The 20 Best Dances in DWTS History: Part One

By: Jacob Elyachar

Tomorrow night, 13 of Dancing with the Stars’ best contestants will return to win for a shot at the Mirror Ball Trophy.

To prep for the Monday night premiere, jacobelyacharjournalist.com will countdown the best performances in the show’s history in a two-part series.

20. Carson Kressley & Anna Trebunskaya, Cha-Cha-Cha (Season 13)

One of the best opening dances in the show’s history was Carson and Anna’s Cha-Cha-Cha.   While he was not J.R. Martinez or Rob Kardashian, Carson and Anna brought fun and excitement onto the ballroom dance floor and it made the show’s grumpiest judges and fans smile.

To watch this energetic Cha-Cha-Cha, click here: http://youtu.be/JYi7U8jUIDY

19. Joey Lawrence & Edyta Sliwinska, Tango (Season Three)

The show’s first ever Halloween Week was filled of bone-chilling dances and the former teenage heartthrob and his partner entertained the audience with their Tango to the Addams Family theme song.  This dance received two nines from Len and Bruno while Carrie Ann gave them their sixth 10 of the season.

To see this dance again, click here: http://youtu.be/3TteanD6UYg

 18. Evan Lysacek & Anna Trebunskaya, Paso Doble (Season 10)

Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek was the second Olympic Figure Skater to compete in the ABC hit series.    Evan’s best dance when he was on season 10 was his Paso Doble.   His solo was impeccable and perfectly interpreted Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life.”

Evan and Anna received their second perfect score and were the encore performance of the semifinals.  To watch this performance, click here: http://youtu.be/IRT-c_7LDhE

17. Group Disco (Season Three)

Group dances are always one of the most memorable parts in any season of Dancing with the Stars.  You can really tell who are the contenders and the pretenders are through this dance.   With assistance from Michael Jackson’s choreographers Travis Payne and Stacy Walker, the final five couples of season three delivered an intriguing group number full of lifts, comedic moments and a serious dance-off.

Keep an eye out for the dance-off between Mario Lopez and Joey Lawrence; their battle was one of the most intense moments in the performance.  Click here to watch it again: http://youtu.be/dADqXpnsKzI

16. Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani, Waltz (Season Eight)

When Nancy O’ Dell was injured during rehearsal with Tony Dovolani, Bachelor star Melissa Rycroft boldly stepped in at the last-minute to take her place.    With only two days of training, Melissa delivered a very elegant Waltz that won over fans and began her Dancing journey that lead her to third place.

As Len stated in his remarks, The Bachelor’s loss was Dancing with the Stars gain as she and Tony executed an incredible Waltz: http://youtu.be/WQgrjJkKy1Y 

15. Paso Doble Face Off (Season Eight)

Melissa and Tony danced off against Gilles Marini and Shawn Johnson and their respective partners: Cheryl Burke and Mark Ballas in the eleventh week of competition on their season.  This was one of the best dance offs because it showed of the couples’ strengths not to mention their unique showmanship that brought them some of their highest scores of their competition.

All three couples improved their techniques from the first time each of them danced the Paso: http://youtu.be/-zKzNIMFryY

14. Lisa Rinna and Louis Van Amstel, Paso Doble (Season Two)

One of the biggest underdogs of Season Two was Lisa Rinna.  During the first two weeks of the competition, it seemed like Lisa was going to remain in the middle of the pack.  However, her Jive and Paso Doble launched her comeback as she showed off impeccable lines and superb chemistry between Louis that pleased the Judges and rallied her fans to carry her to her season’s semifinals.

To watch Lisa and Louis’s splendid Paso Doble, click here: http://youtu.be/9BXxw5MJAeI

13. Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo, Samba (Season One)

Before Kelly Osbourne and Lisa Rinna strutted their stuff on the dance floor, General Hospital actress Kelly Monaco was the show’s first true underdog.  With the help of her professional partner, she executed a steamy Samba to a cover of Enrique Iglesias’s “Baliamos.”

Despite a wardrobe malfunction, Kelly’s dance earned a standing ovation from Carrie Ann and a 26 out of 30: http://youtu.be/3keXE-tto7g

12. Kirstie Alley and Maks Chmerkovskiy, Cha-Cha-Cha (Season 12)

One of the most highly anticipated debuts in DWTS history was Comedy icon Kirstie Alley.   The Emmy-winning actress’s excellent debut made everyone smile and showed off a side of Maks that longtime Dancing fans have not seen in the Ballroom Bad Boy since his partnerships with Willa Ford and Mel B.

While the duo received a 23-out-of-30 for their first Cha-Cha-Cha, the duo performed the dance again in the finals.  To watch their perfect routine, click here: http://youtu.be/ITNdSjs7d68

 

11. Mya and Dmitry Chaplin, Paso Doble (Season Nine)

Award-winning singer Mya and her partner So You Think You Can Dance alum Dmitry Chaplin were the biggest standouts of their season.   While they have received some harsh criticism from head judge Len Goodman, Mya and Dmitry continued to win over fans with their impressive routines that built up to a crescendo when they danced their astonishing Paso Doble in the season nine finals that received a perfect 30-out-of-30 from the judges.

To watch the dance was described by fans as the best Paso Doble of season nine, click here: http://youtu.be/xWh7OWO8HO0

For more information about this upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars, click here: http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars

Come back tomorrow where I will reveal the 10 best dances in DWTS history!