From Season 1 To 34: DWTS Contestants Who Didn't Land With Fans

You can't win 'em all! The famous faces that join the cast of "Dancing With the Stars" year after year are all accomplished in their own right, complete with fan bases and accolades under their belt. But all that fame doesn't always create a straight path to the Mirrorball Trophy. As most stars struggle to find their footing on the ballroom dance floor, their loyal followings tend to jump ship. 

This popular ABC dance competition series has aired for over two decades since its debut in June 2005. Some stars have found massive success and left the show even more famous than when they started (ahem, Whitney Leavitt). Others failed to flourish under the bright lights and were unable to connect with fans — with celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis being a perfect example of that from Season 35. We're taking a look at the most underwhelming contestants from all 34 seasons of "Dancing With the Stars."

The inaugural season of "Dancing With the Stars" only had six contestants! One of those was newly minted ABC darling Trista Sutter, who had just finished her season as the first-ever star of "The Bachelorette," and had a whopping 17.1 million viewers tune in to watch her wedding to winner Ryan Sutter on their network spinoff, "Trista and Ryan's Wedding," at the end of 2003. Unfortunately, all those views didn't translate into votes. Her glamorous waltz with partner Louis Van Amstel didn't impress fans, who made her the first-ever contestant booted from the dance competition series.

Master P joined the cast of Season 2 by accident — he filled in for his son, singer and actor Romeo, who injured himself playing basketball before that season started filming. Maybe that's why the rapper earned the prestigious honor of the lowest-scoring star in the history of "Dancing With the Stars." He scored an impressively low 8 while dancing the paso doble with his partner Ashly DelGrosso that season, mostly due to the fact that he just walked around for most of the performance. That lack of enthusiasm transferred to viewers, whose low votes sent him home that same week. 

Former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson was working for MSNBC in 2006 when he joined the cast of "Dancing With the Stars" for Season 3. Unfortunately, his gift of gab didn't lend itself to dancing the cha-cha — while partnered with Elena Grinenko, he scored an abysmal 12 from the judges. Bruno Tonioli even called his dance "an awful mess" (via NBC News). Fans didn't come to his defense either — he became the first star eliminated that season. 

Paulina Porizkova, a model best known for her work in Sports Illustrated, joined the cast of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2007 and was paired with pro Alec Mazo. Despite her slender supermodel frame (and decent foxtrot and mambo), Porizkova ended up being the first famous face sent home on Season 4 after not clicking with fans. She would later reminisce about the experience on Instagram in 2021, stating, "I was the first one booted off – not because I was the worst dancer, but because I lost the popularity contest."

Fan votes alone aren't all it takes to make it on the show; the judges' scores also factor into the rankings. So when Wayne Newton received the lowest scores from the judges two weeks in a row, the writing was on the wall, making it one of the most uncomfortable "Dancing With the Stars" moments. The famous Las Vegas entertainer just couldn't muster enough fan support and was sent home third during Season 5.

Even a magician can't conjure up votes. Penn Jillette became the first star booted off 2008's Season 6 of the series. The magician was paired with pro Kym Johnson, who already had a Mirrorball Trophy under her belt, but when the duo performed a cha-cha and quickstep on the "Dancing With the Stars" stage, they really underwhelmed both the judges and the show's fans.  

Did you know Kim Kardashian is considered one of the worst "Dancing With the Stars" contestants of all time? She competed on Season 7, and if you don't remember, it might be because she was eliminated pretty early. The reality star was paired with Mark Ballas, with whom she did a fairly impressive rumba. But despite being one of the biggest names on the series, fans weren't willing to rally behind the tabloid fixture, leading to her coming in 11th. 

It's rough to be the first person eliminated on "Dancing With the Stars," but Belinda Carlisle's elimination during Season 8 might be one of the toughest. The former Go-Go's lead singer had to take part in the first-ever elimination-show dance-off as one of the two lowest scorers of the night. A salsa would ultimately send her home after not impressing the judges or her legions of fans.

"Dancing With the Stars" seems to prove that models don't have the most dedicated fan bases. Eighties supermodel Kathy Ireland was yet another victim after joining the cast of Season 9, ready to show off her ballroom skills. Though she looked great in the costumes, a stiff salsa and an underwhelming quickstep didn't inspire fans to vote for her. Ireland was sent home third but told "Good Morning America" that she still felt like "a big winner." 

