6 TV Stars You Forgot Were on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

It’s almost time to be acquainted with the Season 32 contestants of  so it’s time for a little throwback. The upcoming season of the long-running dancing competition series has already announced a couple of the stars that will be competing to take home the coveted Mirrorball Trophy. More will be announced next month and join the long lineup of stars that have made their way to the ballroom.

From actors to singers to athletes, many celebrities have graced the ballroom and only 31 of them have won. Aside from the winners, there are probably a lot that some may have forgotten about. Or some that you didn’t forget because you rooted for them every week and were upset when they got robbed for the Mirrorball. Whatever the case may be, here are six TV stars that were previously on Dancing With the Stars.

Jaleel White

The Family Matters alum competed on Season 14, with Kym Johnson as his partner. The two came in seventh place. White is most known as Steve Urkel on the ABC sitcom, but definitely has a lot more to his resume. Other projects include Hustle, the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in a number of projects, Me, Myself & I, The Big Show Show, and the upcoming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

Elizabeth Berkley-Lauren

Following in the footsteps of Saved By the Bell co-star Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley-Lauren competed for the Mirrorball in Season 17. She and partner, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, came in sixth place. One week, the two even danced to “I’m So Excited,” which also included a reference to the iconic scene in Saved By the Bell where Zack finds Jessie in her room, and she wants to take pills to stay awake.

Of course, Berkley-Lauren is most known for her role as Jessie Spano on the beloved sitcom Saved By the Bell. She reprised her role in the now-canceled Peacock reboot of the same name. After leaving Bayside High, she landed the lead in the controversial NC-17 film Showgirls in 1995 and has had a few Broadway and off-Broadway roles. She’s made appearances in several shows throughout the years, including CSI and CSI: Miami, The L Word, and Melissa & Joey.

Mischa Barton

Mischa Barton’s exit on Dancing With the Stars was almost as harsh as Marissa’s death on The O.C. The actress was partnered with Artem Chigvintsev on Season 22, and they came in 11th place. This means they were eliminated pretty quickly. Meanwhile, before Barton starred on The O.C.’s first three seasons, she had a recurring voice role on KaBlam! She also starred in the Disney Channel movie A Ring of Endless Light alongside Ryan Merriman and Jared Padalecki.

Post-The O.C., Barton has had a successful movie career. Films include L.A. Slasher, Starcrossed, Operator, Ouija House, Painkillers, and Invitation to a Murder. She starred in in 2019 and has an extended guest role in the upcoming revival of the Australian soap Neighbours.

Zendaya

This one still hurts. Zendaya and partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy competed on Season 16 of DWTS. It was during Z’s Disney days as she was starring on K.C. Undercover at the time. She was still a favorite, and those Shake It Up moves definitely helped. Unfortunately, despite it looking like she would win, Zendaya was the runner-up, losing to Kellie Pickler.

After Zendaya said goodbye to the House of Mouse, she’s become a force in the entertainment industry. Between her Spider-Man roles and her Emmy-winning role on Euphoria, plus her upcoming tennis movie , she isn’t going down any time soon.

Ian Ziering

Ian Ziering went from the Beverly Hills Beach Club to the ballroom when he competed in Season 4. With Cheryl Burke as his partner, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum made fourth place. Coincidentally, his 90210 co-star Jennie Garth competed the following season and also made fourth. 

Aside from his role as Steve Sanders on the ’90s drama, he also starred in the unhinged Sharknado franchise on SyFy. He returned to his 90210 roots in the Fox revival, , as a heightened version of himself. Most recently, he voiced himself on the animated series Clone High. He also had a recurring role on Swamp Thing and Malibu Rescue, among other shows.

Melissa Joan Hart

Although Melissa Joan Hart had magic as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, she could not make her Mirrorball dreams happen. She and Mark Ballas competed on Season 9 and came in 12th place. She did have more luck when she appeared on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune in 2021, however. The actress was the first celebrity to win the $1 million prize for her charity, Youth Villages, and was only the fourth million-dollar winner on Wheel of Fortune.

Hart is most known for her titular roles in the sitcoms Clarissa Explains It All on Nickelodeon, Sabrina the Teenage Witch on ABC, and Melissa & Joey on ABC Family/Freeform. She’s also appeared in films such as Drive Me Crazy, Nine Dead, God’s Not Dead, and more.