see Lawrence Welk in California. They were unable to meet with him so they decided to take a vacation to Disneyland. This is where Donny's older brothers Wayne Osmond, Alan Osmond, Merrill Osmond and Jay Osmond were discovered by Walt Disney. They performed at Disneyland and were soon asked to perform on The Andy Williams Show (1962). They performed on the show for nine years, with Donny joining the show at age six. After their run on the show was up, the brothers spent two years trying to make it big before Mike Curb and Rick Hall found "One Bad Apple," the song originally chosen for The Jacksons (then known as The Jackson Five), but was instead recorded by the Osmonds and made them famous. For the next several years, Donny traveled all over the world with his brothers, performing for fans such songs as "Puppy Love", "Crazy Horses", "Go Away Lttle Girl", "Down By the Lazy River" and "Twelfth of Never."

In 1974, Donny's sister, Marie Osmond, started performing with the brothers and Donny recorded duets with her. That led to their co-hosting The Mike Douglas Show (1961). An executive at ABC saw the show and offered them their own TV variety show. The pair took it under one condition--that the whole family be involved. Donny and Marie (1975) was a huge success and lasted four years. During the run of the show, Donny married Debra Glenn in 1978 and started a family. In 1979, the show was canceled and the family was faced with a huge debt that they repaid. The early 1980s were not easy for Donny. He tried many different avenues, including starring in "Little Johnny Jones" on Broadway, but without much success. Donny had a break in the late 1980s, though, when he teamed up with Peter Gabriel and recorded "Soldier of Love", which went to #2 on the US charts. In the 1990s, he toured as Joseph in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". This lasted to the late 1990s. After that, he teamed up with Marie again for Donny & Marie (1997), this time a TV talk show. This was highly successful as well, but only lasted a few years. After the end of the show, Donny once again returned to music. He has since released "This is The Moment" a collection of Broadway tunes, and "Somewhere in Time", a collection of love songs. Shortly afterward, Donny was offered the opportunity to host the syndicated game show Pyramid (2002), a revival of the popular The $10,000 Pyramid (1973) game show, and it ran from 2002-2004. Donny has released a new single "Breeze on By", which reached #8 on the UK charts. He has an upcoming CD "What I Meant to Say" due out in November in the UK and January 2005 in the US.

Nicole Scherzinger was born on June 29, 1978 in Honolulu & raised in Louisville, Kentucky. While attending a performing arts high school, she won the Coca-Cola Classic Talent Contest & performed in many plays at The Actors Theatre of Louisville. She then furthered her studies, majoring in theater arts at Wright State University before joining the premiere season of WB's TV show Popstars (2000), where she earned the role of lead vocalist in the female pop group, Eden's Crush.

Outside of her work w/ The Pussycat Dolls, she recently performed w/ Japanese superstar Yoshiki at the Tokyo International Forum of Japan. She also had guest appearances on My Wife and Kids (2000) & Wanda at Large (2003). She also released a single, Breakfast in Bed out on Adam Sandler's 50 First Dates (2004) soundtrack.

Jennifer Grey is an American actress who starred in the film Dirty Dancing (1987) opposite Patrick Swayze, a sleeper hit that would become one of the biggest films of the 1980s. She had previously appeared with Patrick Swayze in John Milius's cold war drama Red Dawn (1984) as 'Toni,' one of the 'Wolverines,' a group of renegade teenagers fighting for their country during World War III.

She then starred in Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club (1984) and the John Badham project American Flyers (1985). By this time she had been linked in with the 'so-called' Brat Pack and unsurprisingly won a starring role in John Hughes's hit comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) playing the older sister of Matthew Broderick and love interest of Charlie Sheen.

As the 1980s drew to a close, Jennifer headlined Howard Brookner's romantic drama Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989), which again teamed her with Alan Ruck, and also Matt Dillon and Madonna. Since then she has worked steadily, starring in over 34 Film and TV appearances including If the Shoe Fits (1990), Wind (1992), and Bounce (2000).

Jennifer will nevertheless be best remembered as 'Baby' in Dirty Dancing (1987), a role that earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress.

Hines Ward was born on 8 March 1976 in Seoul, South Korea. He is an actor, known for Dynasty (2017), The NFL on CBS (1956) and NFL Monday Night Football (1970). He has been married to Lindsey Georgalas since 27 July 2014. He was previously married to Simone.

Jose Rene "J.R." Martinez is an actor, best-selling author, motivational speaker and U.S. Army veteran.

Jose Rene Martinez was born June 14, 1983 in Shreveport, Louisiana to Maria Zavala. His two sisters, Consuelo and Anabel, were raised in El Salvador with his mother's family. He never met Anabel, who died as a young child. At nine years old, J.R. moved with his mother to Hope, Arkansas, where he lived until he was 17. He then moved to Dalton, Georgia, a place he proudly calls his hometown. J.R. always loved playing football and had aspirations of becoming a pro football player, even though he was injured his junior year playing with the Bobcats in Hope. During his senior year he played strong safety for the Dalton High School Catamounts and they went on to Georgia's State Championship.