For someone who isn't exactly known to have a gigantic fanbase, Kate Gosselin managed to stick around a few weeks during Season 10. Fan votes helped carry her through, despite low scores from judges, but after her week five foxtrot, it was time for the reality star to say goodbye. Gosselin told "Good Morning America" following her elimination, "I knew it would be me." She cited being in a custody battle with ex-husband Jon Gosselin as a major reason she couldn't focus on dancing. 

Michael Bolton's fans didn't make themselves known during Season 11 of "Dancing With the Stars." The singer didn't get much love from the viewers at home or the judges. He was sent home second — and he let it be known that he wasn't happy about it. After receiving harsh criticism from judge Bruno Tonioli, who gave him a 3 out of 10 and said their jive was done "very, very badly," Bolton told "Good Morning America" that he deserved a public apology and that Tonioli needed to be "reprimanded."

Wendy Williams may have been a daytime dynamo when Season 12 of "Dancing With the Stars" aired, but her talk show viewers didn't turn up during primetime. Fans must not have been captivated by her mediocre cha-cha or quickstep with her pro partner, Tony Dovolani, because she went home second after a forgettable foxtrot that earned her the lowest scores of the night.  

Kristin Cavallari can now laugh at her reality TV days, but Season 13 was an uphill battle. When she joined the "Dancing With the Stars" cast in 2011, she wasn't exactly beloved by the public. That's why — despite her very impressive dancing and high scores — her early elimination from the competition led the audience to boo. Cavallari's last routine, a spirited samba alongside pro partner Mark Ballas, wasn't enough to convert viewers into fans. 

Sadly, tennis pro Martina Navratilova's racket skills didn't translate to the foxtrot and jive. While competing in Season 14, Navratilova didn't get great scores from the judges — especially after stumbling through her jive. The fans didn't show support for her either, which led to her being the first star evicted that season.

Season 15 of "Dancing With the Stars" brought former competitors back to compete on an all-stars season. Pamela Anderson made it far during Season 10, so it was a surprise when she was the first one booted upon her return. The star cited performance anxiety for her mess-ups, which got her the boot based on low judges' scores and fan voting.

Technically, Wynonna Judd was the second star to leave "Dancing With the Stars" Season 16, after castmate Dorothy Hamill was injured during rehearsals and withdrew from the competition. But Judd was the first one officially eliminated that season, after a painfully stiff samba earned her the night's lowest scores. Those numbers, plus a lack of fan votes, sent the country star packing. 

Science couldn't save Bill Nye from the chopping block during Season 17 of "Dancing With the Stars." Nye was sent home second, after a fun robot-themed jazz dance failed to garner good scores. They were at the bottom of the scoreboard, and Nye's science guy charm didn't win over fans, so he couldn't secure enough votes to stick around. 

Hockey fans don't like to dance? That's what we learned during Season 18 of "Dancing With the Stars" when NHL star Sean Avery was the first one sent home. Avery later said he disagreed with how he was portrayed as a "bad boy" on the show and insisted on a later episode of  "Good Morning America" that it wasn't really his scores and votes that got him booted, but producers.

Lolo Jones was a well-known Olympian when she joined the Season 19 cast of "Dancing With the Stars." The hurdler told The Hollywood Reporter that she felt "disgust" for herself following her disappointing cha-cha performance, adding, "I knew that dance." Unfortunately, her low score and lack of fan support sent her packing first, with devoted fans on Reddit calling her one of the "absolute worst" contestants ever. 

Redfoo was used to performing for crowds as part of his group LMFAO, but lovers of his music must not have been tuning into ABC for Season 20 of "Dancing With the Stars." The performer did two routines: a cha-cha in week 1 and a jive in week 2 alongside pro partner Emma Slater before being sent home first. Host Tom Bergeron was shocked by the elimination, telling viewers (via ABC), "This is somebody who did a great job and because of viewer votes [is going home]." 

Chaka Khan was another casualty of low voter turnout while competing on Season 21 of "Dancing With the Stars." Though she wasn't in the last spot on the leaderboard after her cha-cha, lower fan votes meant she was booted from the competition before reality star Kim Zolciak-Biermann, who actually had the lowest judges' scores.

