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{{Celebrity
⚫
{{stub}}
  
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| image = [[File:Melissa_Rycroft_DWTS.jpg|250px]]
−
'''Melissa Rycroft''' is a celebrity contestant on seasons 8 and 15 of ''[[Dancing with the Stars]]''. She came in third in [[Season 8]] but was recently crowned champion of [[Season 15]], the All-Star season.
  
  +
| birthdate= {{Birth date and age|1983|3|11|df=y}}
  +
| died=
  +
| hometown= Dallas, Texas
  +
| knownfor= Reality star
  +
| season= [[Dancing with the Stars 8]]<br>[[Dancing with the Stars 15]]
  +
| partner= [[Tony Dovolani]]
  +
| place= 3 (Season 8)<br> 1 (Season 15)
  +
| highestscore= 30 (Samba; Season 8)<br>30 (Quickstep, Paso Doble, Argentine<br/> Tango, Samba, Freestyle; Season 15)
  +
| lowestscore= 21 (Jive; Season 8)<br> 21.0 (Foxtrot; Season 15)
  +
| averagescore= 26.8 (Season 8)<br> 28.0 (Season 15)
  +
}}
   
  +
'''Melissa Katherine Rycroft-Strickland''' is a celebrity from [[Dancing with the Stars|Season 8]] and the winning celebrity from [[Dancing with the Stars 15|Season 15]] of ''[[Dancing with the Stars]]''.
−
Melissa is known for her appearance on ''The Bachelor''.
  
