# Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) season 12

Season twelve of Dancing with the Stars premiered on March 21, 2011, on the ABC network.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and Kym Johnson were the winners of the competition, while actress Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy finished second, and Disney star Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas finished third.

## Cast
### Couples

This season featured eleven celebrity contestants. The cast was revealed on February 28, 2011, during The Bachelor, and the professional partners were revealed on March 2. Hip-hop artist Romeo, who had been slated to appear on season 2 before he had to withdraw due to an injury, was one of the contestants to compete this season. This was also the first season to feature a dance troupe, which consisted of six dancers: Oksana Dmytrenko, Tristan MacManus, Peta Murgatroyd, Kiki Nyemchek, Nicole Volynets, and Ted Volynets.
| Celebrity | Notability | Professional partner | Status |
| Mike Catherwood | Radio personality | Lacey Schwimmer | Eliminated 1st on March 29, 2011 |
| Wendy Williams | Talk show host & author | Tony Dovolani | Eliminated 2nd on April 5, 2011 |
| Sugar Ray Leonard | Professional boxer | Anna Trebunskaya | Eliminated 3rd on April 12, 2011 |
| Petra Němcová | Supermodel | Dmitry Chaplin | Eliminated 4th on April 19, 2011 |
| Chris Jericho | WWE wrestler | Cheryl Burke | Eliminated 5th on April 26, 2011 |
| Kendra Wilkinson | Model & reality television personality | Louis van Amstel | Eliminated 6th on May 3, 2011 |
| Romeo | Rapper & actor | Chelsie Hightower | Eliminated 7th on May 10, 2011 |
| Ralph Macchio | Film actor | Karina Smirnoff | Eliminated 8th on May 17, 2011 |
| Chelsea Kane | Disney Channel actress | Mark Ballas | Third place on May 24, 2011 |
| Kirstie Alley | Film & television actress | Maksim Chmerkovskiy | Runners-up on May 24, 2011 |
| Hines Ward | NFL wide receiver | Kym Johnson | Winners on May 24, 2011 |

#### Future appearances

Kirstie Alley returned for the All-Stars season, where she was again paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

### Host and judges

Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Len Goodman returned to the show as judges, while Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke returned as co-hosts.

## Scoring chart

The highest score each week is indicated in bold green with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in italicized red with a double-dagger (‡).
Color key:
Dancing with the Stars (season 12) - Weekly scores :
| Couple | Pl. | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Couple | Pl. | 1 | 2 | 1+2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Couple | Pl. | 1 | 2 | 1+2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Night 1 | Night 2 |
| Hines & Kym | 1st | 21 | 23† | 44 | 25† | 25 | 27† | 27 | 30+36=66† | 28+26=54 | 30+30=60 | 29+30=59† | +30=89† |
| Kirstie & Maks | 2nd | 23 | 20 | 43 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 30+30=60‡ | 28+25=53 | 27+27=54 | 27+27=54‡ | +30=84‡ |
| Chelsea & Mark | 3rd | 21 | 18 | 39 | 23 | 26† | 26 | 28† | 30+34=64 | 29+26=55† | 28+30+15=73† | 29+30=59† | +30=89† |
| Ralph & Karina | 4th | 24† | 21 | 45† | 21 | 25 | 22‡ | 24 | 30+36=66† | 25+21=46‡ | 25+23=48‡ | | |
| Romeo & Chelsie | 5th | 19 | 23† | 42 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 28† | 30+30=60‡ | 27+25=52 | | | |
| Kendra & Louis | 6th | 18 | 19 | 37 | 23 | 18‡ | 22‡ | 25 | 30+31=61 | | | | |
| Chris & Cheryl | 7th | 19 | 23† | 42 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 22‡ | | | | | |
| Petra & Dmitry | 8th | 18 | 18 | 36 | 25† | 23 | 22‡ | | | | | | |
| Sugar Ray & Anna | 9th | 17 | 17‡ | 34 | 20 | 21 | | | | | | | |
| Wendy & Tony | 10th | 14 | 17‡ | 31 | 15‡ | | | | | | | | |
| Mike & Lacey | 11th | 13‡ | 17‡ | 30‡ | | | | | | | | | |

### Notes

* ↑ This couple finished in first place.
* ↑ This couple finished in second place.
* ↑ This couple finished in third place.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 This couple was eliminated.

