September 30, 2024 | Jennifer McDougall

Behind The Scenes Dancing With The Stars


What Really Goes On Backstage

Dancing with the Stars is exciting and captivating. But there’s a lot more going on than what you see on screen. There are quite a few behind-the-scenes truths that are fascinating and flabbergasting.

Crazy Amounts Of Makeup

Zena Shteysel, the principal makeup artist, shared some dirty truths about how much makeup is used during the filming of the show. In every season, they go through 30 bottles of bronzer and “jugs upon jugs of glitter”.

Zena Shteysel in pink top and Director Danny in grey jacketAlison Buck, Getty Images

Lookin’ Tanned

For every single season, Dancing with the Stars uses up to five gallons of spray tan. That amount would overfill the average bathtub.

Nina Hartmann in a gold dressAilura, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT, Wikimedia Commons

Bronzed Beauties

Even if a participant highly dislikes being “bronzed from head to toe”—too bad. The rumor mill calls it “Spray Tan Sunday”. Every Sunday, Julie Nostrand flies from Loveland, Colorado to Los Angeles just so she can prep stars for taping.

Girls in red dressesWalt Disney Television, Flickr

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Elegant Eyes

Dancers don’t just show up with gorgeous lashes. In 32 weeks of filming, makeup artists glue on 500 pairs of eyelashes—and go through 200 tubes of mascara.

Eyes with fake lashesRonê Ferreira, Pexels

Say Bye-Bye To Your Stylist

We all develop relationships with our hairdressers. We know them. We love them. DWTS doesn’t care. Stars who want to use their own stylist are told no.

Dancing couple on the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Sky-High Price Tags

Outfits on the show are elaborately created and altered last-minute—and they aren’t cheap. The cost of each piece is shocking. Each costume is valued between $3,000 and $5,000.

Dancing couple on the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Last-Minute Prep

Not only are outfits for the show super costly but they aren’t even ready until the last minute. Ballroom instructor Tony Dovolani shared that most times costumes aren’t released “’until an hour before the show begins’”.

Tony Dovolani in a white shirtAngela George, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Leave Your Fit At Home

All outfits are chosen by the show. One celebrity had a particularly difficult time with this and offered up quite a bit of backlash. Known as an “outspoken scientologist” and a diva, Kirstie Alley didn’t want Dancing with the Stars to choose her wardrobe. She ’had a really hard time with it and really fought it’”. She wasn’t the only one to vex producers.

Kirstie Alley in a colorful dressAngela Weiss, Getty Images

Another Diva

Former NBA player and rapper Master P replaced his son, Romeo, when the latter dropped out. Despite the show’s rules against clothing with logos during rehearsals, Master P insisted. When he “’threatened to leave’”, he got his way.

Master P with a black hatRonald Martinez, Getty Images

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Bone-Weary Prep

Getting ready to perform for a competition and an audience is grueling. Businessperson and investor Mark Cuban stated—while taking a lie detector test—that DWTS was the most challenging thing he has ever done.

Mark Cuban with brown shirtDanny Bollinger, Flickr

Seven Days A Week

Dancers and stars rehearse seven days a week. Amy Purdy—a former Olympian who earned bronze and silver medals in snowboarding—commented that there are “‘no days off’”.

Amy Purdy in a gold dressWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Time Commitment

Training and rehearsals take A LOT of time. It can be equivalent to a full-time job. In Season 24, football running back Rashad Jennings and dancer Emma Slater spent 362 hours training. It worked out to about 36 hours a week.

Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater perform at the Dancing With The StarsBill McCay, Getty Images

Sure, They Get Paid

Stars and dancers all make money for their work. Contestants earn $125,000 for rehearsals. Pay is incremental—the longer they remain in the competition, the more moola they take home. Celebrities can make quite a bit of money on DWTS.

Dancing couple on the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

The Victor’s Payout

The top weekly pay maxes out at $295,000. The professional dancers, however, don’t bring in close to what their partners do.

Dancing couple on the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Unequal Pay

In comparison to the large payouts for celebrities, the dancers make very little. Salaries aren’t well-published but according to watchmojopros bring in about $5,200 a week.

