| Karina Smirnoff | |
|---|---|
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| Dancer Profile | |
| Birth Date | 2 January 1978 |
| Hometown | Kharkiv, Ukraine |
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| Partner(s) | 3: Mario Lopez (2nd) 4: Billy Ray Cyrus (5th) 5: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (9th) 6: Mario (5th) 7: Rocco DiSpirito (9th) 8: Steve Wozniak (10th) 9: Aaron Carter (5th) 11: Mike Sorrentino (9th) 12: Ralph Macchio (4th) 13: J.R. Martinez (1st) 14: Gavin DeGraw (9th) All-Stars: Apolo Anton Ohno (5th) 16: Jacoby Jones (3rd) 17: Corbin Bleu (2nd) 18: Sean Avery (11th) 19: Randy Couture (11th) 21: Victor Espinoza (12th) 22: Doug Flutie (9th) |
Karina Smirnoff was a professional dancer in Dancing with the Stars.
Biography[]
Retrieved from abc.com
At the age of nine, Karina was introduced to ballroom dancing and fell in love with it. Originally from Ukraine, Karina made her way to the US with her family at the age of twelve. After graduating from Fordham University with a double degree, she put her academic studies on hold to pursue her ballroom dancing career in the United Kingdom.
American audiences first fell in love with Karina during Season 3 of Dancing with the Stars, when she swung into a second place finish with partner Mario Lopez. The next season she finished fifth with Billy Ray Cyrus. The two would team up again when Karina guest starred in Hannah Montana. Karina also teamed up with her former DWTS partner Ralph Macchio in her first leading role in a short film, Across Grace Alley. Karina also starred in two Broadway shows, Burn the Floor and Forever Tango. In Season 13, she went all the way, winning the Mirrorball Trophy with J.R. Martinez as her partner.
Dancing with the Stars 3[]
In Season 3, Karina was partnered with Mario Lopez. They placed 2nd.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha/"Walkin' on the Sun" | 9 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 2 | Quickstep/"Do Your Thing" | 7 | 6 | 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango/"What You Waiting For?" | 8 | 6 | 8 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble/"Cancion Del Mariachi" | 10 | 9 | 10 | Safe |
| 5 | Rumba/"The Way You Look Tonight" | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 6 | Mambo/"Ran Kan Kan" Disco/"Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" |
9 No |
9 scores |
10 given |
No elimination |
| 7 | Foxtrot/"I Wanna Be Loved by You" Jive/"Shake a Tail Feather" |
10 9 |
9 9 |
10 9 |
Safe |
| 8 Quarter Finals |
Waltz/"Dark Waltz" Samba/"Superstition" |
9 10 |
9 9 |
10 10 |
Bottom two |
| 9 Semi-Finals |
Tango/"Whatever Lola Wants" Cha-Cha-Cha/"Bad" |
10 10 |
10 9 |
10 10 |
Safe |
| 10 Finals |
Samba/"Sir Duke" Paso Doble/"Cancion Del Mariachi" Freestyle/"It Take Two" |
10 10 10 |
9 10 10 |
10 10 10 |
Runner-up |
Dancing with the Stars 4[]
In Season 4, Karina was partnered with Billy Ray Cyrus. They placed 5th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha/"I Want My Mullet Back" | 5 | 4 | 4 | No elimination |
| 2 | Quickstep/"Ring of Fire" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango/"Rock the Casbah" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble/"Black Betty" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 5 | Rumba/"What's Love Got to Do with It?" | 6 | 6 | 5 | Safe |
| 6 | Jive/"I Love to Boogie" Swing/"Rock This Town" |
7 No |
7 scores |
7 given |
Safe |
| 7 | Waltz/"Play Me" Samba/"Living in America" |
5 7 |
6 7 |
6 7 |
Bottom two |
| 8 Quarter Finals |
Foxtrot/"Stand by Your Man" Mambo/"My Way" |
7 6 |
6 7 |
5 7 |
Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars 5[]
In Season 5, Karina was partnered with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. They placed 9th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha/"The Way You Move" | 6 | 6 | 6 | Safe |
| 2 | Quickstep/"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Jive/"Mess Around" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Bottom two |
| 4 | Paso Doble/"Captain from Castille" | 7 | 8 | 8 | Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars 6[]
In Season 6, Karina was partnered with Mario. They placed 5th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha/"Request Line" | 8 | 8 | 8 | No elimination |
| 2 | Quickstep/"Valerie" | 9 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango/"El Tango de Roxanne" | 7 | 6 | 8 | Last to be called safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble/"Higher Ground" | 8 | 7 | 9 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba/"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 6 | Rumba/"Let's Get It On" Country Western/"Cotton-Eyed Joe" |
9 No |
9 scores |
10 given |
Bottom two |
| 7 | Foxtrot/"I'm Your Man" Mambo/"Mambo a la Sandoval" |
8 9 |
8 9 |
8 9 |
Safe |
| 8 Quarter Finals |
Viennese Waltz/"If I Ain't Got You" Jive/"Little Bitty Pretty One" |
9 9 |
9 8 |
9 9 |
Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars 7[]
In Season 7, Karina was partnered with Rocco DiSpirito. They placed 9th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot/"Stray Cat Strut" Mambo/"La Comay" |
5 7 |
4 7 |
5 7 |
Safe |
| 2 | Rumba/"You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" | 5 | 6 | 5 | Safe |
| 3 | Viennese Waltz/"What's New Pussycat?" | 7 | 7 | 6 | Safe* |
| 4 | Samba/"I Go to Rio" | 6 | 6 | 6 | Eliminated |
- Would have been eliminated but wasn't, due to Misty May-Treanor's injury forcing her to withdraw from the competition.
