Top 10 Worst Dancing with the Stars Contestants
They can act but unfortunately they couldn't dance very well! For this list, we'll be looking at those celebrities who gave it their all but who ended up coming well short of the top spot. We've included celebrities like Jerry Springer, Geraldo Rivera, Kim Kardashian, Jeffery Ross, Steve Wozniak, Kate Gosselin, Michael Bolton and Master P.
#10: Jerry Springer
Top 10 Times Jerry Was the Worst (Rick and Morty)
Jerry Springer may make for an entertaining talk show host, but he doesn’t make for a great dancer. Springer was partnered with Kym Johnson in the show’s third season, and despite his best attempts, Springer was mediocre at best. Springer and Johnson received the lowest score of the week on five separate occasions and were the sixth team eliminated. Springer wasn’t awful by any means (his samba was particularly good), but his quickstep wasn’t so quick, and his paso doble was awful, as it was full of awkward cape swinging and stiffness. The crowd chanted “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!,” but not for the right reasons.
#9: Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera is infamous for the Al Capone vault debacle on live television. His performance on “Dancing with the Stars” may prove even more embarrassing. Rivera only performed two dances on the show, a cha-cha-cha and a salsa, both of which received a terrible score of 13. He barely moved during the cha-cha-cha, and his salsa began with an awkward Donald Trump political skit and never recovered. We feel bad for the guy, seeing as how he was in his early 70s and obviously having a blast, but it’s clear that he cannot dance. You must commend his spirit, but it was no surprise when he was sent home after only two weeks.
#8: Kenny Mayne
Top 10 Kenny Deaths In South Park
Kenny Mayne is a sports journalist for ESPN, known his “Mayne Event” segments on “Sunday NFL Countdown” and However, unlike the actual athletes, Mayne was not a particularly great dancer. Kenny was partnered with Andrea Hale and performed a horrible cha-cha-cha in the first week, scoring a not-so-great score of 13. Granted, you expect the guests to be a little wooden in their first week, but Mayne’s performance was particularly ill-timed and sloppy. Despite this not being the lowest score of the night, the judges viciously attacked Mayne’s performance, and he was the first dancer eliminated from Season 2.
#7: Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton became popular by playing Marissa Cooper on “The O.C.,” but her popularity couldn’t save her from the wrath of the judges. Barton was paired with Artem Chigvintsev, and she was the second celebrity eliminated after Geraldo Rivera. Mischa survived the first two weeks, despite near-unanimous 5s from the judges, but she was eliminated after a poor samba to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” To make matters worse, Mischa presented a nasty attitude, as she was caught arguing with Artem on-camera and seemingly blamed him for their poor reception.
#6: Kim Kardashian
Top 10 Dancing with the Stars Contestants That Should've Won
Kim Kardashian has to be one of the biggest names to ever appear on “Dancing with the Stars,” but her popularity couldn’t make up for her lackluster dancing skills. The famous reality star was paired with returning “Dancing” champion Mark Ballas, and their first two dances, the foxtrot and the mambo, scored near-unanimous 6s from the judges. However, doom came in week 2, when the pair scored 17 for their stiff and awkward rumba, with many bemoaning Kim’s lack of grace and chemistry with Mark. She was the third contestant eliminated from Season 7.
#5: Jeffrey Ross
Top 20 Things Netflixs The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Got Factually Right and Wrong
Also known as The Roastmaster General, Jeffrey Ross is well-known for his roasting techniques on “Comedy Central Roasts.” And while he may be quick with a joke, he’s not so quick on the dance floor. Jeffrey Ross starred alongside Kim Kardashian in Season 7, but didn’t make it as far, as he was the first celebrity eliminated due to his horrible cha-cha-cha. In Ross’ defense, he was dancing with a scratched cornea, an injury he suffered during rehearsals. However, the show must go on, and Ross’ show was full of bad form and poor musical timing, resulting in his elimination from the show.
#4: Steve Wozniak
Top 10 Times Steve Carell Broke the Office Cast
We all have our talents and weaknesses. For example, The Woz is a fantastically gifted and intelligent man who helped revolutionize personal computers. However, a dancer he is not. Wozniak appeared on Season 8 alongside Karina Smirnoff, performing the cha-cha-cha, quickstep, samba, and Argentine tango. However, none of them were particularly good, and they received the lowest scores of the week on three of their four dances. Their samba was easily the worst, scoring one 4 and two 3s, with Len calling it consistently terrible and Bruno saying that it was the worst samba he’s ever seen. His bewildered face directly after the dance says it all.
#3: Kate Gosselin
Top 10 Times Kate McKinnon Broke the SNL Cast
This “Jon & Kate Plus 8” celebrity appeared in the show’s tenth season alongside Tony Dovolani, and the duo ended up proving to be disastrous. Kate received almost unanimous 5s in the first three weeks of the show (minus one 6), but the double-score showdown in week 4 was the beginning of the end. While their tango scored unanimous 6s in performance, they received a 4 and two 5s for technique due to Kate’s robotic performance, and were eliminated the following week. Tony later laughed with Anderson Cooper, saying “there was a lot of therapy involved” after performing with Kate and that he doesn’t consider what they did to be dancing.
#2: Michael Bolton
Top 10 Worst Things Michael Scott Has Done
Despite his background in music, Michael Bolton couldn’t muster up a single solid dance. Bolton was partnered with Chelsie Hightower, and they performed only two dances before being eliminated. Their first dance, the Viennese waltz, scored a decent 16 from the judges, but their jive scored an abysmal 12, with Bruno calling it the worst jive he’s seen in eleven seasons. While the limber Chelsie is out giving it her all, Michael’s heart doesn’t seem to be in it, as he barely does any actual dancing, and when he does, he’s stiff as a board. His music is good, but his dancing leaves a lot to be desired.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Wendy Williams
Tucker Carlson
#1: Master P
Top 10 Best Master Of None Moments
Master P lives in “Dancing with the Stars” infamy as perhaps the worst contestant in the show’s history. The rapper appeared in the show’s second season and miraculously made it to week four before finally being eliminated. However, that doesn’t mean that the first three weeks were good. Master P received the lowest score of the week on all four of his dances, with his worst being the paso doble, on which he received an astoundingly bad score of 8 (including 2s from Len and Bruno). Naturally, he was eliminated from the show and immediately entered “Dancing with the Stars” history. Oh well, at least it was entertaining, and that’s all that matters.