Dancing couple on the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

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Who Choreographs Routines 

Considering they make substantially less money, professional dancers also have the job of choreographing routines. Sometimes they seek assistance. It’s not completely against the rules to ask another professional for help. Mark Ballas says, “it’s a loophole”.

Mark Ballas in a black shirtKristina Bumphrey, Getty Images

Rules, Rules, Rules

To help the show run as smoothly as possible, there is a long list of requirements. Some of them are quite surprising. One, for example, is that judges must write their score on a physical sheet of paper. Runners hustle that slip to the control room for verification as paddles are lifted and results revealed.

Judges at Dancing with the starsWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Scheduled Arrival

On the day of filming, dancers have to show up more than nine hours ahead of the live show. There are fittings, hair and makeup sittings, performance notes, a rehearsal, and consultations with the technical department regarding lights and music. This dress rehearsal is absolutely mandatory.

People in a dressing roomcottonbro studio, Pexels

Last-Minute Live Music

DWTS pairs don’t get to dance alongside the live music until the day the show airs. The track music can differ from how the band performs, making it very challenging to keep up. It also adds even more stress to last-minute prep.

Singer performing on the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Who Wants On

Being on DWTS propels your stardom. Celebrities dream of being chosen. "’For your marketing, for your career, this is like Willy Wonka's golden ticket’". With almost 20 million viewers, the show offers a lot of exposure.

Dancing couple on the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Careers Take Off

Being on DWTS is a huge deal for stars. Well before Chris Hemsworth acted in Thor, he placed fifth in the 2006 Australian version. Wendy Williams’ appearance in Season 12 rocketed her own talk show to greater fame. Mario Lopez got a hosting gig on Extra after his second-place finish in Season 3.

Chris Hemsworth in a black suitJoe Maher, Getty Images

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How Stars Are Chosen

A lot goes into picking which celebrities will be a good fit for the show. Casting director Deena Katz puts in an enormous amount of work. She has some unexpected habits that help her uncover the best fits. Nominated for nine primetime Emmys and two PGA awards, Katz knows what she’s doing. She rifles through endless gossip columns and juicy tidbits of news. She wants to know who’s “hot”. She scopes out other characteristics as well.

Deena Katz in a black shirtAPU GOMES, Getty Images

Fun And Funny

When deciding on whom to cast for the show, Katz puts weight on a few factors. She seeks celebrities whom she’d invite to “the best dinner party ever”—celebs who are goofy, entertaining, or wild cards.

Dancing couple on the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Who Katz Really Wants

Katz has had her eyes on one specific VIP. She desperately wants him on DWTS and she’s begged him every single year to be a contestant. She even calls him her “personal white whale” since he has eluded her requests. Katz understands that he’s been busy, but she undeniably hopes that in one of the following DWTS seasons, Bill Clinton will surprise her with a yes.

Bill Clinton speaking on the microphoneGage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Who The Audience Really Wants

DWTS fans have their white whale as well. Again and again fans demand one specific star: Jennifer Aniston. Katz has asked. To no avail. ’Trust me, I’ve tried. She can’t do it’”.

Jennifer Aniston with blonde hairAndrés Fevrier, Flickr

Being A Fan Helps

Being an avid admirer of DWTS can actually help celebrities earn a place on the show. Producers know that devotees are more likely to agree to appear. 

Dancing couple on the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

There Are Backups

Things happen.  Sometimes participants need to drop out. DWTS makes sure to have backups for when these things happen. When The Sopranos actor Vincent Pastore left the show after only a week, Katz already had Cheers actor John Ratzenberger lined up as a replacement.

John Ratzenberger in a black suitMovieguide®, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Backups Even Rehearse

Sometimes Katz is so worried that certain stars will back out that their replacement is practicing moves behind the scenes. Concerned that Master P wouldn’t show up for scheduled rehearsals, she had actor David Carradine learning moves. “’He had wardrobe and everything just in case’".