## Weekly scores

Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.

### Week 1: First Dances

The couples danced either the cha-cha-cha or foxtrot. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music |
| Chelsea & Mark | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Foxtrot | "King of Anything" — Sara Bareilles |
| Wendy & Tony | 14 (5, 4, 5) | Cha-cha-cha | "I'm Every Woman" — Chaka Khan |
| Hines & Kym | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Cha-cha-cha | "Club Can't Handle Me" — Flo Rida, feat. David Guetta |
| Petra & Dmitry | 18 (6, 6, 6) | Foxtrot | "Don't Know Why" — Norah Jones |
| Romeo & Chelsie | 19 (7, 6, 6) | Cha-cha-cha | "Romeo" — Basement Jaxx |
| Sugar Ray & Anna | 17 (6, 5, 6) | Foxtrot | "The Power of Love" — Huey Lewis & the News |
| Kendra & Louis | 18 (6, 6, 6) | Cha-cha-cha | "When Love Takes Over" — David Guetta, feat. Kelly Rowland |
| Ralph & Karina | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Foxtrot | "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" — Dean Martin |
| Chris & Cheryl | 19 (7, 6, 6) | Cha-cha-cha | "Should I Stay or Should I Go" — The Clash |
| Mike & Lacey | 13 (5, 4, 4) | Foxtrot | "Cooler Than Me" — Mike Posner |
| Kirstie & Maks | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Cha-cha-cha | "Forget You" — Cee Lo Green |

### Week 2: First Elimination

The couples danced either the jive or quickstep. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Sugar Ray & Anna | 17 (6, 5, 6) | Jive | "Sweet Soul Music" — Arthur Conley | Safe |
| Kendra & Louis | 19 (7, 6, 6) | Quickstep | "Gotta Work" — Amerie | Safe |
| Chelsea & Mark | 18 (6, 5, 7) | Jive | "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" — Panic! at the Disco | Safe |
| Chris & Cheryl | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Quickstep | "I Got Rhythm" — Judy Garland | Safe |
| Petra & Dmitry | 18 (6, 6, 6) | Jive | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" — Queen | Safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 20 (7, 6, 7) | Quickstep | "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" — KT Tunstall | Safe |
| Mike & Lacey | 17 (6, 5, 6) | Jive | "The Boys Are Back in Town" — Thin Lizzy | Eliminated |
| Romeo & Chelsie | 23 (7, 8, 8) | Quickstep | "You're the One That I Want" — John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John | Safe |
| Wendy & Tony | 17 (6, 5, 6) | Quickstep | "Do Your Thing" — Basement Jaxx | Safe |
| Ralph & Karina | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Jive | "Nobody But Me" — The Human Beinz | Safe |
| Hines & Kym | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Quickstep | "Part-Time Lover" — Stevie Wonder | Safe |

### Week 3: Personal Story Week

The couples performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Wendy & Tony | 15 (5, 5, 5) | Foxtrot | "Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life" — Indeep | Eliminated |
| Chelsea & Mark | 23 (7, 8, 8) | Cha-cha-cha | "Chelsea" — The Summer Set | Safe |
| Chris & Cheryl | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Rumba | "Let It Be" — The Beatles | Safe |
| Kendra & Louis | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Rumba | "You and Me" — Musiq Soulchild | Safe |
| Romeo & Chelsie | 20 (7, 6, 7) | Rumba | "I'll Be There" — The Jackson 5 | Safe |
| Hines & Kym | 25 (9, 8, 8) | Samba | "Fantasy" — Earth, Wind and Fire | Safe |
| Petra & Dmitry | 25 (8, 9, 8) | Waltz | "You Raise Me Up" — Josh Groban | Safe |
| Sugar Ray & Anna | 20 (7, 6, 7) | Paso doble | "My Prerogative" — Bobby Brown | Safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Rumba | "Over the Rainbow" — Israel Kamakawiwo'ole | Safe |
| Ralph & Karina | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Rumba | "Stay Gold" — Stevie Wonder | Safe |

