Kellie Pickler Is Far From the Only Singer to Win ‘Dancing with the Stars’
In 2013, country music singer Kellie Pickler proved she knows how to hold a tune and cut a rug on season 16 of Dancing with the Stars. The singer got her start in the industry after coming in sixth place on the Season 5 of American Idol. She later released her debut album Small Town Girl in 2006.
During her time on DWTS, Pickler was paired with dancing pro Derek Hough. The dancing duo two-stepped their way into first place, narrowly beating Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy. While Pickler’s win was a great achievement, she is far from the only singer to win the coveted Mirrorball trophy. Read on to discover more singers who took top honors during their season on DWTS.
Amber Riley waltzed her way straight to the Mirrorball trophy
The season after Pickler clenched a victory with Hough, the dancing pro helped waltz another singer to the Mirrorball trophy. Glee alum Amber Riley and Hough wowed the judges in season 17 and clenched the number one spot during the Week 11 finals, according to Us Weekly. Riley rose to fame during her portrayal of Mercedes Jones in the comedy-drama from 2009 to 2015.
After winning DWTS and the ending of Glee, Riley went on to appear as a judge on the BBC ONE musical theater talent show Let It Shine. Through this show, Riley formed a musical theater supergroup with Beverly Knight and Cassidy Johnson. The group called themselves Leading Ladies and released their debut album, Songs from the Stage, in 2017.
In 2020, Riley released her first solo EP under the name RILEY.
Nicole Scherzinger cha-cha slid her way into number one
Another singer who has won the Mirrorball trophy on DWTS is Nicole Scherzinger, ex-lead singer of the pop girl group known as the Pussycat Dolls. In 2010, Scherzinger was crowned the Season 10 champion of DWTS with — you guessed it, Derek Hough. The dancing duo beat out other celebrities like Pamela Anderson, Kate Gosselin, Niecy Nash, Erin Andrews, and Chad Ochocinco.
After her victory on DWTS, Scherzinger went on to serve as a judge on a number of television talent shows, including The Sing-Off, The X Factor, The X Factor UK, and Australia’s Got Talent. In addition, Scherzinger has been a panelist on The Masked Singer since its inception in 2019.
Donny Osmond fox-trotted his way to top honors
During season 9 of DWTS, singer Donny Osmond took home the Mirrorball trophy with dancing pro Kym Johnson. Osmond rose to fame as a kid in the 1970s as part of his family band, The Osmonds. From 1976 to 1979, Osmond and his sister Marie also hosted a television variety series on ABC called The Donny & Marie Show.
Additionally, the other Osmond competed in season 5 of DWTS in 2007. Marie came in third place with dancing pro Jonathan Roberts, losing to runner-up Mel B and champion IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves. In addition to DWTS, Donny also performed on season 1 of The Masked Singer and was named runner-up, losing to rapper T-Pain.
Drew Lachey two-stepped his way to victory
Another famous singer who was able to take home the Mirrorball trophy was ’90s heartthrob Drew Lachey. Of course, Lachey was a member of the popular group 98 Degrees. After his boy band career fizzled out in 2002, Lachey agreed to compete in season 2 of DWTS in 2006.
Lachey secured the Mirrorball trophy with the help of dancing pro Cheryl Burke. During season 2, Lachey was able to beat fellow celebrity’s like Lisa Rinna, Jerry Rice, and Master P. Lachey’s brother and sister-in-law, Nick and Vanessa, both competed on season 25 of DWTS. However, the couple did not fair quite as well as Drew.