David Carradine with gray hairTom O'Donnell, Getty Images

Same-Sex Couples Permitted

In its 30th season, DWTS had its first same-sex pairing. History was made when Jojo Siwa danced with Jenna Johnson.  "’I think it breaks a wall that's never been broken down before,’" Siwa said.

Jenna Johnson and JoJo Siwa in black outfitsSteven Simione, Getty Images

Cast Classified

Celebs aren’t allowed to reveal that they have been cast on DWTS. The show has some very interesting methods of keeping who has been chosen top secret. In Season 31, cast members’ faces were hidden for the first few rehearsals. As they entered the building, they were required to wear heavy-duty face shields.

Woman wearing white face maskEngin Akyurt, Pexels

Age Limit

Surprisingly, there is no age limit to being on DWTS. The youngest participant was 14-year-old actor Willow Shields. The oldest was actor Cloris Leachman who danced her way to seventh place at age 82.

Cloris Leachman in a black topKevin Winter, Getty Images

How Pairings Are Chosen

One rule is that the show always selects which star and dancer will be matched. The motive is somewhat surprising. The main purpose that the show puts two specific people together is due to logistics—height and size. But there is another reason. Dancing with the Stars doesn’t want melodrama and debacles. Professional dancer Mark Ballas explained, “They also try and make us compatible based on personality, and what they think will work well”. There have been problems in the past.

Mark Ballas in black outfitWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Love Encouraged

Spark and seduction look good on camera. Producers can’t force attraction, of course, but they certainly promote on-screen and real-life chemistry. Several couples have resulted in DWTS partnerships. Dancer Kym Johnson met her husband, investor Robert Herjavec. Pro Britt Stewart fell in love with her on-stage partner, actor Daniel Durant. She even learned ASL so that they could communicate without his interpreter.

Robert Herjavec and Kym JohnsonArturo Holmes, Getty Images

Gossip Helps The Show

There are a lot of rumors concerning who is dating whom and which pairings are brawling. The gossip is intriguing. Mark Ballas, however, claims a lot of it is just that—gossip. "’I'd say about 98 percent [of the fights and romances] you read about are not true’”.

Mark Ballas in a gray t-shirtHollywood To You/Star Max, Getty Images

The Song Choice Rule

Although the dancers have input into the song choice, they ultimately must settle for what the producers want. On a few occasions, the producer’s picks have been questioned.

Band performing on the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Dumbo Controversy

Some fans were outraged at the music chosen for former NFL star Adrian Peterson and his dancing partner, Britt Stewart. During a Disney-themed week, the couple was assigned DumboSupporters of Peterson believe he was being mocked.

Adrian Peterson in a gray shirtBrian Bahr, Getty Images

Look Here, Look There

As if dancing wasn’t challenging enough, stars must make sure to glance and smile in the right direction. 18 cameras are located around the dance floor and DWTS expects participants to know the angles.

Dancing couple at the stageWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Interview Expectations

After every dance is completed, pros and stars are scheduled to speak with the host. Moderator Julianne Hough has gotten some grief over her methods.

Dancers waiting for resultsWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Commercial Break Cut-Off

After finishing her routine, Bravo reality star, Ariana Madix, got quite emotional. Hough interrupted her just after Madix tearfully mentioned her late grandmother. Fans were horrified that host Hough chose that moment for a commercial break. 

Ariana Madix in a black topAmanda Edwards, Getty Images

Unlucky 13 Feud

In Season 13, one pairing had an all-out clash. Dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy and soccer goalkeeper Hope Solo’s feud resulted in many accusations. Solo asserts that her partner slapped her in the face. He denied the claims, then elaborated on his dislike of Solo, saying, “’But, if you are just a bad person, you know what I mean? There’s no excuse for that’”.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy in a black shirtWalt Disney Television, Flickr

Is He The Problem?

Chmerkovskiy also had issues with Kirstie Alley in Season 12, as well as judges Len Goodman and Carrie Ann Inaba. In 2018, he decided that Dancing with the Stars was no longer in his future. You can still find him on television, though. He’s now a judge on So You Think You Can Dance—Fox channel’s rival to Dancing with the Stars.

Judges of DWDSWalt Disney Television, Flickr


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