Honestly, looking back at Dancing with the Stars season 26, it feels like a fever dream. It wasn't your typical sparkly, three-month marathon of slow-burn character arcs and incremental growth. No. This was the "Athletes" edition, and it hit the ballroom like a sprinter coming out of the blocks—fast, loud, and over before you could even figure out who half the pros were this time around.
If you remember the spring of 2018, ABC decided to experiment. They trimmed the fat and gave us a condensed, four-week sprint featuring ten athletes. No actors, no reality stars, no "who is that?" social media influencers. Just people who were already used to being judged on physical performance. But did it actually work?
The vibes were definitely different.
The Absolute Chaos of a Four-Week Season
Most seasons of this show give you time to fall in love with a couple. You see the struggling athlete find their rhythm by week six. In Dancing with the Stars season 26, if you stumbled in week one, you were basically toast. The pacing was relentless.
We’re talking double and triple eliminations. It was brutal.
Jamie Anderson and MLB legend Johnny Damon were gone before they even got the spray tan out of their pores. One week of rehearsal, one dance, and—boom—thanks for coming. It felt a bit disrespectful to the work the pros put in, honestly. Usually, the "journey" is the whole point of the show, but this felt more like a cutthroat tournament.
Adam Rippon and the "Ringer" Debate
The winner, predictably but deservedly, was Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon.
📖 Related: Al Pacino Angels in America: Why His Roy Cohn Still Terrifies Us
Pairing him with Jenna Johnson was a stroke of genius, or maybe just unfair, depending on who you ask. Adam already had the lines, the grace, and the performance quality of a professional. Watching him do a Cha-cha-cha to RuPaul’s "Sissy That Walk" in week one wasn't just a dance; it was a statement. He scored a 24 out of 30 right out of the gate, which is massive for a premiere.
But here’s the thing: people love to argue about "ringers."
Is it fair for a figure skater to compete in a ballroom competition? They already know how to use their edges, how to hold their arms, and how to perform for a panel of judges. On the other hand, the floor doesn't move like ice, and your shoes don't have blades. Adam himself joked about his "biscuits attached to his ankles," but let’s be real—he was miles ahead of the competition from minute one.
His freestyle in the finale to "Scooby Doo Pa Pa" was... weird. There’s no other word for it. Wigs, bedazzled suits, and a level of camp that only Adam could pull off. Even though he actually got a lower score on that freestyle (28/30) than his first dance of the night, his momentum was unstoppable.
The Tonya Harding Factor
You can't talk about Dancing with the Stars season 26 without mentioning Tonya Harding.
It was a controversial casting choice. To some, it was a redemption arc; to others, it was a bridge too far. She was paired with Sasha Farber, who is essentially the "empathy specialist" among the pro dancers. He knew exactly how to handle the weight of her reputation.
👉 See also: Adam Scott in Step Brothers: Why Derek is Still the Funniest Part of the Movie
Surprisingly? She was actually good. Really good.
She made it all the way to the finale, finishing in third place. Her Viennese Waltz to "The Time of My Life" was genuinely touching, even if you couldn't stand her history. It was one of those moments where the show tries to force you to see the "human" behind the headline, and for a lot of viewers, it actually worked.
What Most People Forget About the Finale
Josh Norman, the NFL cornerback, was the runner-up, and he probably would have won any other season.
He was paired with Sharna Burgess. He had the "it" factor. He was athletic, sure, but he also had this cool, effortless charisma that usually wins over the "soccer mom" demographic that fuels the DWTS voting bloc. In the finale, he performed a freestyle to "Walk on Water" by Thirty Seconds to Mars that was physically incredible.
The standings ended like this:
- Winners: Adam Rippon & Jenna Johnson
- Runners-up: Josh Norman & Sharna Burgess
- Third Place: Tonya Harding & Sasha Farber
The finale was a bit of a blur because they squeezed so much into those two hours. All ten athletes came back, they did a massive group number, and then we crowned a champion. It lacked the emotional weight of a traditional finale because we’d only known these versions of the celebrities for twenty-one days.
✨ Don't miss: Actor Most Academy Awards: The Record Nobody Is Breaking Anytime Soon
Why We Never Saw an All-Athlete Season Again
The ratings were... okay.
The premiere pulled in about 8.5 million viewers, which sounds great until you realize it was a significant drop from the previous fall season. Host Tom Bergeron even hinted afterward that the four-week format was a "one and done" experiment.
It turns out that fans actually like the filler. They like the rehearsal footage where people cry because they can't get the Samba roll right. They like the "Most Memorable Year" week that usually happens mid-season. When you strip all of that away for a "pro-sports" vibe, it loses the heart of what makes it a reality show.
The Under-the-Radar Standouts
Let’s pour one out for the people who actually did well but got lost in the shuffle:
- Mirai Nagasu: Another figure skater who was arguably as good as Adam but got eliminated in the triple-cut semifinals. Her "It's a Small World" Foxtrot was technically flawless.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: At 7'2", the man was literally too tall for the frame. Watching Lindsay Arnold choreograph for a human skyscraper was a masterclass in physics.
- Arike Ogunbowale: She was fresh off her buzzer-beater win in the NCAA tournament. She had zero dance experience but so much raw energy.
Actionable Takeaways for DWTS Fans
If you're looking back at this season to understand how the show has evolved, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Format Matters: Short seasons don't allow for "growth" narratives. If you're betting on a winner in a short season, always pick the person with prior dance-adjacent experience (skaters, gymnasts).
- The "Sasha Effect": If a contestant has a controversial past, producers almost always pair them with Sasha Farber or Emma Slater. They are the best at "softening" a celebrity's image.
- Watch the Freestyles: If you only have time to watch three clips from this season, watch Adam’s Jazz, Josh’s Freestyle, and Mirai’s Quickstep. They represent the peak of what this weird little "mini-season" was trying to achieve.
Looking at the show now, season 26 remains an outlier. It was an experiment in high-speed competition that proved, ultimately, that we prefer our ballroom drama to simmer rather than flash-fry.
To dig deeper into the stats, you can check out the official scoring archives or revisit the performances on the show's YouTube channel. It’s worth a watch just to see how Adam Rippon absolutely commanded that stage.