Every Bachelorette Who Has Won Dancing With The Stars
When The Bachelorette's Kaitlyn Bristowe was preparing to compete on the latest season of Dancing With the Stars, she wanted to win. Badly. So, the reality star was willing to put in the hours to perfect her steps. Still, as she admitted to E! Online, the training for the show was no joke. "I've just been so thrilled and excited to be here. I just love being in the dance studio, I'm putting in the hard work to see what I can do," Bristowe said, adding, "What I'm the most scared of is letting people down. It's always my biggest insecurity if I, you know, disappoint myself or my partner. He's such a hard worker and so patient with me that I don't want to let him down."
The season would feature tough competition, but ultimately, Bristowe didn't disappoint. At all. In fact, she won! Meanwhile, not every Bachelorette goes home a winner on the reality dance show. Consider that Trista Sutter finished in sixth place (via Us Weekly). And several Bachelors didn't do so hot on the dancefloor either, including Sean Lowe, Chris Soules, and Nick Viall.
But some of our favorite leading ladies from the ABC dating show, well, seriously showed up and won the coveted mirrorball trophy on DWTS.
Kaitlyn Bristowe
This Bachelorette will tell you she really wanted to be on Dancing With the Stars long before she was cast on season 29. According to Yahoo!, Bristowe is the daughter of a ballerina, and she danced throughout her life. Despite her background, the star wasn't afraid to work hard, saying, ""If you want a dream to come true, you have to be willing to work for it and go through all of the challenges and appreciate all the hard times to really feel the success."
Whatever Bristowe did worked, because along with her partner, Artem Chigvintsev, she snagged the mirrorball trophy. This is not to say her win came easy — the 35-year-old suffered an ankle injury, and faced harsh criticism from judge Carrie Ann Inaba (via Pop Culture). At the time, Bristowe called the judge's remarks, which included the comment she "gave up" during her performance, "soul-crushing" (via People). Inaba went on to claim she felt "bullied" for how people reacted to her critique of the star's dance (via E! Online). Some speculated Inaba was tougher on Bristowe because she used to date Chigvintsev.
Meanwhile, let's not forget this season was filmed during a worldwide pandemic. In any event, congratulations to Kaitlyn Bristowe!
Hannah Brown
Kaitlyn Bristowe's win actually marks the second consecutive season in which a Bachelorette has won Dancing With the Stars, as Hannah Brown took home the mirrorball trophy on season 28 (via The Washington Post). Some were shocked that Brown and her partner Alan Bersten won given the tough critiques she received throughout the season — and at the hands, er, mouth, or Carrie Ann Inaba just the week before her victory. Brown herself was even surprised, telling Variety, "I was in complete shock. I didn't even know my name had been called as the winner — I heard my name, but I thought it was just as the runner-up."
Brown also told the outlet, "I came on the show after a very crazy heartbreaking, but also empowering time on The Bachelorette." Remember, the star's season ended with her breaking off her engagement with Jed Wyatt during the live finale (via USA Today). She added about how her subsequent experience and win on DWTS helped her, "I feel like I learned that I am so much stronger than I ever thought I was, not just emotionally, but physically. I can handle more than I ever thought I could."
Melissa Rycroft
The only other Bachelorette to take home a mirrorball is Melissa Rycroft, a former professional cheerleader, who actually didn't even win on her first season of DWTS. In fact, in all fairness, she wasn't even technically a lead on the dating show — instead, she appeared on Jason Mesnick's season of The Bachelor (via Screenrant). And on season 8 of the show, she came in third place (via Today). But Rycroft redeemed herself, taking home the top honor when she returned for season 15's all-star competition (via Us Weekly). Not only did she and her partner Tony Dovolani win, but they beat out the likes of Shawn Johnson and Kelly Monaco.
Like Hannah Brown, Rycroft wasn't expecting to come in first. "When we were standing there with Shawn and Derek I assumed it'd be them. After I realized it was our names, I said, 'Oh, my God! How did this just happen?'" she said following her win. She also noted, "I wish we hadn't underestimated ourselves but at the same time it makes us more proud of what we've accomplished."