  +
  +
== Early Life ==
  +
Melissa Katherine Rycroft was born 11 March 1983 in Dallas, Texas. She studied dance from an early age and served as first lieutenant of her high school drill team. She majored in Marketing at the University of North Texas and was a member of Alpha Chi Omega.
  +
  +
== Career ==
  +
=== Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders ===
  +
After graduating from the University of North Texas, Rycroft auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. She danced for the team from 2006 through 2008. As a cheerleader, she made regular appearances on Country Music Television's reality show, ''Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team''.
  +
  +
=== Television ===
  +
Rycroft appeared on the 13th season of ''[[w:c:bachelor-nation:The Bachelor|The Bachelor]]'' as one of the 25 bachelorettes competing for bachelor Jason Mesnick. In the season finale, Mesnick chose Rycroft over runner-up Molly Malaney, and proposed. Shortly after the proposal, Mesnick left Rycroft, explaining he had feelings for Malaney. Mesnick and Malaney married in 2010.
  +
  +
Rycroft is a host of CMT's reality-TV show, ''Redneck Island''.
  +
  +
== Personal Life ==
  +
Rycroft had a seven-year relationship with a boy she met in school. It ended abruptly when he broke off with Rycroft while the pair were in college. The boy married another girl within two weeks of the ending of the relationship. Rycroft said she was inconsolable and this relationship was, in part, the reason she would later describe herself as the girl who was always dumped when she auditioned for ''The Bachelor''. In her book, ''My Reality'', Rycroft described how Tye Strickland constantly broke off their relationship, dated other women, and generally took her for granted.
  +
  +
Rycroft was briefly engaged to Jason Mesnick, whom she met on ''The Bachelor''. Mesnick called the engagement off after he admitted he was in love with runner-up, Molly Malaney. Rycroft then returned to a former boyfriend, salesman Tye Strickland. The couple married and have three children: daughter Ava Grace, born 16 February 2011 and sons Beckett Thomas, born 20 April 2014, and Cayson Jack, born 18 May 2016.
  +
  +
== Dancing with the Stars 8 ==
  +
Rycroft first competed in [[Dancing with the Stars 8|Season 8]] of ''[[Dancing with the Stars]]'' where she was partnered with [[Tony Dovolani]] and finished in third place.
  +
  +
=== Scores ===
  +
{| class="wikitable" style="float:left;"
  +
|- style="text-align:Center; background:#ccc;"
  +
| rowspan="2" |'''Week #'''
  +
| rowspan="2" |'''Dance/Song'''
  +
| colspan="3" |'''Judges' Scores'''
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| rowspan="2" |'''Result'''
  +
|- style="text-align:center; background:#ccc;"
  +
| style="width:10%; " |Inaba
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| style="width:10%; " |Goodman
  +
| style="width:10%; " |Tonioli
  +
|-
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |1
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Waltz]]/ "Moon River"
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |8
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |7
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |8
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |No elimination
  +
|-
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |2
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Salsa]]/ "The Cup of Life"
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |8
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |Safe
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|- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
  +
|3
  +
|[[Foxtrot]]/ "Recipe for Love"
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|9
  +
|9
  +
|9
  +
|Safe
  +
|- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
  +
|4
  +
|[[Lindy Hop]]/ "Brown Derby Jump"
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|10
  +
|9
  +
|10
  +
|Safe
  +
|-
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |5
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Paso Doble]]/ "Poker Face"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |8
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |8
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |Safe
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|- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
  +
|6
  +
|[[Rumba]]/ "If I Were a Boy"
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|9
  +
|9
  +
|9
  +
|Safe
  +
|- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
  +
|7
  +
|[[Argentine Tango]]/ "Mi Confesión"<br />1960s Group Dance/ "The Clapping Song"
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|10<br />No
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|9<br />scores
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|10<br />given
  +
|Safe
  +
|- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
  +
|8
  +
|[[Jive]]/ "We Got the Beat"<br />Team [[Mambo]]/ "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
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|7<br />8
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|7<br />8
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|7<br />9
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|Bottom two
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|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Viennese Waltz]] / "Angel"<br />[[Samba]]/ "Jaleo"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9<br />10
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9<br />10
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9<br />10
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |Safe
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|- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
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|10
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|[[Quickstep]]/ "I Got Rhythm"<br />[[Cha-Cha-Cha]]/ "Save the Last Dance for Me"
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|9<br />9
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|10<br />9
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|9<br />9
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|Bottom two
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|- style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;"
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|11
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|[[Paso Doble]]/ "So What"<br />[[Freestyle]]/ "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"<br />[[Samba]]/ "Jaleo"
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|10<br />9<br />10
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|9<br />9<br />10
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|10<br />9<br />10
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|'''Third Place'''
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|}
  ⚫
{{clear}}
  +
  +
<gallery type="slideshow" position="center" widths="400">
  +
Melissa & Tony S8.PNG
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87986_melissa-rycroft-and-tony-dovolani-dwts-week-one.jpg
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Lindy-hop-1.jpg
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</gallery>
  +
  +
== Dancing with the Stars 15 ==
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She and Dovolani once again served as partners in [[Dancing with the Stars 15|the All-Stars season]] and were announced as the winners on the season finale. She later served as the host of the 2015 [[Dancing with the Stars: Live!]] tour.
  +
=== Scores ===
  +
{| class="wikitable" style="float:left;"
  +
|- style="text-align:Center; background:#ccc;"
  +
| rowspan="2" |'''Week #'''
  +
| rowspan="2" |'''Dance/Song'''
  +
| colspan="3" |'''Judges' Scores'''
  +
| rowspan="2" |'''Result'''
  +
|- style="text-align:center; background:#ccc;"
  +
| style="width:10%; " |Inaba
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| style="width:10%; " |Goodman
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| style="width:10%; " |Tonioli
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|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |1
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Foxtrot]]/ "Big Spender"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |7.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |7.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |7.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |Safe
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|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |2
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Jive]] / "Shout"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |8.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |8.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |7.5
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |Safe
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|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |3
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Samba]] / "Conga"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |Safe
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|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |4
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Jitterbug]] / "This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.5* / 9.5
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |Safe
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|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |5
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Tango]] / "Toxic" <br>Team [[Freestyle]] (Shawn) / "Call Me Maybe"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.0<br>9.5
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.0<br>10.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.0<br>10.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |No elimination
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|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |6
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Viennese Waltz]] / "Why Ya Wanna" <br> Group [[Country Western]] / "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)"<br> & "I Play Chicken with a Train"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.5<br>No
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |10.0<br>scores
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |10.0<br>given
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |Safe
  +
|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |7
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Tango]] & [[Cha-Cha-Cha]] / "Die Young" <br>[[Swing]] Marathon / "Do Your Thing"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |10.0<br>Awarded
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.5<br>ten
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.5<br>points
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |No elimination
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|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |8
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Quickstep]] / "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"<br>[[Paso Doble]] ([[Trio Dances|Trio Challenge]]) / "Rumour Has It"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |10.0<br>10.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |10.0<br>10.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |10.0<br>10.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |Safe
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|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Hustle]] / "Walk the Dinosaur"<br>[[Argentine Tango]] / "Dirty Diana"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.0<br>10.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.5<br>10.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |9.0<br>10.0
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |Safe
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|-
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |10
  +
| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |[[Samba]] / "Conga"<br>[[Freestyle]] / "I Was Here"<br> Instant [[Samba]] / "Life Is A Highway"
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |10.0<br>10.0<br>9.5
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |10.0<br>10.0<br>9.5
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |10.0<br>10.0<br>9.5
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| style="text-align:center; background:#faf6f6;" |'''Winners'''
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|}{{Clear}}
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* The additional score of 9.5 was awarded by guest judge [[Paula Abdul]].
  +
  +
<gallery type="slideshow" position="center" widths="400">
  +
Melissa-Rycroft-DWTS-15.jpg
  +
Melissa & Tony S15.jpg
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Melissa and Tony S15 1.jpg
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melissa-tony-freestyle.PNG
  +
Melissa-tony-win.jpg
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Melissa-Rycroft-and-Tony-Dolovoani-Win-DWTS-02-2012-11-27.jpg
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Melissa-rycroft-300.jpg
  +
Melissa+Rycroft+Dancing+Stars+Stops+Good+Morning+tMCkJZ01Dynl.jpg
  +
Melissa-tony-front2.jpg
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
== Dancing with the Stars 27 ==
  +
[[Juan Pablo Di Pace]] and [[Cheryl Burke]] selected her to dance a [[Trio Dances|Trio]] [[Cha-Cha-Cha]] with them in Week 4.
  +
  +
<gallery type="slideshow" position="center" widths="400">
  +
Dwts 27 week 3 juan cheryl melissa.jpg
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
== Trivia ==
  +
* In Season 8 she was a last minute addition to the show after [[Tony Dovolani]]'s celebrity partner Nancy O'Dell suffered an injury just days before the start of the season. Her first rehearsal happened a little over 48 hours before the season premiere.
  +
* In Season 15, her cumulative average was 28.0/30.0, making it the fourth highest season average of any contestant in all fifteen seasons of ''Dancing with the Stars''.
  +
* She is part African-American although [[Amber Riley]] is considered the first African-American woman to have won the show.
  +
  +
  +
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rycroft, Melissa}}
 
[[Category:Contestants]]
  
[[Category:Contestants]]
 
[[Category:Females]]
  
[[Category:Females]]
Line 8: Line 249:
 
[[Category:Season 15 contestants]]
  
[[Category:Season 15 contestants]]
 
[[Category:Champions]]
  
[[Category:Champions]]
  +
[[Category:Actors]]
  +
[[Category:Bachelor Nation]]

Revision as of 16:36, 9 February 2020

Melissa Rycroft
Melissa Rycroft DWTS
Celebrity Profile
Birth Date 11 March 1983 (1983-03-11) (age 41)
Hometown Dallas, Texas
Known For Reality star

Dancing with the Stars 8
Dancing with the Stars 15

Partner(s) Tony Dovolani
Placement 3 (Season 8)
1 (Season 15)
Highest Score 30 (Samba; Season 8)
30 (Quickstep, Paso Doble, Argentine
Tango, Samba, Freestyle; Season 15)
Lowest Score 21 (Jive; Season 8)
21.0 (Foxtrot; Season 15)
Average Score 26.8 (Season 8)
28.0 (Season 15)

Melissa Katherine Rycroft-Strickland is a celebrity from Season 8 and the winning celebrity from Season 15 of Dancing with the Stars.

Early Life

Melissa Katherine Rycroft was born 11 March 1983 in Dallas, Texas. She studied dance from an early age and served as first lieutenant of her high school drill team. She majored in Marketing at the University of North Texas and was a member of Alpha Chi Omega.

Career

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

After graduating from the University of North Texas, Rycroft auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. She danced for the team from 2006 through 2008. As a cheerleader, she made regular appearances on Country Music Television's reality show, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.

Television

Rycroft appeared on the 13th season of The Bachelor as one of the 25 bachelorettes competing for bachelor Jason Mesnick. In the season finale, Mesnick chose Rycroft over runner-up Molly Malaney, and proposed. Shortly after the proposal, Mesnick left Rycroft, explaining he had feelings for Malaney. Mesnick and Malaney married in 2010.

Rycroft is a host of CMT's reality-TV show, Redneck Island.

