Contestants Who Quit ‘Dancing with the Stars’

They gave it their all -- at least most of them did. But these celebrities had to leave the 'Dancing with the Stars' stage before they were ready.

by Katherine Webb

Published on June 16, 2018

5 min read

With its bright lights and even brighter costumes, not to mention its gaggle of smiling contestants, Dancing with the Stars seems like a light-hearted reality series on the surface. But over the course of 24 seasons, we’ve seen enough injuries and meltdowns to know that it’s not for the faint of heart.

There have been countless close calls when it comes to dancers getting hurt. Even pros like Peta Murgatroyd have had to leave early due to injuries. But only a handful of celebrities have actually left since the show premiered in 2005. Here are 10 contestants who had to quit Dancing with the Stars.

1. Tamar Braxton

Tamar Braxton and Val Chmerkovskiy are dancing in gold outfits on 'Dancing with the Stars.' — Tamar Braxton and Val Chmerkovskiy | ABC

In 2015, Tamar Braxton looked like a frontrunner to win her season on Dancing with the Stars. However, she had to cut her stint on the series short after she was taken to the emergency room following a live performance in the ninth week of the competition.

At first, doctors believed the singer, actress, and reality TV personality had pneumonia. Co-host Tom Bergeron expressed hope for a quick recovery and return to the series. However, she later posted to Instagram that she’d been hospitalized due to blood clots in her lungs, which meant her time on DWTS had to sadly come to an end. Bindi Irwin and her partner, Derek Hough, won the season.