Dancing with the Stars (American season 15)
Season fifteen of Dancing with the Stars, called Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars, premiered on September 24, 2012. Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke Charvet returned as hosts. The Harold Wheeler orchestra and singers provided music throughout the season. The returning members of the dance troupe for this season were Oksana Dmyrenko, Emma Slater, Sharna Burgess, Henry Byalikov, and Sasha Farber. Sonny Fredie Pedersen replaced Kiki Nyemchek.
Season 15 was the first to feature an "all-star" cast, in which previous celebrities who have competed on the show have another chance to win the competition. Six of the returning finalists, however, had already won the title in prior seasons. Season eight saw the most returning contestants, with 3 out of the 13 contestants coming from that season. In addition, it was the only season to date to offer fractional scores. Five contestants reunited with their original partners, while the other eight danced with new ones.
Season eight finalist Melissa Rycroft defeated season eight champion Shawn Johnson and season one champion Kelly Monaco to win the trophy. This also marked the first win for professional Tony Dovolani. Tony was also the third professional to win after being eliminated first the previous season.
This was the first season to feature an all-female final three in the American series, which was seen again in season 18, and the only series to feature an all-female finale. Rycroft was the only celebrity to place higher than her original season while everyone else ranked lower. Also, this is the first season where a couple performed a style of dance that no other couple performed: the waltz, danced only by Sabrina Bryan and Louis van Amstel.
Couples
The names of twelve returning celebrities were revealed on July 27, 2012. All 12 professionals from season 14 returned. A thirteenth contestant was chosen by the public, from either Sabrina Bryan, Kyle Massey, or Carson Kressley. Bryan was announced the winner on August 27, 2012 over Kressley and Massey. Louis van Amstel was partnered with Bryan, while the professional partners for the first twelve celebrities were revealed on August 13. Mark Ballas and Cheryl Burke were the professionals with the most returning partners and each reunited with one.| Celebrity | Notability | Previous finish | Professional partner | Status |
| Pamela Anderson | Film & television actress | Season 10 competitor | Tristan MacManus | Eliminated 1st on September 25, 2012 |
| Joey Fatone | NSYNC singer & actor | Season 4 runner-up | Kym Johnson | Eliminated 2nd on October 2, 2012 |
| Drew Lachey | Singer & actor | Season 2 champion | Anna Trebunskaya | Eliminated 3rd on October 9, 2012 |
| Hélio Castroneves | Three time Indy 500 champion | Season 5 champion | Chelsie Hightower | Eliminated 4th on October 9, 2012 |
| Bristol Palin | Activist & author | Season 11 finalist | Mark Ballas | Eliminated 5th on October 16, 2012 |
| Sabrina Bryan | Singer & actress | Season 5 competitor | Louis van Amstel | Eliminated 6th on October 30, 2012 |
| Kirstie Alley | Film & television actress | Season 12 runner-up | Maksim Chmerkovskiy | Eliminated 7th on November 13, 2012 |
| Gilles Marini | Film & television actor | Season 8 runner-up | Peta Murgatroyd | Eliminated 8th on November 13, 2012 |
| Apolo Anton Ohno | Olympic short track speed skater | Season 4 champion | Karina Smirnoff | Eliminated 9th on November 20, 2012 |
| Emmitt Smith | Retired NFL player | Season 3 champion | Cheryl Burke | Eliminated 10th on November 20, 2012 |
| Kelly Monaco | Model & actress | Season 1 champion | Valentin Chmerkovskiy | Third place on November 27, 2012 |
