Dancing With The Stars Pros: How Much Are They Each Worth?
Published on January 22, 2018. Updated August 27, 2020Dancing With the Stars first aired in 2005 on ABC and quickly became one of the most popular competition reality shows on television. Over the course o more than ten years and more than 20 seasons, there have been quite a few hosts, judges, stars and of course pro dancers who have come in and out of participating on the show. While all eyes are mostly on the “stars” who work to astound judges, their partners and audiences, over the years the recurring pros working with the stars have garnered their own fan base and some have become just as famous as the celebrities they dance with. All the pros are vying for the Mirror Ball Trophy and are getting paid quite well to do so. Along with taking their talents to other projects and even branching out into acting, the dancing professionals aren’t hurting for money. Check out how much some of the most popular professionals from DWTS are worth according to Celebrity Net Worth!
17. Lacey Schwimmer
Estimated Net Worth: 1.5 Million. Lacey Schwimmer rose to fame in her dancing career when she appeared on So You Think You Can Dance in the show’s third season where she landed fourth. In 2008, Schwimmer became the first So You Think You Can Dance alum cast as a pro dancer for Dancing With the Stars when she joined the series in season seven. She went on to compete in seasons 7 -9, and 11-13, of Dancing With the Stars and placed her best in season 11 with actor Kyle Massey. Although she didn’t stay on Dancing With the Stars for long she still has a very impressive estimated net worth of $1.5 million.
James Atoa/Everett Collection16. Keo Motsepe
Estimated Net Worth: $300 Thousand. Keoikantse “Keo” Motsepe joined Dancing With the Stars in 2014 for the show’s nineteenth season. Although he was the first pro to be eliminated along with his celebrity partner, Olympian Lolo Jones, Keo quickly won fans over with his charm and extremely easy-going and kind personality. He has since competed on several more seasons and often found himself in the bottom, but things turned around in season 27 when he and Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch placed third! For now, Keo has an estimated net worth of $300 thousand, but that is sure to go up if he remains on as a pro.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com15. Allison Holker
Estimated Net Worth: $2 Million. Allison Holker had quite the resume before even making her way to Dancing With the Stars. Holker performed at the opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympic Games in 2002 when she was only 14, and went on to appear in Disney’s High School Musical and its sequel. She went on to dance on So You Think You Can Dance and went on their nationwide tour, and then became one of Demi Lovato’s back-up dancers. Holker eventually joined Dancing With the Stars in season 19 and in season 20 came just shy of a win, landing in second place with partner Riker Lynch. Now, after a lot of years of dancing, she has a respectable net worth of $2 million.
Photo by Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock14. Artem Chigvintsev
Estimated Net Worth: $6 Million. Artem Chigvintsev is a Russian dancer who was a champion ballroom dancer before he auditioned to appear on So You Think You Can Dance? after which he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and then joined the Dancing With the Stars Dance Troupe in season 18 before being promoted to a pro in season 19 where he was paired with Lea Thompson. He was gaining a reputation for being consistently paired with middle-aged contestants before landing season 22’s arguably biggest star, Mischa Barton. Unfortunately, the highest rank Artem has been able to achieve is 6th place, but he sure is a fan favorite, and on top of dancing has been hired on as the lead choreographer for a couple of films and has made some acting appearances as well, making himself a net worth of $6 million.
Photo by REX/Shutterstock13. Witney Carson
Estimated Net Worth: $300 Thousand. Witney Carson is still one of the younger pros, but has quickly become one of the pros to look out for on Dancing With the Stars. She first appeared on So You Think You Can Dance? where she made it to the top 6, and joined DWTS the next year for season 16 as a troupe dancer. By season 18, the blonde beauty was promoted to one of the professional dancers and the next season she won the whole thing, taking home the Mirror Ball Trophy with partner Alfonso Ribeiro. Season season 25 she has never placed lower than fourth and as her fame continues to rise, so will her net worth. It currently sits at an estimated $300 thousand.