Personal Life

Rycroft had a seven-year relationship with a boy she met in school. It ended abruptly when he broke off with Rycroft while the pair were in college. The boy married another girl within two weeks of the ending of the relationship. Rycroft said she was inconsolable and this relationship was, in part, the reason she would later describe herself as the girl who was always dumped when she auditioned for The Bachelor. In her book, My Reality, Rycroft described how Tye Strickland constantly broke off their relationship, dated other women, and generally took her for granted.

Rycroft was briefly engaged to Jason Mesnick, whom she met on The Bachelor. Mesnick called the engagement off after he admitted he was in love with runner-up, Molly Malaney. Rycroft then returned to a former boyfriend, salesman Tye Strickland. The couple married and have three children: daughter Ava Grace, born 16 February 2011 and sons Beckett Thomas, born 20 April 2014, and Cayson Jack, born 18 May 2016.

Dancing with the Stars 8

Rycroft first competed in Season 8 of Dancing with the Stars where she was partnered with Tony Dovolani and finished in third place.

Scores

Week # Dance/Song Judges' Scores Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Waltz/ "Moon River" 8 7 8 No elimination
2 Salsa/ "The Cup of Life" 9 8 9 Safe
3 Foxtrot/ "Recipe for Love" 9 9 9 Safe
4 Lindy Hop/ "Brown Derby Jump" 10 9 10 Safe
5 Paso Doble/ "Poker Face" 8 8 9 Safe
6 Rumba/ "If I Were a Boy" 9 9 9 Safe
7 Argentine Tango/ "Mi Confesión"
1960s Group Dance/ "The Clapping Song" 		10
No 		9
scores 		10
given 		Safe
8 Jive/ "We Got the Beat"
Team Mambo/ "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" 		7
8 		7
8 		7
9 		Bottom two
9 Viennese Waltz / "Angel"
Samba/ "Jaleo" 		9
10 		9
10 		9
10 		Safe
10 Quickstep/ "I Got Rhythm"
Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Save the Last Dance for Me" 		9
9 		10
9 		9
9 		Bottom two
11 Paso Doble/ "So What"
Freestyle/ "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
Samba/ "Jaleo" 		10
9
10 		9
9
10 		10
9
10 		Third Place

Dancing with the Stars 15

She and Dovolani once again served as partners in the All-Stars season and were announced as the winners on the season finale. She later served as the host of the 2015 Dancing with the Stars: Live! tour.

Scores

Week # Dance/Song Judges' Scores Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Foxtrot/ "Big Spender" 7.0 7.0 7.0 Safe
2 Jive / "Shout" 8.0 8.0 7.5 Safe
3 Samba / "Conga" 9.0 9.0 9.0 Safe
4 Jitterbug / "This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof" 9.0 9.0 9.5* / 9.5 Safe
5 Tango / "Toxic"
Team Freestyle (Shawn) / "Call Me Maybe" 		9.0
9.5 		9.0
10.0 		9.0
10.0 		No elimination
6 Viennese Waltz / "Why Ya Wanna"
Group Country Western / "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)"
& "I Play Chicken with a Train" 		9.5
No 		10.0
scores 		10.0
given 		Safe
7 Tango & Cha-Cha-Cha / "Die Young"
Swing Marathon / "Do Your Thing" 		10.0
Awarded 		9.5
ten 		9.5
points 		No elimination
8 Quickstep / "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
Paso Doble (Trio Challenge) / "Rumour Has It" 		10.0
10.0 		10.0
10.0 		10.0
10.0 		Safe
9 Hustle / "Walk the Dinosaur"
Argentine Tango / "Dirty Diana" 		9.0
10.0 		9.5
10.0 		9.0
10.0 		Safe
10 Samba / "Conga"
Freestyle / "I Was Here"
Instant Samba / "Life Is A Highway" 		10.0
10.0
9.5 		10.0
10.0
9.5 		10.0
10.0
9.5 		Winners
  • The additional score of 9.5 was awarded by guest judge Paula Abdul.

Dancing with the Stars 27

Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke selected her to dance a Trio Cha-Cha-Cha with them in Week 4.

Trivia

  • In Season 8 she was a last minute addition to the show after Tony Dovolani's celebrity partner Nancy O'Dell suffered an injury just days before the start of the season. Her first rehearsal happened a little over 48 hours before the season premiere.
  • In Season 15, her cumulative average was 28.0/30.0, making it the fourth highest season average of any contestant in all fifteen seasons of Dancing with the Stars.
  • She is part African-American although Amber Riley is considered the first African-American woman to have won the show.
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