### Week 4: Classical Week

The couples performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Classical Music | Result |
| Romeo & Chelsie | 23 (7, 8, 8) | Paso doble | "Palladio" — Karl Jenkins | Safe |
| Kendra & Louis | 18 (6, 6, 6) | Viennese waltz | "Con te partirò (Time to Say Goodbye)" — Katherine Jenkins | Safe |
| Sugar Ray & Anna | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Viennese waltz | "Waltz of the Flowers" — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Eliminated |
| Petra & Dmitry | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Paso doble | "March of the Toreadors" — Georges Bizet | Safe |
| Ralph & Karina | 25 (8, 8, 9) | Waltz | "Romeo and Juliet" — Nino Rota | Safe |
| Hines & Kym | 25 (9, 8, 8) | Paso doble | "Explosive / Adagio for Strings" — Bond | Safe |
| Chelsea & Mark | 26 (9, 8, 9) | Viennese waltz | "Hedwig's Theme" — John Williams | Safe |
| Chris & Cheryl | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Paso doble | "I Dovregubbens Hall" — Edvard Grieg | Safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 22 (7, 7, 8) | Waltz | "The Flower Duet" — Katherine Jenkins | Safe |

### Week 5: American Week

The couples performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Ralph & Karina | 22 (8, 7, 7) | Samba | "Sweet Home Alabama" — Lynyrd Skynyrd | Safe |
| Chris & Cheryl | 26 (9, 8, 9) | Viennese waltz | "America the Beautiful" — Whitney Houston | Safe |
| Petra & Dmitry | 22 (7, 7, 8) | Quickstep | "Viva Las Vegas" — Elvis Presley | Eliminated |
| Romeo & Chelsie | 26 (9, 8, 9) | Foxtrot | "New York, New York" — Frank Sinatra | Safe |
| Hines & Kym | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Rumba | "God Bless The USA" — Lee Greenwood | Safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Foxtrot | "American Woman" — The Guess Who | Safe |
| Kendra & Louis | 22 (8, 7, 7) | Foxtrot | "Yankee Doodle Dandy(The Yankee Doodle Boy)" — James Cagney | Safe |
| Chelsea & Mark | 26 (9, 8, 9) | Samba | "Party in the U.S.A." — Miley Cyrus | Safe |

### Week 6: Guilty Pleasure Week

The couples performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Kirstie & Maks | 26 (8, 9, 9) | Samba | "Baby One More Time" — Britney Spears | Safe |
| Chris & Cheryl | 22 (7, 8, 7) | Tango | "Don't Stop Believin'" — Journey | Eliminated |
| Romeo & Chelsie | 28 (10, 9, 9) | Waltz | "My Heart Will Go On" — Celine Dion | Safe |
| Chelsea & Mark | 28 (10, 9, 9) | Quickstep | "Walking on Sunshine" — Katrina and the Waves | Safe |
| Kendra & Louis | 25 (8, 8, 9) | Samba | "Livin' la Vida Loca" — Ricky Martin | Safe |
| Hines & Kym | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Viennese waltz | "End of the Road" — Boyz II Men | Safe |
| Ralph & Karina | 24 (8, 8, 8) | Paso doble | "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" — C+C Music Factory | Safe |

### Week 7: Ballroom Greats Week

Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Donnie Burns, Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.
The six couples were divided into two teams to perform a cha-cha-cha team dance, and each couple also performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Chelsea & Mark Ralph & Karina Romeo & Chelsie | 30 (8, 8, 7, 7) | Team Cha-cha-cha | "Born This Way" — Lady Gaga | "Born This Way" — Lady Gaga |
| Hines & Kym Kendra & Louis Kirstie & Maks | 30 (7, 7, 8, 8) | Team Cha-cha-cha | "We R Who We R" — Ke$ha | "We R Who We R" — Ke$ha |
| Chelsea & Mark | 34 (8, 9, 8, 9) | Paso doble | "Ghosts 'N Stuff" — Deadmau5, feat. Rob Swire | Safe |
| Kendra & Louis | 31 (8, 8, 7, 8) | Tango | "Jalousie" — Billy Fury | Eliminated |
| Kirstie & Maks | 30 (9, 7, 6, 8) | Jive | "La Bamba" — Ritchie Valens | Safe |
| Ralph & Karina | 36 (10, 9, 8, 9) | Quickstep | "Pencil Full Of Lead" — Paolo Nutini | Safe |
| Hines & Kym | 36 (9, 9, 8, 10) | Tango | "Tango Misterioso" — Pedro Gomez | Safe |
| Romeo & Chelsie | 30 (7, 8, 7, 8) | Samba | "Say Hey (I Love You)" — Michael Franti & Spearhead | Safe |

