Twenty years. That is how long it has been since a soap opera star with zero formal training walked into a makeshift ballroom and changed reality TV forever. Honestly, if you look at the sparkly, high-budget machine that the show is now, it is almost impossible to recognize the scrappy version of Kelly Monaco on DWTS back in 2005.
She wasn't the favorite. Far from it.
The judges—Carrie Ann, Len, and Bruno—were brutal. They basically told her she was stiff. They called her "mechanical." At one point, she was at the very bottom of the leaderboard with a measly 13 points. But then, a single strap snapped, and the "General Hospital" star became a household name.
The Wardrobe Malfunction That Changed Everything
People love a comeback story, but they love a "show must go on" moment even more. It was Week 4. Kelly and her partner, Alec Mazo, were performing a Samba to Enrique Iglesias’s "Bailamos." Suddenly, the strap on her dress just... popped.
Most people would have stopped. I'd have probably run off stage crying. Kelly? She just grabbed the dress with one hand and kept dancing.
That 26-point score wasn't just for the footwork; it was for the sheer grit. Carrie Ann Inaba later called it a "magical" moment because it finally forced Kelly out of her own head. She stopped trying to be perfect and just started surviving. That is the exact moment the audience fell in love with her. They didn't see Sam McCall from the soaps anymore; they saw a real person dealing with a nightmare on live television.
Why the John O’Hurley Rematch Happened
We have to talk about the "robbery." If you were on the internet in 2005 (or at least reading the tabloids), you know the finale was a mess. John O’Hurley was technically the better "ballroom" dancer. He was polished. He had the frame.
When Kelly won, the backlash was so loud that ABC did something they’ve never done since: they staged a rematch.
- The Finale Scores: Kelly got a perfect 30 for her freestyle, while John trailed slightly.
- The Public Outcry: Fans felt the judges overscored Kelly's "Let’s Get Loud" freestyle because of the hype.
- The Result: They danced again months later. John won the rematch.
But here’s the thing—the record books don't care about the rematch. Kelly Monaco is, and always will be, the first-ever champion. She basically proved the formula for the show: it isn't always about being the best dancer; it’s about the best journey.
Returning for All-Stars: The Val Chmerkovskiy Era
Fast forward to 2012. Season 15. The "All-Stars" season. Kelly came back, and this time she was paired with Val Chmerkovskiy. If the first season was about proving she belonged, the second go-round was about chemistry.
The "Vally" rumors were everywhere. Every week, the packages showed them bickering and then making up, and the dances were... intense. Their Flamenco? Unreal. Their "Surfer" themed dance? A bit weird, sure, but the technique was lightyears ahead of what she did in 2005.
She ended up in third place that year behind Melissa Rycroft and Shawn Johnson. It felt right, honestly. The competition had evolved. You had Olympic gymnasts doing backflips on the dance floor. Kelly was still just an actress who worked hard, but she held her own against world-class athletes.
The Reality of the Soap Star "Advantage"
There's this common myth that soap stars have it easy on the show because they have a built-in fanbase. While the "General Hospital" fans are definitely loyal, it's actually a disadvantage in some ways.
Kelly has talked about how people struggled to see her as anything other than her character, Sam. She was used to being "the villain." On Kelly Monaco on DWTS, she had to be vulnerable. You can't hide behind a script when you’re huffing and puffing in a fringe dress while Len Goodman tells you your toes aren't pointed.
"This gave the audience a chance to see the real me in a circumstance where you can either fall flat or rise above." — Kelly Monaco reflecting on her Season 1 experience.
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Lessons from Kelly’s Journey
If you’re a fan of the show or just interested in how these reality arcs work, there are a few takeaways from Kelly's time in the ballroom:
- Vulnerability wins over technique. You can be a perfect robot, but if the audience doesn't feel your nerves, they won't vote.
- Recovering from a mistake is better than being perfect. That wardrobe malfunction was the best thing that ever happened to her career.
- Chemistry is a separate skill. Her partnership with Val proved that you can "sell" a dance through connection even if the footwork is tricky.
What’s Next for the First Champ?
It's a weird time for Kelly right now. With the news of her leaving "General Hospital" after decades, fans are looking back at her biggest career milestones. Her win on DWTS is usually at the top of that list.
She paved the way for every other soap star—from Cameron Mathison to Susan Lucci—who ever stepped onto that floor. She was the guinea pig for a show no one thought would last more than six weeks.
If you want to revisit her best moments, start with the Season 1 Freestyle. It’s dated, the lighting is weird, and the camera work is shaky, but you can see the exact moment she realized she was going to win. After that, go watch her Season 15 Trio Rumba. The growth is staggering.
Next Step: You should check out the archives of the "Dance-Off Rematch" from September 2005. It’s a rare piece of TV history that shows just how much the "winner" conversation has changed since the show's inception.