Dancing with the Stars 8[]
In Season 8, Karina was partnered with Steve Wozniak. They placed 10th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha/"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" | 5 | 4 | 4 | No elimination |
| 2 | Quickstep/"Oh, Boy!" | 6 | 5 | 6 | Dance off |
| 3 | Samba/"Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)" | 4 | 3 | 3 | Safe |
| 4 | Argentine Tango/"Cite Tango" | 4 | 4 | 4 | Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars 9[]
In Season 9, Karina was partnered with Aaron Carter. They placed 5th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha/"Beggin'" Viennese Waltz/"I Am Your Man" |
7 Awarded |
8 ten |
7 points |
Safe |
| 2 | Quickstep/"The Muppet Show Theme Song" | 9 | 9* | 9 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba/"Spotlight" | 8 | 6 | 7 | Safe |
| 4 | Lambada/"Dr. Beat" | 6 | 6 | 6 | Bottom two |
| 5 | Argentine Tango/"Epoca" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Bottom two |
| 6 | Waltz/"Three Times a Lady" Mambo Marathon/"Ran Kan Kan" |
8 Awarded |
9 eight |
8 points |
Safe |
| 7 | Jive/"We're Not Gonna Take It" Paso Doble/"I Hate Myself for Loving You" |
9 8 |
10 8 |
10 8 |
Bottom two |
| 8 Quarter Finals |
Foxtrot/"Lucky" 90s Samba/"Two Princes" |
7 9 |
8 9 |
8 9 |
Eliminated |
- Score was awarded by stand in judge Baz Luhrmann.
Dancing with the Stars 11[]
In Season 11, Karina was partnered with Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. They placed 9th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Break Your Heart" | 5 | 5 | 5 | Safe |
| 2 | Quickstep / "Americano" | 6 | 6 | 6 | Last to be called safe |
| 3 | Foxtrot / "Boom Boom Pow" | 7 | 6 | 7 | Safe |
| 4* | Argentine Tango / "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" | 4 6 |
4 5 |
4 5 |
Eliminated |
- As part of acoustic music/double-scoring week, the judges had to give scores for both technical and performance.
Dancing with the Stars 12[]
In Season 12, Karina was partnered with Ralph Macchio. They placed 4th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 2 | Jive / "Nobody But Me" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba / "Stay Gold" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 4 | Waltz / "Romeo and Juliet" | 8 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba / "Sweet Home Alabama" | 8 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 6 | Paso Doble / "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Last to be called safe |
| 7 | Quickstep / "Pencil Full of Lead" | *9 / 10 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| Team Cha-Cha-Cha / "Born This Way" | *8 / 8 | 7 | 7 | ||
| 8 | Viennese Waltz / "Maybe I, Maybe You" | 8 | 8 | 9 | Last to be called safe |
| Instant Cha-Cha-Cha / "Stuck in the Middle with You" | 7 | 7 | 7 | ||
| 9 | Argentine Tango / "Violentango" | 8 | 9 | 8 | Eliminated |
| Salsa / "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" | 8 | 7 | 8 | ||
- Additional scores for Week 7 were awarded by guest judge Donnie Burns.