| Shawn Johnson | Retired Olympic gymnast | Season 8 champion | Derek Hough Mark Ballas | Runner-up on November 27, 2012 |
| Melissa Rycroft | Television presenter | Season 8 finalist | Tony Dovolani | Winner on November 27, 2012 |
Previous seasons
Mark Ballas and Cheryl Burke have the most returning partners this season with 3 each.Scoring charts
Average score chart
This table only counts for dances scored on a traditional 30-points scale.| Rank by average | Place | Couple | Total points | Number of dances | Average |
| 1 | 1 | Melissa & Tony | 420 | 15 | 28.0 |
| 2 | 2 | Shawn & Derek | 419 | 15 | 27.9 |
| 3 | 6 | Gilles & Peta | 275.5 | 10 | 27.6 |
| 4 | 5 | Apolo & Karina | 327 | 12 | 27.3 |
| 5 | 8 | Sabrina & Louis | 189.5 | 7 | 27.1 |
| 6 | 3 | Kelly & Val | 402 | 15 | 26.8 |
| 6 | 4 | Emmitt & Cheryl | 321 | 12 | 26.8 |
| 8 | 7 | Kirstie & Maks | 241.5 | 10 | 24.2 |
| 9 | 10 | Hélio & Chelsie | 70 | 3 | 23.3 |
| 10 | 11 | Drew & Anna | 68 | 3 | 22.7 |
| 11 | 12 | Joey & Kym | 43 | 2 | 21.5 |
| 12 | 9 | Bristol & Mark | 84 | 4 | 21.0 |
| 13 | 13 | Pamela & Tristan | 17 | 1 | 17.0 |
Highest and lowest scoring performances
The best and worst performances in each dance according to the judges' 30-point scale are as follows:| Dance | Highest scored dancer | Highest score | Lowest scored dancer | Lowest score |
| Cha-cha-cha | Shawn Johnson | 30 | Pamela Anderson | 17 |
| Foxtrot | Emmitt Smith | 26.5 | Kirstie Alley | 19 |
| Jive | Apolo Anton Ohno | 29 | Kirstie Alley | 21 |
| Quickstep | Melissa Rycroft | 30 | Bristol Palin | 18 |
| Tango | Apolo Anton Ohno | 29.5 | Gilles Marini | 25.5 |
| Samba | Melissa Rycroft | 30 | Kelly Monaco | 24.5 |
| Paso doble | Melissa Rycroft | 30 | Bristol Palin | 22.5 |
| Uncommon dances | Gilles Marini Shawn Johnson | 29.5 | Kirstie Alley | 22.5 |
| Rumba | Sabrina Bryan Apolo Anton Ohno | 30 | Shawn Johnson | 27 |
| Waltz | Sabrina Bryan | 29 | — | — |
| Viennese Waltz | Apolo Anton Ohno | 30 | Kirstie Alley | 27 |
| Fusion dance | Shawn Johnson | 30 | Kirstie Alley | 24 |
| Salsa | Emmitt Smith | 30 | Gilles Marini | 29 |
| Theme dances | Shawn Johnson | 30 | Kelly Monaco | 25.5 |
| Argentine tango | Melissa Rycroft | 30 | Shawn Johnson | 29 |
| Freestyle | Melissa Rycroft Shawn Johnson | 30 | Kelly Monaco | 29.5 |
Couples' highest and lowest scoring dances
Scores are based upon a potential 30-point maximum| Couples | Highest scoring dance | Lowest scoring dance |
| Melissa & Tony | Quickstep, Paso doble, Argentine tango, Samba, & Freestyle | Foxtrot |
| Shawn & Derek | Tango/Paso doble fusion, Bhangra, Freestyle, & Cha-cha-cha | Foxtrot |
| Kelly & Val | Paso doble & Freestyle | Cha-cha-cha |
| Emmitt & Cheryl | Salsa | Quickstep |
| Apolo & Karina | Viennese Waltz & Rumba | Cha-cha-cha |
| Gilles & Peta | Bollywood, Quickstep & Rumba | Foxtrot |
| Kirstie & Maks | Rumba | Foxtrot |
| Sabrina & Louis | Rumba | Cha-cha-cha |
| Bristol & Mark | Rock n' Roll | Quickstep |
| Hélio & Chelsie | Quickstep | Foxtrot |
| Drew & Anna | Cha-cha-cha | Foxtrot |
| Joey & Kym | Quickstep | Cha-cha-cha |
| Pamela & Tristan | Cha-cha-cha | Cha-cha-cha |
Weekly scores
Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the charts below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.Week 1
;Running order| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Joey & Kym | 20.5 | Cha-cha-cha | "P.Y.T. "—Michael Jackson | Safe |
| Shawn & Derek | 22 | Foxtrot | "Good Time"—Owl City feat. Carly Rae Jepsen | Safe |
| Sabrina & Louis | 22.5 | Cha-cha-cha | "What Makes You Beautiful"—One Direction | Safe |
| Hélio & Chelsie | 21.5 | Foxtrot | "Pride and Joy"—Marvin Gaye | Safe |
