Since Dancing With the Stars began airing on ABC in 2005, it changed the landscape of reality competition TV. Its popularity has carried it through more than 25 seasons, which means there have been quite a few celebrities who have come and gone on the dancefloor, but not everyone has had the same experience. Although many of the stars who compete thank the show and their pro partners for their time and move on, others have opened up about their time on the show and revealed some truly surprising details about what goes into the massive show, or how they felt at the time. Check out 12 of the biggest and most shocking revelations from past Dancing With the Stars contestants:
12. Wendy Williams
Beloved TV personality Wendy Williams took her turn on the dancefloor in Dancing With the Stars’ 12th season in 2011. The popular star was matched with pro dancer Tony Dovolani and they were the second pair eliminated from the show that season. Afterward, she didn’t mince words when she accused the show of being scripted. “When they put you in the room and you have to talk to the camera about your experience — you know, the one-on-one with the camera — I was letting people know that they script what you say,” Williams explained to Carson Daly on the TODAY show. The next day she doubled down on her accusations on her own show where she said, “They also script what they want you to say. I know this as a participant, OK. I’m reading, I’m like, ‘Wait, this is not how I’m feeling today, and I wouldn’t say that. I’m not going to say that,’ I would tell the camera.” Williams then said that if she had given them more of what they wanted, she would have lasted longer. “Because that’s how they were writing my script, to be Angry Black Woman,” Williams said.
Adam Taylor / ©ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection