The Real Life Partners Of Dancing With The Stars Hosts & Judges

Season 33 of "Dancing With the Stars" premiered in September 2024 and ran hot with steaming speculation and romance rumors among the pro dancers and their celebrities. Fans wondered whether Gleb Savchenko and model Brooks Nader were an item and if "The Bachelorette's" Jenn Tran gave Sasha Farber a final rose weeks after the finale.

Also appearing in the season was the established judging panel, with Derek Hough, a pro dancer on the show for 17 seasons and six-time Mirrorball winner, as a permanent judge since 2020. He sat between Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba, who have been judges since the show aired in 2005.

As for the hosts, Alfonso Ribeiro started the gig during Season 31 in 2022. He wasn't a novice of the show, having won the Season 19 Mirrorball in 2014 alongside his dance partner Witney Carson. Julianne Hough won two Mirrorballs in her five seasons as a professional dancer and spent a few seasons as a judge before becoming a co-host in Season 32. Though it seems they spend their entire lives on screen or in the studio, the hosts and judges of "Dancing With the Stars" have dating lives and partners — some of whom have been featured on the competition show.

Derek Hough has arguably been the face of the "Dancing With the Stars" franchise for years, and his passion for the art led him to his wife, Hayley Erbert. She was originally hired as a dancer to tour with Derek and Julianne Hough in 2014, eventually becoming part of the "Dancing With the Stars" troupe the following year. The pair began dating in 2016, got engaged in 2022, and tied the knot in 2023. A mere four months of newlywed bliss under their belts, tragedy struck for Hough and Erbert.

Episode 5 of Season 33 was Dedication Night, with the dancers prompted to devote their dance to a person of their choosing. Though he now serves as a judge, Derek decided to dance with his wife, for his wife. Before the performance, an emotional video package of the couple was played, taking the viewer through the harrowing journey of Erbert experiencing a brain bleed.

"I was on stage and she's supposed to come out, and the stage manager walked out and just said, 'Hey, she's not coming on stage,'" Hough tearfully recounted in the video. Erbert was suffering from seizures when she was supposed to perform a duet with Derek while on tour. After being rushed to the hospital, Erbert underwent emergency surgery, resulting in her losing 40% of her skull. Against all odds, Erbert made a full recovery and would dance with Derek again.

Julianne Hough has a checkered relationship history, from getting engaged at 18, to an over two-year relationship with Ryan Seacrest, to her 2020 divorce from NHL alum Brooks Laich. Now, the dancer is soaking in the glory of the single life, but perhaps not for long.

Hough and Laich were together for seven years before they split, and Hough embarked on a journey of self-discovery following the breakup. In a Women's Health interview from 2019, she reminisced about telling her then-husband, "'You know I'm not straight, right?'" Following her divorce, she doubled down on her self-expression on a 2024 episode of "The Jamie Kern Lima Show" podcast. "Coming out is one of the most vulnerable and empowering things that you can do. ... it's not about being straight or gay or bi or queer. It's more about, I think I'm just learning what love is, and I love people," Hough expressed.

It appears Hough is ready to open herself up to love again, but a girl's got to have some fun, right? Hough shocked fans with a surprise performance of a musical rendition of the viral "Man in Finance" TikTok sound during the semi-finals of Season 33, satirically hinting at the kind of relationship she's looking for next. She gave insight into her game when conversing with NFL star Danny Amendola on the "Dancing With the Stars" Season 33 finale. Amendola and his partner Witney Carson joined Hough to receive their scores on the bed that was set up for their performance. Amendola remarked, "I think the real question, Julianne, is why are you in my bed?" (via Page Six). She quipped, "Is that an invitation?" Things are getting hot in here, and it's not just from the intense cardio.

Carrie Ann Inaba made headlines across Season 33, consistently finding herself under fire for her out-of-place criticisms and suspected unfair treatment of celebrities. Many fans called for her replacement on "Dancing With the Stars." With her image garnering the amount of traction it has with the media, many also found their minds wandering to Inaba's relationship status and love life.

She met fellow dancer Artem Chigvintsev in 2006, crossing paths because of "So You Think You Can Dance." They eventually split in 2009. Old feelings may have stirred up again five years later when Chigvinstev became a pro dancer on "Dancing With the Stars," but they were able to keep it professional. When questioned whether or not their history has affected their scores in a 2020 interview with US Weekly, Chigvinstev expressed, "Oh my goodness! It was so long ago. It was, like, 2008, we're in 2020. That's 12 years ago!" Referring to that same speculation, Inaba said, "I think it's hysterical" (via Us Weekly).

After mixing the personal with the professional, Inaba dated someone living outside the ballroom. She and accountant Jesse Sloan met in 2009, and the two were engaged by 2011. Unfortunately, they would call off the wedding by the following year. She got engaged again in 2016, with her suitor being actor Robb Derringer. Inaba found herself unlucky in love once again though, as they broke up in 2017. The famed choreographer did find a few perks from going stag. "Singlism is probably why I'm not aging because I don't have a relationship," Inaba remarked in a 2024 interview on "Live With Kelly and Mark" (via Parade), citing the simplicity of the single life.

Everyone's favorite hip-thrusting Italian is off the market! The eccentric Bruno Tonioli leaves it all on the line in the ballroom, and he often teeters the line between flirting and feedback when judging on "Dancing With the Stars," such as when he dramatically strips off his clothes. As he said on Instagram in October 2024, "You know it's serious when my jacket comes off." 

However, Tonioli keeps his personal life much more tucked away. Tonioli has been with his partner, Jason Schanne, since 2010. The couple had a commitment ceremony performed two years later in 2012.

Schanne, who is 31 years Tonioli's junior, has made a career for himself as a model, but he seemingly doesn't have any social media and largely stays out of the public eye. However, they did step out together for the 2018 premiere of "Mary Poppins Returns," as seen in the above photo. Though Tonioli can often be found in the loudest, brightest outfit in the crowd, he has remained relatively quiet about his beau.

Alfonso Ribeiro's dance background started with his time in "The Tap Dance Kid" on Broadway. He had his claim to fame as Carlton on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in the '90s — and his character's signature dance move has become synonymous with the role. Alfonso found his way back to the ballroom as a "Dancing With the Stars" host after his Mirrorball win, and his current wife, Angela Ribeiro (née Unkrich), has been there to support him along the way.

Alfonso's first marriage was to actor Robin Stapler, who he tied the knot with in 2002 after meeting on set in 1999. The couple were married for four years and had one daughter, Sienna Ribeiro, before they split in 2006. Per People, the reason for the separation was listed as "irreconcilable differences."

In 2011, Alfonso met Angela in passing, and they were engaged and married by 2012. Since then, they have welcomed three kids: Alfonso Ribeiro Jr. in 2013, Anders Ribeiro in 2015, and Ava Ribeiro in 2019. In October 2024, Alfonso shared a sweet anniversary post for Angela on Instagram, writing, "12 years ago today you made this crazy man the happiest person in the world." He raved about her further and added, "I love you to the edge of the earth and beyond."