Mischa Barton keeps a low profile, but she was once on TV and received one of the lowest scores at the Season 22 premiere after a lackluster tango with partner Artem Chigvintsev. While other low scorers stuck around, Barton didn't inspire viewers to take action and vote. The actor was the second star kicked off the series, but she later told The Ringer (via E! News), "I was so glad to get kicked off." 

Babyface didn't have the fan votes to survive a double-elimination episode during Season 23. The R&B singer received some impressive scores the first week, but his second-week showing wasn't as great. He was eliminated third — and first on the night of the double elimination — after not securing enough votes from "Dancing With the Stars" viewers.  

Comedian Chris Kattan tried his hand at the cha-cha and a jazz dance before being the first one eliminated during Season 24 of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2017. He later called the show "unfair" while speaking to "Entertainment Tonight," insisting the contestants should either have "no dancing experience" or judges should take prior dance skills into account when judging.

Barbara Corcoran went from the boardroom to the ballroom during Season 25 — but "Shark Tank" fans didn't seem to follow. When combined with Corcoran receiving the lowest score of the premiere night for her salsa dance, her fate was sealed. She would later tell ABC News that she just couldn't get the hang of dancing, explaining, "I've never encountered anything that was so difficult for me."

Season 26 showcased the talents of famous athletes. But while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was known for his athletic prowess on basketball courts, the NBA star failed to impress "Dancing With the Stars" fans. In week 2, he and his partner Lindsay Arnold were sent home in a double elimination alongside Arike Ogunbowale following one of the strangest salsas in the show's history, which included Arnold dancing on the shoulders of a troupe dancer to match Abdul's height.

What's worse — withdrawing from the competition after an injury or not getting the votes to stick around? Nikki Glaser was the first one eliminated during Season 27 of the series, but the star later told "Good Morning America" that she almost quit due to a sprained back. She decided to soldier on and perform twice, only to be voted out alongside her partner Gleb Savchenko.  

When you look at the stars from 2019's Season 28 of "Dancing With the Stars," it's actually surprising how long former White House press secretary Sean Spicer hung in there. The political commentator's presence on the show caused some backlash from fans. But despite some pretty hilariously stiff dances alongside pro dancer Lindsay Arnold, Spicer managed to score enough votes to stick around longer than castmates like Lamar Odom and Karamo Brown. Eventually, he got the boot halfway through the season. 

After becoming a household name following the success of the Netflix documentary "Tiger King," animal activist Carole Baskin tried her hand at ballroom dance. Unfortunately, all those Netflix viewers didn't vote — Baskin was the second star sent home despite pandering to audiences with dances set to songs like "Eye of the Tiger" and "The Circle of Life." 

Season 30's Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess were the first partners in "Dancing With the Stars" history to be dating at the start of the season. They had been dating for about a year when the show premiered, and while that certainly gave Green an advantage, their romance wasn't well received by fans. Despite a romantic rumba and a sexy tango performance, they were the third pair eliminated. 

"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice tried her hand at ballroom dance during Season 31 and was paired with Pasha Pashkov. Her scores for her tango and jive landed her in the bottom two for the first two weeks, and a lack of fan support led Giudice to be eliminated second. 

Jamie Lynn Spears has a big sister known for dancing, so it was no surprise that her tango and cha-cha were impressive on Season 32. Unfortunately, the actor didn't have the fan backing. Judge Derek Hough called Spears' week two elimination "a shocker" (via ABC News). 

After being voted off first on Season 33, con artist Anna Delvey infamously told host Julianne Hough that she would be taking "nothing" from her experience on "Dancing With the Stars" during her exit interview. She competed on the show wearing an ankle monitor, as she was still serving time for her financial crimes. While speaking to NBC News following her elimination, Delvey was angry about the judges' scores and ironically remarked, "It's supposed to be a dance competition and not a popularity contest."

To say Hilaria Baldwin wasn't a fan favorite would be an understatement. The reality star already had a background in ballroom dancing, so her performances were impressive. Unfortunately, Baldwin just wasn't beloved by viewers. After her elimination, she told E! News that she believes the fans conspired against her to have her booted fourth from the competition, explaining, "There is a strategy I guess the voters learn where they'll get together and they'll vote for everybody else besides the couple that they don't like."