| Pamela & Tristan | 17 | Cha-cha-cha | "You Know I'm No Good"—Amy Winehouse | Eliminated |
| Melissa & Tony | 21 | Foxtrot | "Big Spender"—from Sweet Charity | Safe |
| Apolo & Karina | 22 | Cha-cha-cha | "Party Rock Anthem"—LMFAO | Safe |
| Gilles & Peta | 24 | Foxtrot | "Call Me Irresponsible"—Bobby Darin | Safe |
| Bristol & Mark | 19.5 | Cha-cha-cha | "Blow Me "—Pink | Safe |
| Drew & Anna | 21.5 | Foxtrot | "Love Song"—Sara Bareilles | Bottom two |
| Kelly & Val | 21.5 | Cha-cha-cha | "Bang Bang"—David Sanborn | Safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 19 | Foxtrot | "Set Fire to the Rain"—Adele | Safe |
| Emmitt & Cheryl | 24.5 | Cha-cha-cha | "Chain of Fools"—Aretha Franklin | Safe |
Week 2
;Running order| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Melissa & Tony | 23.5 | Jive | "Shout"—The Isley Brothers | Safe |
| Bristol & Mark | 18 | Quickstep | "Redneck Woman"—Gretchen Wilson | Safe |
| Hélio & Chelsie | 23 | Jive | "Everybody Talks"—Neon Trees | Bottom two |
| Apolo & Karina | 24.5 | Quickstep | "Five Months, Two Weeks, Two Days"—Louis Prima | Safe |
| Sabrina & Louis | 26 | Quickstep | "Black Betty"—Ram Jam | Safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 21 | Jive | "Non Non Rien N'a Changé"—Les Poppys | Safe |
| Emmitt & Cheryl | 22.5 | Quickstep | "A Cool Cat In Town"—Tape Five | Safe |
| Drew & Anna | 22.5 | Jive | "Dance, Dance"—Fall Out Boy | Safe |
| Joey & Kym | 22.5 | Quickstep | "Creep"—Radiohead | Eliminated |
| Shawn & Derek | 25 | Jive | "The Nicest Kids in Town"—from Hairspray | Safe |
| Kelly & Val | 22 | Quickstep | "Who Says"—Selena Gomez & The Scene | Safe |
| Gilles & Peta | 25.5 | Jive | "Don't Stop Me Now"—Queen | Safe |
Week 3: Iconic Dances Week
Celebrities must choose an iconic routine from the previous fourteen seasons and perform it but try to make it as "iconic" as it was previously. There was also a double-elimination. Two couples were "in jeopardy" halfway through the hour, two more at the end, with one couple of each pair eliminated.;Running order
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Original couple | Result |
| Drew & Anna | 24 | Cha-cha-cha | "Crazy in Love"—Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z | Joey & Ashly | Eliminated |
| Gilles & Peta | 25.5 | Tango | "Sweet Dreams "—Eurythmics | Erin & Maks | Safe |
| Melissa & Tony | 27 | Samba | "Conga"—Gloria Estefan | JR & Karina | Safe |
| Apolo & Karina | 25.5 | Foxtrot | "Fever"—Michael Bublé | Gilles & Cheryl | Safe |
| Kelly & Val | 27 | Paso doble | "España cañí"—Erich Kunzel | Laila & Maks | Safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 24 | Cha-cha-cha | "Moves like Jagger"—Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera | Carson & Anna | Last to be called Safe |
| Sabrina & Louis | 25.5 | Paso doble | "Free Your Mind"—En Vogue | Mel B & Maks | Bottom two |
| Emmitt & Cheryl | 25 | Paso doble | "Canción Del Mariachi"—Los Lobos feat. Antonio Banderas | Mario & Karina | Safe |
| Hélio & Chelsie | 25.5 | Quickstep | "Mr. Pinstripe Suit"—Big Bad Voodoo Daddy | Apolo & Julianne | Eliminated |
| Bristol & Mark | 22.5 | Paso doble | "Living on Video"—Trans-X | Joanna & Derek | Safe |
| Shawn & Derek | 26.5 | Quickstep | "Hey Pachuco"—Royal Crown Revue | Hélio & Julianne | Safe |
Week 4: Opponents' Choice Week
Individual judges scores in the chart below are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Paula Abdul, Bruno Tonioli.All of the celebrities chose a dance style for one of their opponents, as well as getting their style of dance chosen by a fellow competitor. Paula Abdul served as guest judge. Hélio & Chelsie would have danced Broadway, chosen by Shawn & Derek, had they not been eliminated.
;Running order
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Dance chosen by | Result |
| Kirstie & Maks | 30 | Charleston | "Forty-Second Street"—from 42nd Street | Sabrina & Louis | Bottom two |
| Bristol & Mark | 32 | Rock n' Roll | "At the Hop"—Danny and the Juniors | Gilles & Peta | Eliminated |
| Sabrina & Louis | 35.5 | Disco | "You Should Be Dancing"—Bee Gees | Kirstie & Maks | Safe |
| Emmitt & Cheryl | 36 | Bolero | "Better in Time"—Leona Lewis | Kelly & Val | Safe |
| Gilles & Peta | 39.5 | Bollywood | "Jai Ho "—Pussycat Dolls feat. A. R. Rahman | Bristol & Mark | Safe |
| Melissa & Tony | 37 | Jitterbug | "This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof"—Brian Setzer Orchestra | Apolo & Karina | Safe |
| Shawn & Derek | 39.5 | Mambo | "Para Los Rumberos"—Santana | Hélio & Chelsie | Safe |
| Apolo & Karina | 34.5 | Hip-Hop | "Poison"—Bell Biv DeVoe | Melissa & Tony | Safe |
| Kelly & Val | 37.5 | Contemporary | "Fix You"—Coldplay | Emmitt & Cheryl | Safe |
Week 5: Guilty Pleasures Week
The two couples with the highest total cumulative points/average became "team captains" and chose teams to join them in the Team Freestyle; these captains were Gilles & Peta and Shawn & Derek. Gilles & Peta's team consists of Kelly & Val, Emmitt & Cheryl, and Kirstie & Maks. Shawn & Derek's team consists of Sabrina & Louis, Melissa & Tony, and Apolo & Karina. Bristol & Mark would have joined the team who lost a member, had they not been eliminated. Due to a presidential debate on October 22, this week of competition consisted of two performance shows - October 22 and 23. There was no elimination, so all the couples returned to dance during Week Six.;Running order
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music |
| Kelly & Val | 24.5 | Samba | "Want U Back"—Cher Lloyd |
| Gilles & Peta | 29.5 | Rumba | "I Will Always Love You"—Whitney Houston |
| Kirstie & Maks | 25.5 | Quickstep | "Mrs. Robinson"—Simon and Garfunkel |
| Emmitt & Cheryl | 29 | Samba | "Copacabana"—Barry Manilow |
| Sabrina & Louis Shawn & Derek Melissa & Tony Apolo & Karina | 29.5 | Freestyle | "Call Me Maybe"—Carly Rae Jepsen |
;Running order
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music |
| Melissa & Tony | 27 | Tango | "Toxic"—Britney Spears |
| Shawn & Derek | 27 | Rumba | "My Heart Will Go On"—Celine Dion |
| Apolo & Karina | 27 | Samba | "Give It to Me Baby"—Rick James |
| Sabrina & Louis | 29 | Waltz | "So This Is Love"—from Cinderella |
| Kirstie & Maks Emmitt & Cheryl Kelly & Val Gilles & Peta | 27 | Freestyle | "Gangnam Style"—Psy |
Week 6: Country Night
Each contestant and their partner danced to a country song, hence the name "Country Night." Each individual routine included a solo portion by the celebrity member of the pair. After all individual routines were performed, all of the couples did a group dance. The couple that impressed the judges the most received 2 bonus points; that was Kirstie & Maks. Sabrina Bryan was eliminated again in week six, with nearly the same average. This is the third time in Dancing with the Stars history that the star with highest judges' score was eliminated the week they came in first place. Bryan also had, at the time of her elimination, the highest accumulative average. Bryan was eliminated on exactly the same day that she was eliminated when she competed in season 5 five years prior.;Running order
