Season fifteen of Dancing with the Stars, called Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars, premiered on September 24, 2012, on the ABC network.
Season 15 was the first to feature an "all-star" cast of returning celebrities. Six of the returning finalists had already won the title in prior seasons: Kelly Monaco, Drew Lachey, Emmitt Smith, Apolo Anton Ohno, Hélio Castroneves, and Shawn Johnson. Additionally, it was the only season to date to offer fractional (0.5) scores. Five contestants reunited with their original partners (Emmitt Smith, Joey Fatone, Melissa Rycroft, Bristol Palin, Kirstie Alley), while the other eight danced with new partners.
Season 8 finalist Melissa Rycroft defeated season 8 champion Shawn Johnson and season 1 champion Kelly Monaco to win the trophy. This also marked the first win for professional Tony Dovolani.
Contents
Cast
Couples
This season featured thirteen returning celebrity contestants. The first twelve celebrities were revealed on July 27, 2012. A thirteenth contestant was chosen by the public, from either Sabrina Bryan, Kyle Massey, or Carson Kressley. Sabrina Bryan was announced the winner on August 27. Louis van Amstel was partnered with Bryan, while the professional partners for the first twelve celebrities were revealed on August 13. The members of the dance troupe for this season were Oksana Dmytrenko, Emma Slater, Sharna Burgess, Henry Byalikov, Sasha Farber, and Sonny Fredie-Pedersen.
Host and judges
Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke Charvet returned as hosts, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges. The Harold Wheeler orchestra and singers provided music throughout the season.
Scoring chart
The highest score each week is indicated in bold green with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in italicized red with a double-dagger (‡).
Color key:
Notes
Weekly scores
Week 1: First Dances
Couples performed either the cha-cha-cha or foxtrot, and are listed in the order they performed.
Week 2: Top 12
Couples performed either the jive or quickstep, and are listed in the order they performed.
Week 3: Iconic Dances Week
Celebrities chose an iconic routine from the previous fourteen seasons and tried to make it as "iconic" as it previously had been. Couples are listed in the order they performed. There was a double elimination this week.
Week 4: Opponents' Choice Week
All of the celebrities selected a dance style for one of their opponents. Paula Abdul served as guest judge. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 5: Guilty Pleasures Week
The two couples with the highest total cumulative point average became team captains and selected teams for the Team Freestyle. The captains were Gilles & Peta and Shawn & Derek. Due to a presidential debate on October 22, this week of competition consisted of two performance shows: October 22 and 23. There was no elimination. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Night 1
Night 2
Week 6: Country Week
Each couple danced to a country song. Each individual routine included a solo portion by the celebrity. All of the couples also did a group dance. The couple that impressed the judges the most received two bonus points; that was Kirstie & Maks. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 7: Dance Fusion Week
Each couple performed a fusion dance of two previously learned dance styles, followed by a swing dance marathon. Due to the presidential election and the effects of Hurricane Sandy for East Coast viewers, no elimination took place. Mark Ballas performed with Shawn Johnson this week, because Derek Hough was out with an injury. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 8: Veterans Day/Trio Week
In honor of Veterans Day, the first round featured performances to songs that pay homage to servicemen and women. Each couple also selected one professional who had either been previously eliminated or had participated in the dance troupe to perform with them in their Latin routine. There was a double elimination. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 9: Semifinals
The couples performed one unlearned dance to a song from Michael Jackson's album Bad and one dance chosen by the other couples. This was another double elimination this week. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 10: Finals
On the first night, each couple performed their favorite dance of the season and a super-sized freestyle routine. On the second night, they performed an instant dance in which they had to choose their dance style and music that night. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Night 1
Night 2
Dance chart
The couples performed the following each week:
Week 1: One unlearned dance (cha-cha-cha or foxtrot)
Week 2: One unlearned dance (jive or quickstep)
Week 3: One unlearned dance
Week 4: One new dance style
Week 5: One unlearned dance & team freestyle dance
Week 6: One unlearned dance & group freestyle dance
Week 7: Fusion dance & swing marathon
Week 8: One unlearned dance & trio dance
Week 9 (Semifinals): One unlearned dance & one new dance style
Week 10 (Finals, Night 1): Favorite dance & freestyle
Week 10 (Finals, Night 2): Instant dance