15 'Dancing With the Stars' Couples Who Actually Dated in Real Life
Getting steamy on and off the dance floor.
Dancing With the Stars may be a ballroom dance competition show, but with the number of IRL romances it generates, it may actually be a better dating show! There are plenty of dance pros who dated their celebrity contestants (and honestly, after all the hours they spend together every day in rehearsal, can you really blame them?). There have even been dance pros in relationships with each other.
Although there have been roughly a billion rumored DWTS romances, these 15 are 100 percent confirmed. Some you probably already remember, like when Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause dated pro Keo Motsepe, which ended, er, not so well. But others, like when Mario Lopez dated dancer Karina Smirnoff, may have slipped your mind. Buckle up and get ready to dive into every confirmed Dancing With the Stars relationship!
Alan Bersten and Alexis Ren
Alexis and Alan didn't even try to hide their romance while they were partnered on the show. Remember that on-air kiss during the show's country-themed night?? But this fling didn't last long, annd they broke up just a few months after the show wrapped.
Val Chmerkovskiy and Amber Rose
Val and Amber weren't even paired up on Dancing With the Stars (she competed with Val's brother Maksim), but the two still dated for a a few months before calling things off.
Chrishell Stause and Keo Motsepe
When Chrishell was on the show there were all kinds of rumors that she had a ~thing~ with her partner Gleb. So it took everyone by surprise when she posted a pic on IG confirming she was dating another pro from the show: Keo. They broke up earlier this year and Chrishell flat-out called him a liar in an Instagram Story. Yikes!
Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas
Who could resist a Cheetah Girl? Certainly not Mark Ballas. These two started dating while dancing together on season 5, but the romance ended pretty much right when the season did.
Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson
These two pro dancers dated for a hot minute in 2015 before going their separate ways. But just a few years later, they got back together, got engaged, and tied the knot in 2019.
Derek Hough and Shannon Elizabeth
Actress Shannon Elizabeth, who you might recognize from American Pie, and her partner Derek Hough started dating while they were partnered together for season 9. They kept their relationship going for about a year afterwards before splitting amicably.
Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff
Way back in season 3, Mario and Karina were partnered together on the show and everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) could feel their chemistry. They ended up dating for over two years before splitting up.
Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
After ending things with Mario, Karina started dating fellow pro Maksim. They even got engaged but decided to call it off shortly afterwards.
Emma Slater and Sasha Farber
These two pros started dating in 2011 then broke up in 2014, but they quickly got back together the following year. Then, as you'd expect from two people working on a reality TV show, they got engaged live on air and married in 2018.
Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert
Derek Hough might be the name that comes up the most when it comes to DWTS romances since he's had quite a few rumored ones, BUT he has absolutely been dating fellow dancer Hayley Erbert since 2015. Engagement rumors have been floating around for months, but nothing is official yet!
Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks
OK, so Julianne and Chuck were technically already dating by the time season 8 of DWTS premiered. They met while touring with Brad Paisley, started dating, and even bought a house together. But things ended about a year later, and although they publicly said it was amicable, Chuck later revealed that "shit hit the fan."
Kym Johnson and Robert Herjavec
Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec really lucked out on the show, getting paired up with his future wife. He and Kym started dating during the show, got married in 2016, and had twins just a few years later.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd
Maksim and Peta were both no strangers to rumors about dating their dance partners. That all came to a halt in 2014 though, when the two started dating. They got engaged the following year, had a son together in 2017, and got married just a few months later.
Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev
The former pro wrestler and her dance partner twirled right into a full-on romance in 2017, and they're still very much together. In fact, they just had a son together last year and are planning a wedding for this fall!
Willa Ford and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Singer Willa Ford and her pro partner were rumored to be dating after fans saw their blazing hot chemistry on the dance floor. Although they didn't say anything at the time, Maksim himself confirmed they were an item a few years later while talking on a podcast.
The 'Ripley' Ending Is Pathologically Open-Ended
Why Daisy Didn't Want to Be on 'The Bachelorette'
Everything We Know About ‘Emily in Paris’ Season 4
Are 'MAFSAU's' Andrea and Timothy Now Dating?
