Dancing with the Stars has been serving up choreography — and romances — for two decades. While the show’s main business is dance, its close partnerships and long hours have sparked real relationships: short flings, steady romances, engagements and marriages. Here’s a concise rundown of 17 DWTS pairings that moved from choreography to chemistry, capped by 2025’s latest showmance.
Alan Bersten & Emma Slater — The 2025 Showmance
Alan Bersten and Emma Slater went public in April 2025 after they kissed onstage during the DWTS: Live! tour. The pros confirmed their relationship and have been open about enjoying life together. In November 2025 Slater publicly cheered Bersten on as he competed in Season 34, calling him “my boyfriend” on Instagram.
Brooks Nader & Gleb Savchenko
Season 33 sparks turned into a brief but headline-grabbing romance. The pair shared flirty moments and backstage PDA but split amid allegations and a public reconciliation that ultimately ended in April 2025.
Daniel Durant & Britt Stewart
A success story that began on Season 31: they dated publicly in 2023, got engaged during a family hike on Christmas Eve, and married on Aug. 23, 2025. Their relationship grew from mutual respect and a shared love of dance (and, in Durant’s case, ASL learning).
Matthew Lawrence & Cheryl Burke
Their relationship evolved from show-adjacent beginnings in 2006 to a marriage in 2019 and a divorce finalized in 2022. They remain examples of DWTS-adjacent romance that evolved over many years.
Alan Bersten & Alexis Ren
One of Bersten’s earlier public relationships, this brief 2018 romance began on the show and fizzled within months.
Peta Murgatroyd & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
A high-profile pro-pro romance: they began dating in 2012, married in 2017 and have since built a family with three sons. Their partnership remains one of the franchise’s most enduring.
Val Chmerkovskiy & Jenna Johnson
Val and Jenna’s romance moved from castmates to spouses. Married in 2019, they welcomed their son Rome in 2023 and continue as one of DWTS’s strongest couple success stories.
Kym Johnson & Robert Herjavec
Johnson and Herjavec’s relationship began in the DWTS orbit and led to a 2016 wedding and twins. Their marriage is a frequent example of the show’s real-life match-making potential.
Emma Slater & Sasha Farber
Slater and Farber dated after years of friendship and engagement in 2016. They married in 2018 and later divorced in 2023; they remain friendly and professional colleagues.
Amber Rose & Val Chmerkovskiy
A short-lived romance after Season 23, the pair dated publicly in 2016 but had split within months.
Mario Lopez & Karina Smirnoff
Their early chemistry in Season 3 turned into a relationship that lasted nearly two years — a high-profile pairing during DWTS’s early years.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Karina Smirnoff
After Karina’s split from Lopez, she and Maks dated, got engaged in 2009 and later called it off. Their brief engagement was one of the franchise’s major early headlines.
Val Chmerkovskiy & Janel Parrish
Season 19 partners who sparked intense romance rumors — especially after being seen holding hands in public — though their reported relationship never developed into a long-term partnership.
Mark Ballas & Sabrina Bryan
An early DWTS couple: they dated after Season 5 but split soon after due to conflicting schedules and long-distance pressures.
Derek Hough & Shannon Elizabeth
Their mid-season chemistry blossomed into a year-long relationship that ended amicably in 2009. Both have spoken respectfully about the split since.
Cheryl Burke & Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson
Burke later admitted to a brief fling with her Season 10 partner Chad Johnson — a reminder that not all ballroom pairings turn into long-term relationships.
James Maslow & Peta Murgatroyd
A short-lived dating chapter before Peta’s later, more serious relationships. The duo briefly explored romance during their season but it didn’t last.
The show’s format — long rehearsals, intense physical trust, emotional vulnerability and public pressure — creates fertile ground for connections. Some couples find lasting love; others move on quickly. Either way, DWTS continues to be a surprising cupid for contestants and pros alike.
