Dancing with the Stars is a Costa Rican dance reality show which premiered on August 24, 2014 on Teletica. The show is the Costa Rican version of the British television series Strictly Come Dancing. The program is presented by Randall Vargas, alongside Shirley Álvarez, who is the co-host. Boris Sossa was a co-host in season 2. Mauricio Hoffamn was a co-host in season 3. Bismarck Méndez co-hosted seasons 4 and 5. Natalia Carvajal was the co-host in season 6 of the program.
Costa Rica became the 49th country to adapt the format and the second in Central America after Panama. In February 2014, the BBC's purchase of the program format from Teletica was announced.
The format of the program consists of couples formed by a celebrity with a professional dancer. Each couple performs predetermined dances and competes against the others for the judges' scores and the audience's votes. The couple that receives the lowest combined score from the jury scores and the public votes is eliminated each week until one couple is crowned champion.
Contents
Cast
Presenters
Randall Vargas and Shirley Álvarez have been the presenters since the show's premiere in 2014. Along with them, in season 2, Boris Sosa joined the backstage host. He was replaced by Mauricio Hoffman in season 3, who was then replaced by Bismarck Méndez, season 3's runner-up, in seasons 4 and 5. Starting in season 6, he was managed by Natalia Carvajal.
Judges
The regular judges are David Martínez, who serves as head judge, Flor Urbina who was replaced by Silvia Baltodano in season 7, and Álex Costa. Actor and singer César Meléndez (†) served as a judge in seasons 1 and 2 (2014–15).
Actor and comedian Álex Costa, who was the winner of season 1, permanently joined the judging panel from season 3, due to Meléndez's deteriorating health (and subsequent death).
During a season 5 gala (2018), the prestigious Spanish dancer Isaac Rovira joined the roster as a guest judge. In gala 4 of season 6 (2019), the winner of the fourth season (2017), presenter Víctor Carvajal, served as the third judge, due to the absence of Álex Costa.
Cast timeline
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Couples
A total of 70 celebrities have appeared in the 7 seasons of the show. For each season, celebrities are paired with a professional partner who instructs them in the different dances each week and competes alongside them in the televised competition. A total of 20 professional dancers have appeared alongside celebrities, some for just one season.
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Seasons
Season 1 (2014)
This first edition began on August 24 and ended on November 9, 2014. This year, 10 celebrities participated, paired with professional dancers. Randall Vargas and Shirley Álvarez were the host and co-host, respectively. The judges were: musician, actress, dancer, and choreographer Flor Urbina ; dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher David Martínez; and actor and singer César Melendez.
During the show, Marcela Negriniii withdrew from the competition for health reasons. Chef Lorena Velázquez, who had been the first contestant to be eliminated, returned to the competition in her place.
The contestants of the first season were:
Season 2 (2015)
This second edition began on September 13 and ended on November 29, 2015. This year, 10 celebrities competed alongside professional dancers. Randall Vargas and Shirley Álvarez returned as presenters, and Boris Sossa joined the show backstage. The judges from the previous edition returned.
The contestants of the second season were:
Season 3 (2016)
The third season began on September 11 and ended on November 26, 2016. This season featured 10 celebrities paired with professional dancers. Randall Vargas and Shirley Álvarez returned as hosts, with Mauricio Hoffman in charge of backstage. Flor Urbina and David Martínez returned as judges. Actor and comedian Álex Costa, the season 1 winner, joined the judging panel.
The contestants of the third season were:
Season 4 (2017)
The fourth edition began on September 10 and ended on November 26, 2017. This year's show featured 10 celebrities paired with professional dancers. Randall Vargas and Shirley Álvarez returned as hosts, with Bismarck Méndez in charge of backstage management. Flor Urbina , David Martínez, and Álex Costa returned as judges.
The contestants of the fourth season were:
Season 5 (2018)
The fifth edition began on September 9 and concluded on November 25, 2018. This edition featured 10 celebrities paired with professional dancers. Randall Vargas and Shirley Álvarez returned as hosts, while Bismarck Méndez continued to host the backstage. The judges were the same as the previous edition. The first female champion in the show's history was also crowned.
The contestants of the fifth season were:
Season 6 (2019)
The sixth edition began on August 25, 2019. This edition consisted of 10 celebrities paired with professional dancers. Randall Vargas and Shirley Álvarez returned as hosts, and backstage was hosted by Natalia Carvajal and Natalia Rodríguez.
The contestants of the sixth season were:
Season 7 (2022)
The seventh edition began on June 26, 2022. This year's show features 10 celebrities paired with professional dancers. Randall Vargas and Shirley Álvarez returned as hosts, and María González and Natalia Rodríguez are in charge of backstage hosting.
The participants of this season are:
