“Dancing with the Stars: Athletes” only lasted four weeks, but figure skater Adam Rippon won it in decisive fashion. He became the Mirror Ball Trophy champion on Monday night, May 21 after topping the judges’ leaderboard every single week. In fact, he was the front-runner before he ever set foot in the ballroom. We tipped him to win as soon as the cast was announced in April. But is he the best athlete ever to win “DWTS”? Click through our gallery above of all 26 winners. Then scroll down to vote in our poll at the bottom of this post.
To date 11 sports stars have won “DWTS.” Rippon is the third figure skater, following Olympic gold medalists Kristi Yamaguchi (season 6) and Meryl Davis (season 18). But one sport has accounted for even more Mirror Ball titles. Football has produced four victors: Emmitt Smith (season 3), Hines Ward (season 12), Donald Driver (season 14) and Rashad Jennings (season 24).
Two gymnasts have come out on top: Shawn Johnson (season 8) and Laurie Hernandez (season 23). Hernandez prevailed at age 16, which made her the youngest champ in “DWTS” history, and Johnson wasn’t much older, taking home the trophy when she was just 17.
The last two athletic winners came from sports that might have seemed unlikely to produce elite dancers: speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno (season 4) and race car driver Helio Castroneves (season 5). Both of them happened to be paired with pro dancer Julianne Hough, so maybe she had the magic touch when it came to whipping athletes into shape on the dance floor.
So how does Rippon compare to the sportsmen and sportswomen who came before? Vote below.
