When Antonio Brown stepped onto the ballroom floor in 2016, he wasn't yet the headline-grabbing enigma of the late 2010s. Back then, he was the smiling, charismatic face of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was "Business is Boomin'." He was the guy who could catch anything.
Then came the spandex.
Antonio Brown on Dancing with the Stars was supposed to be a victory lap. Most NFL stars use the show to soften their image or prepare for a post-career media gig. For Brown, it was season 22. He was paired with Sharna Burgess, a fan-favorite pro who had a reputation for turning athletes into actual dancers. On paper, they were the "Golden Couple."
In reality? It was a rollercoaster of incredible footwork, weird backstage tension, and a very public lesson in how hard it is to transition from the gridiron to the Waltz.
The Highs and Lows of Team Boomin
They hit the ground running with a Quickstep in week one that scored a 21. Not bad. Not great.
But things got spicy fast. By week two, during Latin Night, the chemistry between Brown and Burgess was so thick you could cut it with a knife. They danced a Rumba that had the internet losing its mind. Brown famously joked about "blood flow" issues during the intimate rehearsals, which—honestly—is the kind of unfiltered honesty that makes for great reality TV.
Then there was Disney Night. This was the turning point.
Brown dressed as Aladdin. He performed a Jazz routine to "Friend Like Me" that finally won over the curmudgeonly Len Goodman. He scored a 35 out of 40. For a moment, it looked like he might actually win the whole thing. The "Smooth Operator" (as Carrie Ann Inaba called him) had arrived.
The Scores That Mattered
Instead of a boring chart, let's just look at the trajectory. He started in the low 20s. He dipped to a 19 for that "sexy" Rumba because his technique was, frankly, a bit messy. By the time he hit the semifinals, he was consistently pulling 9s.
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- The Switch-Up Week: This is where things got weird. He was paired with Karina Smirnoff and they did a Cha-Cha. It didn't click. He got a 26 out of 40, which sounds okay, but it was the lowest score of that week.
- The Footloose Jive: Back with Sharna, he hit a 27 out of 30. He looked like he was having the time of his life.
- The End of the Road: He was eliminated in the semifinals (Week 9), finishing in 4th place. He lost to Nyle DiMarco, who went on to win.
Why Sharna Burgess Was "Unhappy"
Years later, the "behind the scenes" stories started leaking. While they looked great on camera, reports (and Sharna's own later comments) suggested Brown wasn't exactly the easiest student.
The main issue? Time.
Brown was still a pro athlete in his prime. He was trying to balance NFL offseason workouts with four-hour daily dance rehearsals. Sharna reportedly felt he wasn't putting in the effort required to win. In the rehearsal packages, you could see the friction. Brown would show up late or seem distracted. He famously said football had to be his priority, even though it was the offseason.
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It’s a classic athlete-on-DWTS trope, but with Brown, it felt more pointed. There was a wardrobe malfunction during their Tango to "Paint It Black," and while they handled it like pros, the cracks in their preparation were showing.
The Lasting Impact
Looking back at Antonio Brown on Dancing with the Stars feels like looking at a time capsule. It was before the mid-game exits, before the "Mr. Big Chest" era, and before the legal troubles.
He was genuinely likable. He was supported by his teammates—guys like Ryan Shazier and Darrius Heyward-Bey were in the audience every week. He showed a level of vulnerability and discipline that seems at odds with his later public persona.
So, what should you take away from his stint on the show?
- Athleticism isn't everything. Being the best receiver in the world doesn't mean you can do a Viennese Waltz.
- Chemistry is performative. They had "palpable" chemistry on the floor, but the rehearsal room was a different story.
- The "DWTS Curse" is real. Many athletes find that the intense scrutiny of the show changes their public trajectory. For Brown, it was the peak of his mainstream, non-controversial popularity.
If you're looking to revisit his performances, start with the "Aladdin" Jazz routine. It’s the purest version of what Antonio Brown could have been in the world of entertainment: a high-energy, charismatic performer who actually had the "dancer inside" that Len Goodman kept looking for.
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To see how his scores compared to other NFL stars, you can check out the historical DWTS leaderboards, which show that while he was good, he couldn't quite catch the likes of Emmitt Smith or Hines Ward in the winners' circle.