Photo by Picture Perfect/REX Shutterstock12. Tony Dovolani
Estimated Net Worth: $3 Million. Forty-three-year-old Tony Dovolani was a constant professional on Dancing With the Stars for years after joining the show in its second season. Over the years, he only won once, in season 15 when he was paired with Melissa Rycroft, but he had come close several other times. He has also won many dance competitions worldwide including the 2005 World Rhythm Championships. Dovolani also appeared in the 2004 film Shall We Dance? where he spent time coaching actress Jennifer Lopez. Altogether, he has a net worth of $3 million.
Photo by Rob Latour/REX Shutterstock11. Kym Herjavec (Johnson)
Estimated Net Worth: $1 Million. Australian dancer Kym Johnson appeared on Dancing With the Stars in Australia for three seasons, winning Season 2, before coming to the U.S. version of the show in 2006. She has consistently been on the show since season three, missing only a few seasons, and has won twice with partners Donny Osmond and Hines Ward and came in 2nd twice with Joey Fatone and Warren Sapp. She has appeared on the Australia version of Celebrity Apprentice and has danced at many high profile events, earning herself a net worth of $1 million. Now that she is married to millionaire businessman Robert Herjavec (who has a net worth of $200 million) whom she fell in love when they were paired up in season 20, her net worth has more than likely gone up.
Photo by Rob Latour/REX Shutterstock10. Emma Slater
Estimated Net Worth: $300 Thousand. Emma Slater is without a doubt one of the best up and coming pro dancers on Dancing With the Stars after getting her start as a troupe member in 2012’s 14th season. She was promoted to a pro for season 17, and has been working tirelessly ever since. She had a strong outing in season 17, coming in fourth and then slipped, placing 10th, 7th, 12th and 8th in four appearances in a row with her celebrity partners on the series. Things turned around in season 24 however when Slater and her NFL player partner Rashad Jennings took home the whole thing with 1st place and the following season placed fourth with Drew Scott. As well as dancing on the hit show, she has taken to her talents to film as well and was featured in the film Mamma Mia! Right now her net worth sits at $300 thousand, but that is sure to grow as she continues on with Dancing With the Stars.
Photo by MediaPunch/REX/Shutterstock9. Peta Murgatroyd
Estimated Net Worth: $400 Thousand. Peta Murgatroyd is one of the most beloved pros on DWTS after starting her career as a member of Burn the Floor, which she toured with for six years. The talented star joined DWTS in Season 12 as one of the troupe members and became a regular professional in season 13. She almost immediately made her presence known after winning Season 14 with NFL player Donald Driver. With her commanding win with Nyle DiMarco in season 22, there is no doubt she is one of the most dominant dancers on the floor and has an estimated net worth of $400 thousand. With her marriage to fellow pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, her net worth has more than likely increased as their incomes came together.
Photo by REX Shutterstock8. Cheryl Burke
Estimated Net Worth: $500 Thousand. Cheryl Burke has consistently been a top contender on the series from the time she participated as pro dancer in season 2 and continued to season 19 before taking a break but returned in season 23. Burke has the distinction of being the first ever two-time champ after winning Season 2 with partner Drew Lachey and following it up with a Season 3 win with former NFL player Emmitt Smith. She consistently landed herself in the top 5 and has broken and set many records on the show, including being one of the longest tenured professionals along with Tony Dovolani and the had the most finale appearances for a female professional with seven. With such a storied career on the show, plus a turn on Dance Moms, it is surprising her net worth sits at only $500 thousand.
Photo by Broadimage/REX Shutterstock7. Sharna Burgess
Estimated Net Worth: $750 Thousand. Professional dancer Sharna Burgess also got her start with Burn the Floor and appeared on Australian DWTS before joining the American cast as a troupe member and was promoted to a professional for Season 16. While it took some time for a win, she proved herself right away when she came very close when she and Noah Galloway came in 3rd place in Season 20, and then placed second a few times, first with Nick Carter in season 21 and James Hinchcliffe in season 23, and finally with Josh Norman in season 26. In season 27 Burgess finally got her big win with radio host Bobby Bones. As Burgess has become one of the fan favorite dancers her bank account is sure to rise from where it sits now at an estimated $750 thousand.