Week 7: Dance Fusion Week
On the Week 6 Results Show, dance styles were chosen by the couples for each other, as was done for Opponent's Choice Week. For this week, however, a pair of dance styles was chosen that were to be "fused" together. Due to the presidential election and effects of Hurricane Sandy for East Coast viewers, no elimination took place, so all remaining couples advanced to Week 8. There was also a Swing dance marathon. Mark Ballas danced with Shawn Johnson in place of Derek this week due to Derek having an injury in his neck. Sabrina & Louis would have danced a Tango/Foxtrot fusion, chosen by Emmitt & Cheryl, if they had not been eliminated.;Running order
Week 8: Veterans Day/Trio Challenge Week
All seven couples chose one professional that was either previously eliminated or participates in the dance troupe, to perform with them in their Latin routine in an event known as the "Trio Challenge". There was also a double elimination. In honor of Veterans Day, the first round featured performances to songs that pay homage to servicemen and women.;Running order
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Shawn & Derek | 29.5 | Viennese Waltz | "Angel"—Sarah McLachlan | Safe |
| Shawn & Derek | 26 | Samba | "Jungle Jazz"—Les Tambours du Bronx | Safe |
| Apolo & Karina | 29.5 | Tango | "Holding Out for a Hero"—Bonnie Tyler | Last to be called safe |
| Apolo & Karina | 29 | Jive | "Greased Lightnin'"—from Grease | Last to be called safe |
| Kirstie & Maks | 27 | Viennese Waltz | "Hallelujah"—Leonard Cohen | Eliminated |
| Kirstie & Maks | 24 | Paso doble | "Bring Me to Life"—Evanescence | Eliminated |
| Kelly & Val | 28 | Viennese Waltz | "I'll Be"—Edwin McCain | Safe |
| Kelly & Val | 28.5 | Jive | "Animal"—Neon Trees | Safe |
| Gilles & Peta | 29.5 | Quickstep | "Danger Zone"—Kenny Loggins | Eliminated |
| Gilles & Peta | 29 | Salsa | "Rebelión"—Joe Arroyo | Eliminated |
| Emmitt & Cheryl | 28 | Viennese Waltz | "Love Letters"—Ketty Lester | Safe |
| Emmitt & Cheryl | 30 | Salsa | "Mr. Saxobeat"—Alexandra Stan | Safe |
| Melissa & Tony | 30 | Quickstep | "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"—The Andrew Sisters | Safe |
| Melissa & Tony | 30 | Paso doble | "Rumour Has It"—Adele | Safe |
Week 9: Semifinals/Themed Dances/''Bad'' Tribute Week
The couples performed one unlearned dance to a song from Michael Jackson's album Bad and one dance chosen by the other couples. The theme of the last dance was also chosen by the other couples. Kelly and Val chose the "Caveman" Hustle for Melissa and Tony, Emmitt and Cheryl chose the "Knight Rider" Bhangra for Shawn and Derek, Gilles and Peta chose the "Big Top" Jazz for Apolo and Karina and Shawn and Derek chose the "Espionage" Lindy Hop for Emmitt and Cheryl. This left the "Surfer" Flamenco for Kelly and Val. Gilles and Peta would have danced the "Mad Monk" Merengue, chosen by Apolo and Karina, had they not been eliminated.There is also another double elimination this week, due to the Finals being planned to have three couples.
