Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) season 12

Season twelve of Dancing with the Stars premiered on March 21, 2011, on the ABC network.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and Kym Johnson were the winners of the competition, while actress Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy finished second, and Disney star Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas finished third.

Couples
This season featured eleven celebrity contestants. The cast was revealed on February 28, 2011, during The Bachelor, and the professional partners were revealed on March 2. Hip-hop artist Romeo, who had been slated to appear on season 2 before he had to withdraw due to an injury, was one of the contestants to compete this season. This was also the first season to feature a dance troupe, which consisted of six dancers: Oksana Dmytrenko, Tristan MacManus, Peta Murgatroyd, Kiki Nyemchek, Nicole Volynets, and Ted Volynets. Kirstie Alley returned for the All-Stars season, where she was again paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
 * Future appearances

Host and judges
Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Len Goodman returned to the show as judges, while Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke returned as co-hosts.

Scoring chart
The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in  with a double-dagger (‡).

Color key: • {{legend|gold|Winners}}

• {{legend|silver|Runners-up}}

• {{legend|tan|Third place}}

• {{legend|#f4c7b8|Eliminated}}
 * Notes

Weekly scores
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.

Week 1: First Dances
The couples danced either the cha-cha-cha or foxtrot. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 2: First Elimination
The couples danced either the jive or quickstep. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 3: Personal Story Week
The couples performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 4: Classical Week
The couples performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 5: American Week
The couples performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 6: Guilty Pleasure Week
The couples performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 7: Ballroom Greats Week
Individual judges scores in the chart below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Donnie Burns, Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.

The six couples were divided into two teams to perform a cha-cha-cha team dance, and each couple also performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 8: Instant Choreography Week
Each couple performed two dances. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 9: Semifinals
Each couple performed two unlearned dances, plus competed in a "winner takes all" cha-cha-cha dance relay. Two couples faced off against each other, with the winners from each match competing against each other for fifteen bonus points. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 10: Finals
On the first night, the three couples performed two dances: a redemption dance selected by one of the judges, which was a style they had already performed earlier in the competition, and their freestyle routine. On the second night, each couple performed their favorite dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.


 * Night 1
 * Night 2

Dance chart
The couples performed the following each week:
 * Week 1: One unlearned dance (cha-cha-cha or foxtrot)
 * Week 2: One unlearned dance (jive or quickstep)
 * Week 3: One unlearned dance
 * Week 4: One unlearned dance
 * Week 5: One unlearned dance
 * Week 6: One unlearned dance
 * Week 7: One unlearned dance & team dance
 * Week 8: One unlearned dance & instant dance
 * Week 9 (Semifinals): Two unlearned dances & cha-cha-cha dance-off
 * Week 10 (Finals, Night 1): Judge's choice dance & freestyle
 * Week 10 (Finals, Night 2): Favorite dance of the season

Ratings
Dancing with the Stars tied with Modern Family, a sitcom which also airs on ABC, for the season's No. 5 spot in the age 18–49 demographic of viewers, and placed at No. 3 on the rankings of the overall season.