Photo by Broadimage/REX Shutterstock6. Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Estimated Net Worth: $7 Million. Valentin Chmerkovskiy has been burning up the dance floor with his smouldering good looks and amazing dance moves for most of his life and is a two-time World Latin Dance Champion. He appeared on DWTS multiple times with his brother, Maksim, before becoming a professional partner in Season 13. He consistently does well, landing in third place four times with Kelly Monaco, Janel Parrish, Ginger Zee, and Normani Kordei, 2nd place with Zendaya in Season 16 and then captured first place on the 10th Anniversary of DWTS in Season 20 with partner Rumer Willis and again in season 23 with gymnast Laurie Hernandez. In the prime of his career which includes being a published author with his fantastic memoir, Val is already worth $7 million.
Photo by REX Shutterstock5. Julianne Hough
Estimated Net Worth: $10 Million. Julianne Hough started her career as a dancer on TV by dancing on the show Show Me the Money before becoming one of the pros on DWTS. Hough won back to back seasons of the show in seasons 4 and 5, winning with partners Apolo Anton Ohno and Helio Castroneves. She only appeared on the show as a dancer until season 8, but has since returned as DWTS’s fourth judge. On top of her successful dancing career, Julianne has also branched out into music, as well as acting, appearing in Burlesque, Footloose, Rock of Ages and Safe Haven, all of which have her sitting on a very comfortable $10 million. Not bad considering that she’s only 30 years old!
Photo by Rob Latour/WWD/REX Shutterstock4. Mark Ballas
Estimated Net Worth: $3 Million. Mark Ballas has been known as the charming goofball on DWTS since being hired as a professional in the fifth season. Ballas has always done well, winning the Mirror Ball Trophy twice with partners Kristi Yamaguchi and Shawn Johnson in seasons 6 and 8 respectively. He also placed consistently in the 2nd and 3rd place spots and has danced with some of the most well-known female stars to appear on the show, including Kim Kardashian, Kristin Cavallari, Bristol Palin, Christina Milian, and Candace Cameron Bure. The 33-year-old has also done some acting, earning a net worth of $3 million.
Photo by REX3. Karina Smirnoff
Estimated Net Worth: $6 Million. Karina Smirnoff is a five time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion and Asian Open Champion, as well as one of the longest running professional dancers on Dancing With the Stars. In her first season as a pro Smirnoff was partnered with Mario Lopez and the pair narrowly lost, landing in second place. While consistently doing well in the competition, Smirnoff finally won the whole thing in Season 13 when partnered with J.R. Martinez. Smirnoff has also appeared in the film Shall We Dance? and released her own fitness DVD, Shape Up With Karina Smirnoff, adding up to a net worth of $6 million.
Photo by MediaPunch/REX Shutterstock2. Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Estimated Net Worth: $8 Million. Maksim Chmerkovskiy has been a fan favorite on DWTS during his time as pro from Season 2 to Season 18 before he took a two season break in season 16 and 17, and then an extended break for several seasons before returning for seasons 23-25. Paired with some notable stars, the older brother of fellow pro Valentin didn’t win his one and only Mirror Ball Trophy until his last season before his break with partner Meryl Davis. He had previously come close to a win however, with partners Kirstie Alley, Melanie Brown, Laila Ali and current DWTS co-host Erin Andrews. As well as being a dancer, he owns seven social and competitive dance studios under the brand “Dance With Me,” and is worth a cool $8 million.
Photo by Broadimage/REX1. Derek Hough
Estimated Net Worth: $8 Million. Derek Hough has had an outstanding career as a dancer, especially as a pro on DWTS. He has won show a record six times with partners Brooke Burke (Season 7), Nicole Scherzinger (Season 10), Jennifer Grey (Season 11), Kellie Pickler (Season 16), Amber Riley (Season 17), and Bindi Irwin (Season 21) and the lowest he has ever placed has been 6th. He has also won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography for routines that he has put together for the show. He has also acted in films and on TV, and appeared in many major stage plays and has his own book, all of which add up to an estimated net worth of $8 million for the impressive star.
Photo by Rob Latour/Variety/REX Shutterstock