After high school, he joined the army. J.R. was proud to serve, as a way to give something back to a country that had already given so much to him and to his family. In September of 2002, J.R. underwent Basic and Advanced Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he gained skills as an 11-B Infantryman. After reporting to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in January of 2003, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.

In March of 2003, J.R. was deployed to Iraq. On April 5, less than a month into his deployment, he was driving a Humvee in Karbala when his left front tire hit a roadside bomb. The three other soldiers were ejected from the burning vehicle, but he was trapped inside and suffered smoke inhalation and severe burns to 34 percent of his body. J.R. claims that while he was fighting for his life and awaiting medical help, his sister, Anabel, appeared to him giving him the strength to live.

J.R. was evacuated to a local medic station in Iraq and then to Landstuhl, Germany, for immediate care. He spent 34 months in recovery surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas. He has undergone 33 different surgeries, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery. During recovery, a nurse asked him to speak to a burn patient, who had just seen his body for the first time and had become withdrawn. After a brief visit, the patient opened the curtain, letting light in his room and his heart. J.R. then understood the impact he had on this patient and decided to use his experience to help others. He continued to visit patients sharing his story and listening to theirs.

While J.R.'s experience was certainly life-changing, amazingly he claims this is actually a change for the better. When he does have leisure time, J.R. likes to spend it with his family, friends and his black lab, Romeo.

J.R. can be seen starring as Alfonso Rivera, a Los Angeles paramedic/firefighter and a member of the U.S. Air Force Pararescue team, in the nationally syndicated drama series "SAF3" (pronounced SAFE), which premiered September 2013 in national syndication in over 90 markets across the country. The series is being shot on location in Cape Town, South Africa, and Martinez commutes back and forth to the United States where he continues the successful motivational speaking aspect of his career.

Martinez is the author of the New York Times best-selling book "Full of Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength, and Spirit," a memoir about how he took his own personal tragedy and turned it into inspiration for others. Published by Hyperion, the book came out in October 2012. J.R. was also host of the highly successful "The J.R. Martinez Show" on KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles, one of the highest-rated talk radio stations in the country.

The past two years have been quite something; he and his dance partner, Karina Smirnoff, won ABC's season 13 of "Dancing With The Stars." J. R. was the cover of People Magazine, featured in their Sexiest Man Alive issue and one of the magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People of 2011. Many awards and honors have been bestowed upon him including an Ivy Award, for his work with burn survivors and disabled veterans in the entertainment community, and the 2012 National Red Cross Spirit Award. He was the recipient of the 2012 National Disabled American Veteran of the Year Award and he also received the 2012 California DAV of the Year Award.

J.R was featured on Katie Couric's 2011 ABC Special "The Year" and narrated the CNN documentary series "In America: Vets Wanted?" Talk show guest appearances include: "Access Live," "Entertainment Tonight," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "60 Minutes," "Ellen," "The View," "Good Morning America," "Dr. Oz," CNN, FOX News and Univision. He has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Guidepost, Success, Salute, U.S. Veterans and DAV Magazines.

J.R. guest starred on Lifetime's "Army Wives" as a physical therapist in the season finale. He played Brot Monroe, a combat veteran who was injured in Iraq and returned home to face new challenges of civilian life, on the Emmy Award winning daytime drama "All My Children." In true Hollywood fashion, he was encouraged by a friend to go on the open casting call that AMC put out for a veteran to join the cast. After several meetings with producers he was cast and an actor was born. Due to his popularity, what started as a three month story arc, developed into a three year role.

Martinez has become a highly sought-after motivational speaker and he travels the country spreading his message of resilience and optimism. He devotes himself to showing others the true value of making the most of every situation. He is called on by a wide-range of groups including corporations, veterans groups, non-profits and schools. He is a spokesperson for Operation Finally Home, an organization that builds mortgage-free homes for disabled veterans, and he is involved with Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, Rebuilding America's Warriors (R.A.W.) and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Donald Driver is the Green Bay Packers' all-time leading wide receiver, a Super Bowl champion, New York Times bestselling author and season 14 "Dancing with the Stars" champion. Driver has made over a dozen appearances on "Good Morning America," and has also appeared on popular programs such as "Ellen," "The Chew," "Extreme Weight Loss," "The Biggest Loser," "LIVE! with Kelly and Michael," "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and many others. Driver and his wife, Betina, have three children and reside in Dallas, Texas.

Melissa Rycroft was born on 11 March 1983 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Logically Irrational (2018), The Bachelor (2002) and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team (2006). She has been married to Tye Strickland since 12 December 2009. They have three children.

Kellie Pickler was born in Albemarle, North Carolina to Cynthia Morton and Clyde "Bo" Raymond Pickler, Jr. Cynthia left when Kellie was 2 but was then granted custody for two years. Kellie was returned to her grandparents at age 12. Her father was in and out of jail throughout her childhood and she was raised in Albemarle, North Carolina by her grandparents, who were big influences in her life. She has a half-sister named Courtney and two half-brothers, Eric and Michael; she has never met Michael. Kellie and Eric continued to live with their grandfather after their grandmother died of lung cancer in 2002. At North Stanly High School in New London, North Carolina, from which she graduated in 2004, she was a cheerleader and a beauty queen. In 2005 she tried out for American Idol (2002) and was sent to Hollywood. She sang many famous songs, including "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson, "A Broken Wing" by Martina McBride, and "Blame it on the Sun" by Stevie Wonder. She was one of Simon's favorites, but was eliminated in the Final 6. Back in North Carolina she was given a key to the city on "Kellie Pickler Day", May 6, 2006. She then headed to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue her dreams. She was signed to 19 Recordings/BNA Records and wrote and sang many chart-toppers, including "Red High Heels", "I Wonder", "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind", "Don't You Know You're Beautiful", "You Didn't Know How Much I Loved You", and "The Best Days of Your Life".

Amber Riley was born on 15 February 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Glee (2009), The Wiz Live! (2015) and Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011).

Meryl Davis was born on 1 January 1987 in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA. She has been married to Fedor Andreyev since 22 June 2019.

Alfonso Ribeiro was born in New York on September 21, 1971. Alfonso's family is from Trinidad & Tobago. Although rumor has been that he is of Dominican descent, he has stated in an interview that this is false. Neither he nor his family are from the Dominican Republic; they originate from Trinidad & Tobago.

Ribeiro began his career when he debuted on the PBS show "Oye Ollie." After getting the starring role in the Broadway musical "The Tap Dance Kid" Ribeiro was spotted by Michael Jackson who cast him in one of the singer's many Pepsi commercials of that decade. At the age of 10 Ribeiro dabbled as a musician, releasing singles such as "Dance Baby," "Not Too Young (To Fall In Love)", "Sneak Away With Me" and "Time Bomb". It was about this time that he was cast as Ricky Schroder's best friend on the long-running series Silver Spoons (1982).

He attended California State University at Los Angeles after the end of the series, and was later cast as Carlton Banks on the popular series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990). An avid race car driver, Ribeiro resides in Los Angeles where he participates in celebrity car races.

Rumer Glenn Willis was born August 16th, 1988, in Paducah, Kentucky, to actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis. She was named after the British novelist Rumer Godden. She made her debut at the age of 5 in the movie Now and Then (1995) but was credited as Willa Glen. Her mother hired cameramen to video tape her birth.

Bindi Irwin was born on 24 July 1998 in Buderim, Queensland, Australia. She is an actress, known for Return to Nim's Island (2013), Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010) and Bindi, the Jungle Girl (2007). She has been married to Chandler Powell since 25 March 2020. They have one child.

Model, actor, and activist Nyle DiMarco, born in Queens, New York City, USA, has been breaking down barriers and winning over audiences since he burst onto the scene in 2014. As a fan favorite on cycle 22 of "America's Next Top Model," DiMarco became the second male winner and first Deaf contestant on the hit CW series.

In 2016, DiMarco won season 22 of ABC's dance competition "Dancing with the Stars." With the guidance of professional partner Peta Murgatroyd, he became the first deaf contestant to take home the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy. Following his DWTS win, DiMarco jumped back in front of the camera, expanding his acting credits with a role on Hulu's "Difficult People" starring opposite Billy Eichner and John Early. Previously, he recurred as "Garrett Banducci" on "Switched at Birth" for Freeform, and has a recurring role on Sundance TV's "This Close."

DiMarco became a producing member of the 2018 Broadway revival of Mark Medoff's groundbreaking play "Children of a Lesser God." The show, which opened April 11th at Studio 54, was directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon ("A Raisin in the Sun," "Fences") and stars Joshua Jackson ("The Affair"), Lauren Ridloff ("Wonderstruck"), and Anthony Edwards (ER). This was DiMarco's first producing credit, bringing a unique perspective as a Deaf artist and invaluable insight to telling such a meaningful story.

Activism and philanthropy play extremely large roles in DiMarco's life. He has quickly become the face of not only the Deaf community but disabled people worldwide. As the founder of The Nyle DiMarco Foundation, he works tirelessly on bilingual education initiatives and aims to improve access to accurate information about early language acquisition. DiMarco is an inspiration to many and speaks all over the world, spreading the word of inclusion and acceptance. He recently spoke to a room of influencers at the NGLCC about the Deaf community and the work that The Nyle DiMarco Foundation is doing. He is also an ally and influencer with the United Nations, further propelling his advocacy and tackling both education and accessibility under their 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Laurie Hernandez was born on 9 June 2000 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Unconditional (2023), Stuck in the Middle (2016) and Middle School Moguls (2019).

Rashad Jennings is known for Power (2014), Great News (2017) and The Celebrity Dating Game (2021).

Jordan William Fisher is an American actor, singer, dancer, gamer, and musician. He began his career with recurring roles on several television series, including The Secret Life of the American Teenager in 2012 and Liv and Maddie from 2015 to 2017. He also had supporting roles in the television films Teen Beach Movie (2013), Teen Beach 2 (2015) and Grease Live (2016), and starred in Rent: Live (2019).