### Week 8: Instant Choreography Week

Each couple performed two dances. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Chelsea & Mark | 29 (10, 9, 10) | Waltz | "My Love" — Sia | Safe |
| Chelsea & Mark | 26 (8, 9, 9) | Salsa | "Get Busy" — Sean Paul | Safe |
| Hines & Kym | 28 (9, 9, 10) | Foxtrot | "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" — Natalie Cole | Safe |
| Hines & Kym | 26 (9, 9, 8) | Jive | "Chantilly Lace" — Jerry Lee Lewis | Safe |
| Romeo & Chelsie | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Tango | "Hold It Against Me" — Britney Spears | Eliminated |
| Romeo & Chelsie | 25 (8, 9, 8) | Salsa | "Tequila" — Xavier Cugat | Eliminated |
| Ralph & Karina | 25 (8, 8, 9) | Viennese waltz | "Maybe I Maybe You" — Scorpions | Safe |
| Ralph & Karina | 21 (7, 7, 7) | Cha-cha-cha | "Stuck in the Middle With You" — Stealers Wheel | Safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 28 (9, 9, 10) | Argentine tango | "Cité Tango" — Ástor Piazzolla | Safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 25 (8, 9, 8) | Salsa | "Cobrastyle" — Teddybears, feat. Mad Cobra | Safe |

### Week 9: Semifinals

Each couple performed two unlearned dances, plus competed in a "winner takes all" cha-cha-cha dance relay. Two couples faced off against each other, with the winners from each match competing against each other for fifteen bonus points. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Ralph & Karina | 25 (8, 9, 8) | Argentine tango | "Violentango" — Astor Piazzolla | Eliminated |
| Ralph & Karina | 23 (8, 7, 8) | Salsa | "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" — Pitbull | Eliminated |
| Kirstie & Maks | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Viennese waltz | "One and Only" — Adele | Safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Paso doble | "White Room" — Cream | Safe |
| Chelsea & Mark | 28 (9, 9, 10) | Argentine tango | "Assassin’s Tango" — John Powell | Safe |
| Chelsea & Mark | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Rumba | "Eyes On Fire" — Blue Foundation | Safe |
| Hines & Kym | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Argentine tango | "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" — Doris Day | Safe |
| Hines & Kym | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Salsa | "Hello" — The Cat Empire | Safe |
"Winner Takes All" Cha-cha-cha :
| Couple | Dance | Music | Result |
| Hines & Kym | Cha-cha-cha | "Boogie Shoes" — KC and the Sunshine Band | Winners |
| Ralph & Karina | Cha-cha-cha | "Mustang Sally" — Wilson Pickett | Losers |
| Chelsea & Mark | Cha-cha-cha | "Makes Me Wonder" — Maroon 5 | Winners |
| Kirstie & Maks | Cha-cha-cha | "Walkin' On The Sun" — Smash Mouth | Losers |
| Chelsea & Mark | Cha-cha-cha | "Just Dance" — Lady Gaga, feat. Colby O'Donis | Winners |
| Hines & Kym | Cha-cha-cha | "Just Dance" — Lady Gaga, feat. Colby O'Donis | Losers |

### Week 10: Finals

On the first night, the three couples performed two dances: a redemption dance selected by one of the judges, which was a style they had already performed earlier in the competition, and their freestyle routine. On the second night, each couple performed their favorite dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