;Running order
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Dance/theme chosen by | Result |
| Melissa & Tony | 27.5 | "Caveman" Hustle | "Walk the Dinosaur"—Was | Kelly & Val | Last to be called Safe |
| Melissa & Tony | 30 | Argentine tango | "Dirty Diana"—Michael Jackson | Kelly & Val | Last to be called Safe |
| Shawn & Derek | 30 | "Knight Rider" Bhangra | "Mundian to Bach Ke"—Panjabi MC | Emmitt & Cheryl | Safe |
| Shawn & Derek | 29 | Argentine tango | "Bad"—Michael Jackson | Emmitt & Cheryl | Safe |
| Apolo & Karina | 27 | "Big Top" Jazz | "What You Waiting For?"—Gwen Stefani | Gilles & Peta | Eliminated |
| Apolo & Karina | 30 | Rumba | "Man in the Mirror"—Michael Jackson | Gilles & Peta | Eliminated |
| Emmitt & Cheryl | 27 | "Espionage" Lindy Hop | "Secret Agent Man"—Johnny Rivers | Shawn & Derek | Eliminated |
| Emmitt & Cheryl | 27 | Tango | "Leave Me Alone"—Michael Jackson | Shawn & Derek | Eliminated |
| Kelly & Val | 25.5 | "Surfer" Flamenco | "Malagueña"—Brian Setzer | Melissa & Tony | Last to be called safe |
| Kelly & Val | 28.5 | Rumba | "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"—Michael Jackson | Melissa & Tony | Last to be called safe |
Week 10: Finals
Emmitt & Cheryl as well as Apolo & Karina were eliminated in week nine, leaving Kelly Monaco, Shawn Johnson, and Melissa Rycroft to compete in the finals, the first time the finals have had three female celebrities. Each couple will perform their favorite dance of the season, along with a super-sized freestyle on night one, and an instant dance on night two in which they had to choose their dance style as well as their music the night of the competition. Each couple was allowed to bring in extra performers for their freestyle only.;Running order
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Guest performers in the freestyle |
| Kelly & Val | 29.5 | Paso doble | "España cañí"—Erich Kunzel | Troupe members & church choir |
| Kelly & Val | 29.5 | Freestyle | " The Time of My Life"—Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes | Troupe members & church choir |
| Melissa & Tony | 30 | Samba | "Conga"—Gloria Estefan | Trapeze artists |
| Melissa & Tony | 30 | Freestyle | "I Was Here"—Beyoncé | Trapeze artists |
| Shawn & Derek | 27 | Quickstep | "Hey Pachuco"—Royal Crown Revue | Fierce Five |
| Shawn & Derek | 30 | Freestyle | "Carnaval de Paris"—Dario G | Fierce Five |
;Running order
| Couple | Scores | Dance | Music | Result |
| Kelly & Val | 28.5 | Instant Jive | "Cat and Mouse"—Nikki & Rich | Third place |
| Melissa & Tony | 28.5 | Instant Samba | "Life Is a Highway"—Rascal Flatts | Winner |
| Shawn & Derek | 30 | Instant Cha-cha-cha | "Respect"—Aretha Franklin | Runner-up |
Dance chart
The celebrities and professional partners danced one of these routines for each corresponding week:- Week 1: Cha-cha-cha or foxtrot
- Week 2: Jive or quickstep
- Week 3: One unlearned dance
- Week 4: One new dance style
- Week 5: One unlearned dance and team dances
- Week 6: One unlearned dance and group dance
- Week 7: Fusion dance and swing marathon
- Week 8: One unlearned dance and trio dance
- Week 9: One unlearned dance and one new dance style
- Week 10: Favorite dance, freestyle and instant dance
The results/guest performances