Dancing with the Stars 13[]
In Season 13, Karina was partnered with J.R. Martinez. They placed 1st.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Viennese Waltz / "Breakaway" | 8 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 2 | Jive / "Jump, Jive an' Wail!" | 7 | 7 | 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba / "If You're Reading This" | 9 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 4 | Foxtrot / "Theme from The Pink Panther" | 8 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba / "Conga" | 9 | 9 | 10 | Safe |
| 6 | Quickstep / "Hot Honey Rag" Group Broadway Dance / "Big Spender" & "Money Money" |
10 No |
9 scores |
10 given |
Safe |
| 7 | Tango / "Theme from Ghostbusters" | 9 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| Team Tango / "Disturbia" | 8 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 8 | Waltz / "What the World Needs Now" | 10 | 10 | 10 | Safe |
| Instant Jive / "Tutti Frutti" | 10 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 9 | Paso Doble / "Theme from The Legend of Zorro" | 8 | 7 | 8 | Last to be called safe |
| Argentine Tango / "Bust Your Windows" | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||
| Cha-Cha-Cha Relay / "I Like How It Feels" | Awarded | 6 | points | ||
| 10 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Let's Get Loud" | 8 | 7 | 9 | Winner |
| Freestyle / "Whine Up" | 10 | 10 | 10 | ||
| Jive / "Jump, Jive an' Wail!" | Awarded | 28 | points | ||
| Instant Samba / "Shake Your Bon-Bon" | 10 | 10 | 10 | ||
Dancing with the Stars 14[]
In Season 14, Karina was partnered with Gavin DeGraw. They placed 9th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "I Run to You" | 7 | 6 | 7 | No elimination |
| 2 | Jive / "Real Wild Child" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Bottom two |
| 3 | Rumba / "New York State of Mind" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Bottom two |
| 4 | Tango / "Paint It Black" | 8 | 8 | 7 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba / "Sweetheart from Venezuela" Dance Duel Cha-Cha-Cha / "The Edge of Glory" |
6 Lost |
6 this |
7 event |
Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars 15[]
In Season 15, Karina was partnered with Apolo Anton Ohno. They placed 5th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Party Rock Anthem" | 7.5 | 7 | 7.5 | Safe |
| 2 | Quickstep / "Five Months, Two Weeks, Two Days" | 8.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | Safe |
| 3 | Foxtrot / "Fever" | 9.0 | 8.0 | 8.5 | Safe |
| 4 | Hip-hop / "Poison" | 8.5 | 9.0 | 8.5* / 8.5 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba / "Give It to Me Baby" Team Freestyle / "Call Me Maybe" |
8.5 9.5 |
9.5 10.0 |
9.0 10.0 |
No elimination |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz / "Skin (Sarabeth)" Group Country Western / "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" & "I Play Chicken with a Train" |
10.0 No |
10.0 scores |
10.0 given |
Last to be called safe |
| 7 | Cha-Cha-Cha & Paso Doble / "Scream" Swing Marathon / "Do Your Thing" |
9.0 Awarded |
9.0 six |
9.0 points |
No elimination |
| 8 | Tango / "Holding Out for a Hero" Jive (Trio Challenge)* / "Greased Lightnin'" |
10.0 9.5 |
9.5 9.5 |
10.0 10.0 |
Last to be called safe |
| 9 | Jazz / "What You Waiting For?" Rumba / "Man in the Mirror" |
8.5 10.0 |
9.0 10.0 |
9.5 10.0 |
Eliminated |
- The additional score for Week 4 was awarded by guest judge Paula Abdul.
- The dancer Ohno and Smirnoff chose for the Trio Challenge was Sasha Farber.
Dancing with the Stars 16[]
In Season 16, Karina was partnered with Jacoby Jones. They placed 3rd.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Good Feeling" | 7 | 6 | 7 | No elimination |
| 2 | Jazz / "Five Guys Named Moe" | 8 | 7 | 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Prom Group Dance / "The Rockafeller Skank" Rumba / "Stay" |
Awarded 8 |
two 8 |
points 8 |
Safe |
| 4 | Foxtrot / "Watching You" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 5 | Jive* / "Long Tall Sally" | 9 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 6 | Quickstep / "For Once in My Life" Team Paso Doble / "Higher Ground" |
8 7 |
7 8 |
8 7 |
Safe |
| 7 | Salsa / "Danza Kuduro" Jive Dance Off / "Good Golly Miss Molly" |
9 Lost |
9 this |
9 event |
Safe |
| 8 | Viennese Waltz / "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" Paso Doble (Trio Challenge)* / "La Virgen de la Macarena" |
9 8 |
9 9 |
9 8 |
Last to be called safe |
| 9 | Argentine Tango / "Concierto Para Quinteto" Lindy Hop / "Ding Dong Daddy of the D-Car Line" |
10 10 |
10 9 |
10 10 |
Safe |
| 10 | Jive / "Shake It" Cha-Cha-Cha Relay / "Treasure" Freestyle / "Can't Hold Us" Instant Salsa / "Aguanile" |
9 Awarded 9 10 |
9 two 9 10 |
9 points 9 10 |
Third Place |
- For 'Len's Side-by-Side Challenge', Jones and Smirnoff chose Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Anna Trebunskaya to dance alongside them.
