Fast forward, and “Dancing with the Stars” has become a television juggernaut, captivating audiences with its mix of celebrities trying their hand at ballroom dancing. Premiering to an impressive 13.5 million viewers, it has thrived for over two decades. Beyond the entertainment value, the show is renowned for the dramatic transformations its celebrity participants undergo, both physically and emotionally. These transformations range from significant weight loss to shedding emotional burdens, offering viewers a glimpse into the personal growth of their favorite stars.

Take Ricki Lake, for example. Known for her iconic role in “Hairspray” and her hit ’90s talk show, Lake was no stranger to public battles with weight. Before joining “Dancing with the Stars” in 2011, she shared with US Weekly that she was prepared for the physical demands of the show. Understanding her lifelong weight challenges, Lake emphasized that her focus would be on building strength rather than simply losing pounds.

Similarly, Whitney Leavitt, known for her role in “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” experienced her own metamorphosis during season 34 of “Dancing with the Stars.” Despite being eliminated just before the finals, finishing sixth with partner Mark Ballas, Leavitt emerged a changed woman. The mother of three, who had her youngest child less than a year before participating, saw her decision to join the show as a turning point. Her journey on “Dancing with the Stars” marked a significant chapter in her personal and professional life, proving that the experience was about more than just winning the trophy.

Lake was right that participating would mean serious changes for her body — she later told People (via The Hollywood Reporter) that she lost “12 inches in three weeks” while filming the show, and later revealed to Today that she lost more than 20 pounds overall. The actor was partnered with Derek Hough for season 13, and eventually came in third. So, while she may not have taken home the mirror-ball trophy, she did leave with a lighter physique. 

“Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Whitney Leavitt may have been robbed of the “Dancing with the Stars” trophy during season 34 (she was eliminated right before finale night and came in sixth with her partner Mark Ballas), but her personal and professional changes made her a real winner. The mother of three, who welcomed her youngest child less than a year before joining the cast, made waves during the third season of “Secret Lives” when she admitted she only returned to the MomTok group so that she could compete on “Dancing with the Stars.” That decision paid off, as Leavitt left the reality competition a new woman. 

While appearing on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast prior to filming DWTS, Leavitt revealed that after a bad experience on Ozempic, she wasn’t on the drug any longer, but instead was keeping slim by “counting macros.” While filming “Dancing with the Stars,” the reality star showed off her slim frame, and despite being voted off before the finale, she has also made a major career change since the show ended. In December 2025, it was announced that the talented dancer landed the role of Roxy Hart in “Chicago” (via Broadway News). 

“Property Brothers” star Drew Scott was a surprising addition to 2017’s season 25 of “Dancing with the Stars.” The HGTV fixture stepped away from his usual house-flipping duties to try his hand at professional dancing on primetime television. He was paired with pro Emma Slater and ended up coming in fourth place. And while fans were impressed by his moves, they were equally amazed by his new look. Scott lost a whopping 34 pounds during his time on the show, and even started flashing his new abs.

Scott opened up to US Weekly about his transformation at the time, explaining, “I just feel great. I have more energy, and I’m not stopping dancing. I’m going to be the most annoying person ever because I’m going to dance everywhere I go. My brother’s going to be like, “Stop dancing on the show already.”” He also revealed that there was one big fan of his new body in particular — his then-fiancée Linda Phan, sharing, “She’s like, “Oooh, hello abs.”” 

“Pretty Little Liars” beauty Sasha Pieterse was open about her weight struggles before joining the cast of 2017’s Season 25 of “Dancing with the Stars.” She revealed on the ABC reality competition that she had gained more than 70 pounds over the previous two years and learned that the cause was a health issue — a hormonal disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome. The actor opened up about her body changes and revealed that it was “one of the hardest things [she’d] ever been through” (via E! News) while rehearsing with her partner, Gleb Savchenko. She also told ABC News at the time that she was discussing the very personal topic to help others, explaining, “I just really want to bring awareness for that too because there are so many women that have that who have no idea.”

Early in the season, Pieterse noted she had already lost 15 pounds, telling “Entertainment Tonight,” “It really is the best workout. I have a lot more energy, I’m feeling great, I’m losing weight, which is awesome.” By the time they were halfway through the season, the actor told E! News that she had lost 37 pounds ahead of Disney night, where she dressed up as Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” (seen above) and called her time on the show “magical.” She and Savchenko ultimately came in fifth. 

Joey Fatone of *NSYNC fame was no stranger to dancing on stage — he performed routines alongside his bandmates for years. But Fatone’s first time on “Dancing with the Stars,” during 2007’s Season 4, saw a massive transformation for the ex-boy band star. While paired with Kym Johnson, Fatone saw the weight fall off. He told TV Guide at the time, “When I started dancing with Kym, the weight really started coming off. I was 235 pounds when I started. Now I’m 216. It’s pretty cool to see my stomach get smaller.” 

He would tell “Access Hollywood” (via Today) that there was one big difference between dancing for the ABC show versus dancing with the band, noting, “My weight used to fluctuate obviously dancing with *NSYNC. It used to drop 10-15 pounds when we were dancing, but I never was eating healthy either.” His hard work on the reality competition paid off — he came in second on Season 4, and he was asked back for season 15, “Dancing with the Stars: All Stars,” in 2012. Sadly, he was eliminated during week two, so we weren’t able to watch another major transformation for the former boy band star.

Marie Osmond signed on to compete on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2007, at a time when she was really struggling with her weight. The singer would later tell Oprah Winfrey on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2009 that she reached her highest weight ever that year, 165 pounds. Ballroom dancing turned out to be a saving grace for Osmond, who was paired with professional dance partner Jonathan Roberts on the show. While in the midst of competing, the star told OK! (via Today), “I’m down 31 pounds so far. I’ve lost about five inches off my hips and five inches off my waist. I’ve added muscle mass, and I am much more toned. It’s incredible. The show should be called “Dancing with the Starved.””

Osmond infamously fainted on live television that season following a samba. While fans instantly assumed it was due to her rapid weight loss, the star actually blamed it on recent wildfires in the area, telling Access Hollywood (via Today), “The air quality is really bad and I have allergies really bad so maybe that was it. I am a singer. I don’t know why I should have been winded. We have done it six, seven times in a row, no problem.” When pressed on whether it could be due to losing weight, she adamantly denied it, stating, “Absolutely not. Honestly, I have never felt better in my life. I am in better shape than I ever have been.”

Funny guy Andy Richter threw his hat in the race during Season 34 of “Dancing with the Stars,” and quickly became a fan favorite during the competition. Despite not having any prior dance experience and being a major underdog, Conan O’Brien’s former sidekick from “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” charmed audiences. While partnering with dance pro Emma Slater, he even eventually came in seventh on the series. 

On Julianne Hough’s podcast, “The Morning After (Show),” Richter called his time on the show “physically transformative.” The comedian shared that he plans on keeping up the healthy habits in the future, too. “When this show is done, knees willing, I’m back in the gym,” he explained, adding, “I haven’t needed to do anything but dance … I’m curious as to, like, when I get back on an elliptical, like how long I can go and how much higher I can do the resistance and all this stuff.”

Kelly Osbourne grew up in the spotlight, so the world has watched her weight fluctuate over the years. She spoke to Shape magazine about her struggles, sharing (via US Weekly), “I was called fat and ugly in the press almost my entire life. I understand that being judged by others comes with the territory, but it broke my heart and ruined my self-esteem. It sets you up to hate yourself in a huge way. I was so angry about the things people said about me.” 

When she joined the cast of “Dancing with the Stars” in 2009, she turned a new page. While partnered with Louis van Amstel, Osbourne excelled on the show and ultimately finished in third place. But she also experienced a major transformation off the dance floor — she lost 20 pounds, and would go on to make a major lifestyle change after leaving the ballroom. She would later tell In Touch Weekly (via the Los Angeles Times) that she maintained her post-“Dancing with the Stars” frame by exercising and cheating on her diet once a week. Her cheat day food of choice? Pizza. 

In 2010, Disney Channel star Kyle Massey joined the Season 11 cast of “Dancing with the Stars.” The actor was partnered with dance pro Lacey Schwimmer, and the duo became surprising frontrunners and ultimately came in as the runners-up. When agreeing to do the show, the “That’s So Raven” actor had one pretty big expectation — that he’d leave with a new physique. “It’s crazy to think you’re going to come into a competition like this and not lose weight with the hours you’re going to have to put in,” Massey told People at the time. “I know I’m going to keep losing weight as long as I’m doing the show,” he told the New York Daily News, as his partner Schwimmer excitedly added, “He’s lost eight inches. He’s really loving it. He looks in the mirror all the time.”

Ultimately, he lost 18 pounds that season. Like many of the other stars who saw massive transformations after competing on the dance competition series, he implemented big changes after the show ended. He told US Weekly, “I’m still working at it, doing push-ups and sit-ups. I’m sometimes slacking, but dancing has really put me on a schedule.”

When it comes to weight loss on “Dancing with the Stars,” perhaps the most impressive transformation of all belongs to the late Kirstie Alley. The actor, best known for her roles on “Cheers” and “Veronica’s Closet,” appeared on the show in 2011. That season, she partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Alley showed off some impressive dancing skills, which got her all the way to second place, but her physical changes were even more impressive. The actor lost 100 pounds.

While speaking to People that year, Alley revealed the shocking number and shared even more details. She noted that prior to joining the show, she had been weighing in at around 230 pounds and experiencing negative health effects from her weight gain. “My body had gotten really weak,” she shared. Dancing helped her slim down, as did making the switch to eating organic foods. “I feel back to normal. I have my game again,” she shared with the outlet, adding that she was wearing size 6 clothing. 

The following year, Alley returned for Season 15, “Dancing with the Stars: All Stars,” where she reunited with Chmerkovskiy. Unfortunately, her second run wasn’t as successful — they were eliminated in seventh place.

Not every famous face that signs up for “Dancing with the Stars” is looking to lose weight. Take “The Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei, for example. When he joined the show, he didn’t have any history of weight struggles, but while partnering with Jenna Johnson, he ended up being an incredibly talented dancer who took home the mirror-ball trophy. 

Graziadei opened up about his significant weight loss on the “The Joe Vulpis Podcast.” “I definitely got a little too thin quickly,” the reality star explained. “Initially, you’re doing steps like the jive. We lost so much weight during that week because we were just kicking and flicking and doing so much … Same thing in the samba. You have to move so much in those dances … I’m losing a lot of weight, and my size 32 pants — I need a 30 all of a sudden.” He noted that it was his fiancée, Kelsey Anderson, whom he proposed to on “The Bachelor,” who actually realized how much weight he was losing during filming. 

In 2023, actor Alyson Hannigan signed on for Season 32 of “Dancing with the Stars.” Best known for her roles in films like the “American Pie” franchise and popular TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “How I Met Your Mother,” Hannigan seemed to be totally new to dancing when she was partnered with Sasha Farber. Despite a steep learning curve, the actor made it to finale night and eventually came in fifth — all while showing off a seriously slimmed-down physique. 

Hannigan opened up to Entertainment Tonight about the massive changes, revealing that she lost 20 pounds ahead of the finale. She also took to Instagram to show off her transformation once the season ended, posting side-by-side photos alongside the caption, “The before and after says it all. I lost 20 pounds of both weight and emotional baggage during my time on @dancingwiththestars. I can’t thank @sashafarber1 enough for helping me shed my insecurities and getting me to the confident and strong place I am today.”