17 ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pairs Who Actually Dated in Real Life
Things got 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 double as an under-the-radar 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—including Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd, Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson, Pasha Pashkov and Daniella Karagach, and (most recently) Alan Bersten and Emma Slater!
Although there have been roughly a billion rumored DWTS romances, the following relationships are 100 percent confirmed. Some you may 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!
Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff
Met: Season 3 (2006)
Status: Broken up
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.
Willa Ford and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Met: Season 3 (2006)
Status: Broken up
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. (They later broke up.)
Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas
Met: Season 5 (2007)
Status: Broken up
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.
Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough
Met: Season 6 (2008)
Status: Broken up
Actress Shannon Elizabeth, who you might recognize from American Pie, and her partner Derek Hough started dating while they were partnered together during season 6. They kept their relationship going for about a year afterwards before splitting amicably.
Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas
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Met: Season 8 (2009)
Status: Broken up
Following his romance with Sabrina Bryan, Mark found love (or, at least, lust) just two seasons later with Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson. The two reportedly had a bad breakup...but still, the split didn’t keep Shawn from coming back to compete on season 15, where she was thankfully paired with Derek Hough instead of Mark.
Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke
Met: Season 10 (2010)
Status: Broken up
Okay, to be fair, Cheryl has made it clear that she and the NFL star had more of a “fling” than a relationship, but still, these two definitely had sparks both in and outside of the rehearsal room.
James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd
Met: Season 18 (2014)
Status: Broken up
James and Peta went on exactly one date before the season 18 premiere in 2014. Things fizzled out pretty quickly though, and they didn’t end up in a full-fledged relationship.
Janel Parrish and Val Chmerkovskiy
Met: Season 19 (2014)
Status: Broken up
Though the Pretty Little Liars star denied any romantic involvement with her partner during the course of the show, rumors intensified after she and Val were seen holding hands in NYC following the finale. Sadly, it seems things fizzled out not long after.
Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson
Met: Season 20 (2015)
Status: Still together
Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec really lucked out on the show by 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.
Amber Rose and Val Chmerkovskiy
Met: Season 23 (2016)
Status: Broken up
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.
Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev
Met: Season 25 (2017)
Status: Broken up
The former pro wrestler and her dance partner began dating in 2017. They had a son together in 2020, got married in 2022, and ultimately separated in 2024 after Artem was arrested for suspicion of domestic violence.
Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten
Met: Season 27 (2018)
Status: Broken up
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? Still, this fling didn’t last long, and they broke up just a few months after the show wrapped.
Chrishell Stause and Keo Motsepe
Met: Season 29 (2020)
Status: Broken up
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 after two months together, and Chrishell flat-out called him a liar in an Instagram Story. Yikes!
Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess
Met: Season 30 (2021)
Status: Still together
Okay, technically these two were dating before they ever became partners on the show...but they still count, IMO! The pair was set up by their mutual business manager in late 2020, though they didn’t make their public debut as a couple until they were paired on season 30. The following year, they welcomed a son together, and the year after that, they got engaged.
Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart
Met: Season 31 (2022)
Status: Still together
It was clear from the get-go this pair had chemistry. Britt learned sign language to better communicate with the CODA actor as they competed in the 31st season of DWTS in 2022. They may not have made it to the finals, but they both got something more valuable than the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy: each other. Awww!
Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko
Met: Season 33 (2024)
Status: Broken up
The relationship between these two is...complicated, to say the least, but following season 33, the Sports Illustrated model and the pro dancer had an on-and-off-again relationship that finally ended (maybe?) for good in April 2025, when Brooks accused her ex-partner of cheating. To say they’re on bad terms at the moment would be an understatement.
Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber
Met: Season 33 (2024)
Status: Broken up
Fans had so much hope for the former Bachelorette and her partner, and while these two had a good run, they eventually called it quits in June 2025 after less than a year together.
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