A Milestone Season! Everything We Know About Dancing With the Stars Season 30, Including Who Won
Over 15 years, hundreds of celebrities, and a whole range of scores, Dancing With the Stars has reached its 30th season. (Are you as shocked as us that the show premiered 16 years ago on June 1, 2005?) And, in 2022, the reality dance series will hit the milestone with a new group of stars, dances and maybe even a larger judging panel.
Read on to find out everything we know so far about Dancing With the Stars season 30 (2021), including when it premieres, who will judge the season and more.
Is Dancing With the Stars returning for season 30?
Yes! DWTS was officially renewed on March 30. Season 29 did have an 8% drop in viewership but improved slightly in the key 18-49 demo. But considering how much the series has been a staple for the network—as well as its success of producing a show in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic—it's not a surprise that DWTS has been renewed.
When did Dancing With the Stars season 30 premiere?
DWTS season 30 premiered Sept. 20, 2021. ABC announced the premiere date on July 15 as part of the network's overall fall lineup.
Who won Dancing with the Stars 2021?
NBA player Iman Shumpert won the Mirror Ball trophy for 2021. He breaks a record as the first NBA player to make it to the finale and the first to take home the trophy.
Was Cody Rigsby eliminated after Cheryl's positive COVID test?
Nope! In another Dancing with the Stars first, Cheryl Burke tested positive for breakthrough COVID. But that doesn't mean they're eliminated. Instead, Tyra announced yet another first in how Cody and Cheryl were judged. The judged watched a taped performance from their rehearsal that was taped last week before Cheryl's diagnosis.
How long has Dancing with the Stars on TV?
Dancing with the Stars premiered June 1, 2005 and is concluding season 30.
Who is singing tonight on Dancing with the Stars?
As part of the season 30 finale, celebrity dancer and former Spice Girl Melanie C (Sporty Spice) and country singer Jimmie Allen are both returning to sing tonight.
Will Tyra Banks return as host for Dancing with the Stars season 30?
Perhaps the biggest shake-up for DWTS season 29 was the firing of longtime hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews and subsequent hiring of Tyra Banks. While the host and creator of America's Next Top Model did have some flubs in her debut season, she gained confidence as the season went along. With the renewal announcement, producers also confirmed that Tyra, who also serves as an executive producer, would return as DWTS host for season 30.
Related: Tyra Banks Reveals Her Plans for Even More Changes in Season 30
When was the first Dancing With the Stars elimination?
The first couple was eliminated on Monday, September 27.
Who's in the Dancing With the Stars season 30 cast?
The full cast was announced on Wednesday, September 8.
Jojo Siwa
Dancer and singer Jojo Siwa was the first celeb confirmed for DWTS season 30 back on August 26. Not only that, but she will make history as the first person to be paired with a same-sex partner in the series.
Suni Lee
Also on August 26, the DWTS Twitter account confirmed Suni Lee would be competing. The gymnast rose to prominence in this year's summer Olympics, winning several gold medals in the wake of Simone Biles pulling out of the majority of her events. Suni hopes to capitalize on the dancing success of Simone, Laurie Hernandez and Shawn Johnson, the latter two having won their respective seasons.
Matt James
Season 25 Bachelor was confirmed to be competing on season 30 by Us Weekly on September 1. He will serve as the now-requisite Bachelorverse representation for the season.
Jimmie Allen
Country singer Jimmie Allen made history as the first Black solo performer to win New Male Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards. Chances are he'll most likely dance to his hit song "Best Shot" at some point.
Melanie C
Brit pop star Melanie C made a name for herself in the '90s as "Sporty Spice" in the smash group the Spice Girls. Does this mean we'll get a reunion of the fivesome a la the Backstreet Boys last season? Only time will tell.
Christina Chiu
Philanthropist and couture collector Christine Chiu made a name for herself earlier this year as part of the hit Netflix series Bling Empire. It seems like the co-founder of Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery will be going from face lifts to dancing lifts on season 30.
Brian Austin Green
The Beverly Hills, 90210 star was set to be on last season until he had to pull out last-minute, being replaced by Hallmark star Jesse Metcalfe. But DWTS has still appeared in Brian Austin Green's life, as he's been dating pro Sharna Burgess for nearly a year at this point. Though she has a hard and fast rule about not dating her partners, fellow pro Peta Murgatroyd had expressed interest in having Green come onto the show, possibly competing against his girlfriend.
Melora Hardin
The actress is most well known for her role as Jan Levinson on The Office. She has also played roles on The Bold Type and Transparent, the latter of which earned her an Emmy nomination.
Olivia Jade
Olivia Jade, daughter of actress Lori Loughlin, was a headline catcher back in 2019. The social media star caught fire when it was revealed she and he parents had fabricated her participating in rowing so she could get a scholarship at the University of Southern California. Since then her mom has faced jail time, and she not only lost her admission at USC, but several sponsors. Olivia could be looking at DWTS as a way to save her family name.
Amanda Kloots
Former host of The TalkAmanda Kloots faced an incredibly tragic 2020, painfully losing her husband, Tony Award-nominated actor Nick Cordero, to the coronavirus. Considering how much DWTS likes to channel difficult moments from the dancers' lives, we'll see if her tragedy comes up during the season.
Martin Kove
Before Cobra Kai created a rebirth for The Karate Kid, there was John Kreese. Martin Kove played the intense villainous owner of the Cobra Kai dojo in several of the films in the hit franchise. We shall see if that fast footwork translates to the dance floor.
Mike "The Miz" Mizanin
Professional wrestler Mike "The Miz" Mizanin started his television career on reality TV as part of The Real World. TMZ reported he'll be going from the ring to the dancing floor for season 30.
Kenya Moore
Actress, model, and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore was confirmed to be on season 30 by E! News on August 31.
Cody Rigsby
Peloton has become a big place in the fitness game, especially with everyone exercising from home in the past year. And Cody Rigsby has arguably been the face of the at-home cycling service. However, he may be more than just a pretty face and some toned legs, having been a professional dancer prior to coming to Peloton.
Iman Shumpert
NBA player Iman Shumpert has a championship under his belt with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Unfortunately, his star has fallen since that time, now currently a free agent. The NBA has a storied history on DWTS, most recently with legendary power forward Charles Oakley.
Who’s in the cast of professional Dancing With the Stars dancers in season 30?
We’ll see some familiar faces for season 30, but two we won’t see in the pro lineup are Peta Murgatroyd and Keo Motsepe. The two are taking a season off, most recently being partnered with Vernon Davis and Anne Heche.
The 15 DWTS pros for season 30 include:
Brandon Armstrong (4th season)
Lindsay Arnold (10th season)
Alan Bersten (6th season)
Sharna Burgess (14th season)
Cheryl Burke (24rd season)
Witney Carson (12th season)
Artem Chigvintsev (10th season)
Val Chmerkovskiy (17th season)
Sasha Farber (9th season)
Jenna Johnson (6th season)
Daniella Karagach (2nd season)
Pasha Pashkov (3rd season)
Gleb Savchenko (9th season)
Emma Slater (13th season)
Britt Stewart (2nd season)
Who are the celebrity-pro pairs for season 29?
—Brandon Armstrong and Kenya Moore
—Lindsay Arnold and Matt James
—Alan Bersten and Amanda Kloots
—Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin Green
—Cheryl Burke and Cody Rigsby
—Witney Carson and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin
—Artem Chigvintsev and Melora Hardin
—Val Chmerkovskiy and Olivia Jade
—Sasha Farber and Suni Lee
—Jenna Johnson and JoJo Siwa
—Daniella Karagach and Iman Shumpert
—Pasha Pashkov and Christine Chiu
—Gleb Savchenko and Mel C
—Emma Slater and Jimmie Allen
—Britt Stewart and Martin Cove
Who are the Dancing With the Stars judges for season 30?
ABC announced the return of two fan-favorite judges on Aug. 26. Len Goodman, who missed season 29 due to COVID travel restrictions, and Derek Hough, who filled in for Len, will both be returning to the judging panel for season 30. They join longtime judges Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.
Len Goodman
Derek Hough
Bruno Tonioli
Carrie Ann Inaba
Will Len Goodman return as a judge for Dancing With the Stars season 30?
YES! Head judge Len Goodman was forced to miss out on DWTS season 29 due to travel restrictions during the pandemic. Despite his seat being filled for season 29, ABC announced on Aug. 26 that he will return for season 30.