13 Celebrities Whose Careers Blew Up After They Competed on Dancing with the Stars

Long before she was scoring Emmy Awards and giving us iconic ensembles on red carpets, Zendaya competed on season 16 of Dancing with the Stars in 2013 with Val Chmerkovskiy — and came in second place!

One year after Keeping Up with the Kardashians debuted on E!, the reality mogul tried her hand at ballroom dancing and was a contestant in season 7 of the show in 2008. Unfortunately, her stint with Mark Ballas was short-lived, and she was eliminated in week 3.

That's right, long before he was the god of thunder, teen soap heartthrob Hemsworth competed on the Australian version of DWTS in 2006 (with partner Abbey Ross, pictured). It seems his ballroom dance moves weren't too shabby, as the Thor actor placed fifth.

We now know her as the girl who can churn out a breathtaking performance at an awards shows, but when Normani competed in 2005's season 24, she was still a semi-known member of Fifth Harmony. The "Motivation" singer's week 10 elimination came as a shock, as she was a top prospect to take the Mirrorball Trophy that year with partner Val Chmerkovskiy.

Like Normani, Tinashe's elimination also came as a shock. The "2 On" singer had a few albums under her belt before she competed, and fans were staggered when she and partner Brandon Armstrong were eliminated in week 4 of season 27 in 2018.

Before The Wendy Williams Show became a daytime behemoth, Williams admittedly joined season 12 of DWTS in 2011 to get more eyes on her new series. She and partner Tony Dovolani were eliminated in week 3.

Prior to becoming Real Housewives of Beverly Hills mainstay, soap star Rinna and partner Louis Van Amstel took the nation by storm during season 2 of the dance competition in 2006, placing fourth.

Yes, Siwa had a huge youth following prior to joining season 30 in 2021, but her stint on the show exposed her to a wider audience and she instantly became a fan favorite. The former Dance Moms star — who made up the first-ever same-sex couple with pro Jenna Johnson — was the season's runner-up.

We knew singer/actor Fisher from his stints on The Secret Life of the American Teenager as well as Liv and Maddie, but this young superstar totally dominated season 25 of DWTS in 2017: the then-23-year-old and partner Lindsay Arnold won the Mirrorball Trophy that season.

One year before he got his notable gig as a host on Extra, former Saved by the Bell star Lopez and then-girlfriend Karina Smirnoff were top contenders on season 3 of the dancing show in 2006. The pair got second place, losing to Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke.

The Jersey Shore fave brought his beloved GTL vibe to season 11 in 2010, attempting to capitalize on his newfound MTV fame, though fist-pumped his way home in week 4 with partner Karina Smirnoff.

Cuban certainly didn't need DWTS to grow his billion-dollar empire, but two years before he became everyone's favorite shark on Shark Tank, he was a contestant on the dancing show on season 5 in 2007. He was eliminated in week 5, coming in eighth place with partner Kym Johnson — who is now married to Shark Tank star (and DWTS competitor) Robert Herjavec.

We all loved him as Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but his season 19 win with Witney Carson on DWTS in 2014 certainly gave Ribeiro's career a second wind: the actor is currently co-hosting season 31 alongside Tyra Banks.