Although Dancing With the Stars has been one of the most successful reality compeition shows on television since first airing in 2005, it has faced a lot of criticisms, mainly because of how loosely the use the term “stars” is used. Some seasons have been heavily panned because of how far into the celebrity C-list they seem to have gone to put a list of stars together, but sometimes the show just reminds fans of some of their recently forgotten favorites. For some stars, appearing on the show seem to have given them the boost they needed to be relevant again. For some this meant work in Hollywood again while for others it meant simply being noticed again. Check out 11 celebrities whose popularity went right back up after appearing on Dancing With the Stars.
11. Jennifer Grey
No matter what has happened in her career since, Jennifer Grey will always be defined by her role as Frances “Baby” Houseman in 1987’s Dirty Dancing. After undergoing two plastic surgeries on her nose, the change negatively affected her career and aside from small roles on different television shows it wasn’t until season eleven of Dancing With the Stars was she buzzed about again. It may have been her smartest career move yet, because of course it realigned her with her Dirty Dancing glory days. Fans of the movie both young and old tuned in to see what kind of talent she brought to the table, and they were not disappointed. Grey was the talk and the drama of the entire season, eventually leading to her win with Derek Hough thanks to the major fan support she reignited. Her career didn’t necessarily take off afterwards, but for the first time in 23 years people were buzzing about Jennifer Grey once again.
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