#### Night 1

| Couple | Judge | Scores | Dance | Music |
| Chelsea & Mark | Carrie Ann Inaba | 29 (10, 9, 10) | Samba | "Hip Hip Chin Chin" — Club des Belugas |
| Chelsea & Mark | Carrie Ann Inaba | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Freestyle | "Latinos" — Proyecto Uno |
| Kirstie & Maks | Bruno Tonioli | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Samba | "Magalenha" — Sérgio Mendes, feat. Carlinhos Brown |
| Kirstie & Maks | Bruno Tonioli | 27 (9, 9, 9) | Freestyle | "Perfect" — Pink |
| Hines & Kym | Len Goodman | 29 (10, 9, 10) | Quickstep | "Puttin' On The Ritz" — Irving Berlin |
| Hines & Kym | Len Goodman | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Freestyle | "Dancing Machine" & "I Want You Back" — The Jackson 5 |

#### Night 2

| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Chelsea & Mark | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Viennese waltz | "Hedwig's Theme" — John Williams | Third place |
| Kirstie & Maks | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Cha-cha-cha | "Forget You" — Cee Lo Green | Runners-up |
| Hines & Kym | 30 (10, 10, 10) | Samba | "Fantasy" — Earth, Wind, and Fire | Winners |

## Dance chart

The couples performed the following each week:
* Week 1: One unlearned dance (cha-cha-cha or foxtrot)
* Week 2: One unlearned dance (jive or quickstep)
* Week 3: One unlearned dance
* Week 4: One unlearned dance
* Week 5: One unlearned dance
* Week 6: One unlearned dance
* Week 7: One unlearned dance & team dance
* Week 8: One unlearned dance & instant dance
* Week 9 (Semifinals): Two unlearned dances & cha-cha-cha dance-off
* Week 10 (Finals, Night 1): Judge's choice dance & freestyle
* Week 10 (Finals, Night 2): Favorite dance of the season
Dancing with the Stars (season 12) - Dance chart :
| Couple | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Couple | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Couple | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Night 1 | Night 1 | Night 2 |
| Hines & Kym | Cha-cha-cha | Quickstep | Samba | Paso doble | Rumba | Viennese waltz | Team Cha-cha-cha | Tango | Foxtrot | Jive | Argentine tango | Salsa | Cha-cha-cha Dance-off | Quickstep | Freestyle | Samba |
| Kirstie & Maks | Cha-cha-cha | Quickstep | Rumba | Waltz | Foxtrot | Samba | Team Cha-cha-cha | Jive | Argentine tango | Salsa | Viennese waltz | Paso doble | Cha-cha-cha Dance-off | Samba | Freestyle | Cha-cha-cha |
| Chelsea & Mark | Foxtrot | Jive | Cha-cha-cha | Viennese waltz | Samba | Quickstep | Team Cha-cha-cha | Paso doble | Waltz | Salsa | Argentine tango | Rumba | Cha-cha-cha Dance-off | Samba | Freestyle | Viennese waltz |
| Ralph & Karina | Foxtrot | Jive | Rumba | Waltz | Samba | Paso doble | Team Cha-cha-cha | Quickstep | Viennese waltz | Cha-cha-cha | Argentine tango | Salsa | Cha-cha-cha Dance-off | | | |
| Romeo & Chelsie | Cha-cha-cha | Quickstep | Rumba | Paso doble | Foxtrot | Waltz | Team Cha-cha-cha | Samba | Tango | Salsa | | | | | | |
| Kendra & Louis | Cha-cha-cha | Quickstep | Rumba | Viennese waltz | Foxtrot | Samba | Team Cha-cha-cha | Tango | | | | | | | | |
| Chris & Cheryl | Cha-cha-cha | Quickstep | Rumba | Paso doble | Viennese waltz | Tango | | | | | | | | | | |
| Petra & Dmitry | Foxtrot | Jive | Waltz | Paso doble | Quickstep | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Sugar Ray & Anna | Foxtrot | Jive | Paso doble | Viennese waltz | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wendy & Tony | Cha-cha-cha | Quickstep | Foxtrot | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mike & Lacey | Foxtrot | Jive | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Ratings

Dancing with the Stars tied with Modern Family, a sitcom which also airs on ABC, for the season's No. 5 spot in the age 18–49 demographic of viewers, and placed at No. 3 on the rankings of the overall season.