- The dancer Jones and Smirnoff chose for the Trio Challenge was Cheryl Burke.
Dancing with the Stars 17[]
In Season 17, Karina was partnered with Corbin Bleu. They placed 2nd.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Contemporary / "If I Lose Myself" | 8 | 8 | 8 | No elimination |
| 2 | Jive / "Kiss You" | 9 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Diga Diga Doo" | 9 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble / "Zorongo" | 9 | 9* | 9 | Safe |
| 5 | Foxtrot / "My Wish" | 9 | 9 | 10 | Safe |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz / "Theme from Game of Thrones" Switch-Up Challenge / Various |
8 Awarded |
7 four |
8 points |
Not eliminated |
| 7 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Pumpin Blood" Team Freestyle / "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" |
10 10 |
9 10 |
10 10 |
Safe |
| 8 | Argentine Tango / "Welcome to Burlesque" Cha-Cha-Cha Dance-Off / "Woman's World" |
9 Awarded |
9* three |
9 points |
Safe |
| 9 | Waltz / "Apologize" Jazz (Trio Challenge)* / "Yeah!" |
9 10 |
9 10 |
10 10 |
Safe |
| 10 | Tango / "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" Rumba / "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" (acoustic version) |
9 10 |
8/9* 10/10* |
9 10 |
Safe |
| 11 | Quickstep / "Diga Diga Doo" Samba Relay / "No Scrubs" Freestyle / "Smooth Criminal" Cha-Cha-Cha & Foxtrot / "All Night" |
9 Awarded 10 9 |
9 five 10 9 |
9 Points 10 9 |
Runner Up |
- Week 4 score was given by Julianne Hough.
- Week 8 score was given by Cher.
- The dancer Bleu and Smirnoff chose for the Trio Challenge was Witney Carson.
- Additional score for Week 10 was awarded by guest judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Dancing with the Stars 18[]
In Season 18, Karina was partnered with Sean Avery. They placed 11th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Contemporary / "Somewhere Only We Know" | 7 | 6 | 7 | No elimination |
| 2 | Salsa / "Dance Bailalo" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Eliminated |
Performances[]
Sean Avery & Karina Smirnoff -DWTS-18-Wk-1
Karina Smirnoff & Sean Avery dancing Salsa on DWTS 3 24 14
Dancing with the Stars 19[]
In Season 19, Karina was partnered with Randy Couture. They placed 11th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "The Way You Look Tonight" | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 2 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "Eye of the Tiger" | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars 21[]
In Season 21, Karina was partnered with Victor Espinoza. They placed 12th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Salsa / "G.D.F.R" | 5 | 5 | 5 | No elimination |
| 2 | Jive / "La Bamba" Rumba / "Girl on Fire" |
6 7 |
5 6 |
6 7 |
Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars 22[]
In Season 22, Karina was partnered with Doug Flutie. They placed 9th.
Scores[]
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' Scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "Sweet Caroline" | 5 | 5 | 5 | No elimination |
| 2 | Paso Doble / "Buster Voodoo" | 7 | 6 | 7 | Bottom three |
| 3 | Waltz / "Rainbow Connection" | 7 | 6 | 7 | Last to be called safe |
| 4 | Jazz / "A Spoonful of Sugar" | 6 | 6/61 | 6 | Safe |
| 52 | Tango / "Black and Gold" | 7 | 7/73 | 7 | No elimination |
| 8 | Bollywood / "Jai Ho" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Eliminated |
1 Score given by guest judge Zendaya.
2 For this week only, as part of "America's Switch Up", Flutie performed with Peta Murgatroyd instead of Smirnoff. Smirnoff performed with Antonio Brown.
3 Score given by guest judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Trivia[]
- Karina dated her Season 3 partner Mario Lopez.
- Karina was engaged to her fellow professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
- She was engaged to Major League Baseball pitcher Brad Penny.
- She became engaged to Jason Adelmann in January 2015. On 11 March 2015, both individuals announced that they had split and their engagement was off.
- She has a dog named Randy.
- She was the oldest female pro to ever win the Mirrorball Trophy at age 33 (a record she shares with Kym Johnson).
- On 18 December 2019, she announced that she was expecting her first child.
- On 8 April 2020, she announced the birth of her son, Theo Gabriel.