Season 13

Season thirteen of Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 19, 2011, on the ABC network.

Actor J. R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff were crowned the champions, while Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke finished in second place, and talk show host Ricki Lake and Derek Hough finished in third.

Nine professional partners — Derek Hough, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Cheryl Burke, Tony Dovolani, Mark Ballas, Lacey Schwimmer, Karina Smirnoff, Anna Trebunskaya, and Kym Johnson — returned this season. Maksim's brother, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, made his debut competing as a professional. Peta Murgatroyd and Tristan MacManus, part of season 12's troupe of dancers, also became professional partners for the first time. Louis van Amstel did not compete as a professional, but participated in a new segment called "Ballroom Battles", which was cancelled on November 7. The dance troupe consisted of six dancers: Sharna Burgess, Dasha Chesnokova, Oksana Dmytrenko, Sasha Farber, Kiki Nyemchek, and Ted Volynets, plus the first eliminated male and female pros, who ended up being Val Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd.

This season featured twelve celebrity contestants. The cast was revealed during an episode of Bachelor Pad on August 28, 2011. The twelve professionals were revealed on August 31, 2011 during Good Morning America. Actor Ryan O'Neal was planning on competing as a celebrity, but could not after knee surgery, so Carson Kressley took his place.

From the start, controversy erupted over the inclusion of Chaz Bono, the child of singers Sonny and Cher. His appearance resulted in backlash from conservative supporters of the show, who even threatened to boycott due to his transgender status. Despite the criticism, Bono received strong support from the LGBT community. It was stated in LGBT Weekly that "Bono has become the transgender community's living symbol of hope, strength and defiance against vitriolic hate. When ABC Television announced that Bono would appear on DWTS, he faced vile slurs and death threats from a group of trans-phobic women and men." The controversy did lead producers to hire extra security protection for his time on the show.

Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli returned as the judges, while Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke Charvet returned as hosts.

The highest score each week is indicated in bold green with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in italicized red with a double-dagger (‡).

Color key:

• ^ This couple finished in first place.
• ^ This couple finished in second place.
• ^ This couple finished in third place.
• ^ This couple was eliminated.
• ^ This couple was in the bottom two, but was not eliminated.

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.

Each couple performed either the cha-cha-cha or the Viennese waltz. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Each couple performed either the jive or the quickstep. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Each couple performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Each couple performed one unlearned dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

The couples performed one unlearned dance to a song released in the 1980s. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Each couple performed one unlearned dance and a group Broadway dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Each couple performed one unlearned dance and a team dance. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Each couple performed two unlearned dances, one of which was the jive. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Each couple performed two unlearned dances, one of which was the Argentine tango, and a cha-cha-cha relay. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

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 of the season, after which the couple with the lowest combined scores was eliminated. The two remaining couples then competed in a samba relay. Couples are listed in the order they performed.

The couples performed the following each week:

• Week 1: One unlearned dance (cha-cha-cha or Viennese waltz)
• 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 & group Broadway dance
• Week 7: One unlearned dance & team dance
• Week 8: One unlearned dance & instant jive
• Week 9: Two unlearned dances & cha-cha-cha relay
• Week 10 (Finals, Night 1): One unlearned dance & freestyle
• Week 10 (Finals, Night 2): Favorite dance of the season & instant samba