These moves had us leaping from our seats. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most unbelievable stunts ever performed on Dancing with the Stars — in the dance styles where lifts are allowed, of course.
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00:00 It's like nothing you have seen, with some fire in your belly.
00:04 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most
00:08 unbelievable stunts ever performed on Dancing With The Stars,
00:11 in the dance styles where lifts are allowed of course.
00:14 Number 10. Kelly Pickler and Derek Hough, Freestyle.
00:24 Season 16 of Dancing With The Stars was arguably the most competitive in the show's history.
00:28 "You tell all the boys no, makes you feel good, yeah."
00:36 A young Zendaya and country star Kelly Pickler were neck and neck in the finale,
00:41 with Pickler's win coming down to her freestyle performance with Derek Hough.
00:45 The duo's contemporary routine blended difficult tricks,
00:48 balletic lines, and touching raw emotion.
00:51 "See beneath your beautiful tonight."
00:55 Of several impressive lifts, the one that wowed the most had to be a spin with Pickler facing
01:05 outwards, her feet on her partner's shoulders, with her chest parallel to the ground to reflect
01:10 the vulnerability of the song.
01:11 "Let me see beneath your beautiful, let me."
01:20 Flowing transitions in and out of this lift elevate it to an all-time great finale moment.
01:25 Number 9. Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold, Freestyle.
01:29 Out of all the professionals on Dancing With The Stars,
01:32 fans could count on Lindsay Arnold to deliver show-stopping lifts each week.
01:36 For her finale freestyle with actor Jordan Fisher,
01:45 she let her partner catch the mare for a change.
01:48 Jordan flips head over heels not once,
01:50 but twice with the help of all their backup dancers in a cheerleading-style stunt.
01:54 While this isn't the most difficult lift on the list, it's a fittingly grand ending to
02:05 a fast-paced freestyle that showcases Jordan's larger-than-life dancing style.
02:09 Rest assured, this won't be Lindsay Arnold's only appearance on this list.
02:13 "Put it on the ropes."
02:20 Number 8. Calvin Johnson, Lindsay Arnold, and Whitney Carson, Trio Salsa.
02:25 Choreographing a trio ballroom dance is a challenge on its own,
02:28 but it's downright wild to throw in a three-person spinning lift.
02:40 NFL wide receiver Calvin Johnson showed his strength and coordination
02:44 in a festive salsa set to Daddy Yankee. The highlight was one of the toughest lifts ever
02:49 seen on the show. Both pros were in backbends around Calvin's shoulders and waist,
02:54 and the speed of their spin?
02:55 Dizzying. Johnson more than lived up to his nickname Megatron,
03:06 completing this feat of strength without even using his hands. Instead,
03:10 he spreads them out to each side with a huge and well-deserved smile on his face.
03:14 Number 7. Drew Scott and Emma Slater, Jazz.
03:31 While some tricks mesmerize an audience with their grace, others leave the crowd
03:35 breathless simply because they look super dangerous.
03:37 This team's jazz dance lift falls into the latter category,
03:50 but it still makes a big impression. While dancing to a jazzy cover of Usher's "Yeah,"
03:55 Drew Scott from Property Brothers swung his pro Emma Slater around like nobody's business.
04:00 With each rotation, her head looked like it was inches from crashing into the floor,
04:10 but we're sure she was in good hands. After all, swinging a sledgehammer and
04:14 swinging a professional ballroom dancer are basically the same thing, right?
04:18 Number 6. Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess, Freestyle.
04:26 Former soldier Noah Galloway had an inspiring run on Dancing with the Stars,
04:30 showing America what he could accomplish even after losing his left arm and leg in the Iraq
04:35 War. He displayed incredible grace and athleticism across the series, including
04:40 several strength-based lifts. In his finale freestyle with partner Sharna Burgess,
04:53 two backup dancers helped flip Burgess up into a suspended horizontal lift.
04:57 Noah held her solidly as the others rolled away, creating a dramatic moment that matched
05:07 the "Titanium" and "Fix You" medley. The most memorable tricks tie into the
05:11 dancer's storytelling, and this one represented Galloway's entire uplifting season beautifully.
05:17 "I will try to fix you."
05:22 Number 5. Iman Shumpert and Daniela Karagos, Jazz.
05:27 The pros have to use their celebrity partner skills wisely.
05:30 Daniela Karagos got the most out of NBA player Iman Shumpert's height and strength,
05:42 with lifts that kept getting crazier every week. The pair's semifinal jazz
05:46 performance was wall-to-wall lifts, opening with a one-arm deadlift and
05:50 continuing into a spinning one, with multiple around-the-world tosses.
05:54 The most show-stopping stunt of the entire season came at the end,
06:08 when Karagos casually stood on Shumpert's collarbones as if she were waiting for the bus.
06:12 As always, Shumpert made lifting his partner look effortless, but when they both extended
06:17 their arms to the side, the lift went from impressive to impossible-looking.
06:21 Number 4. Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold, Argentine Tango.
06:33 You've heard of a double rainbow, but what about the ballroom dancing equivalent,
06:37 the double windmill?
06:38 "Such a lovely place, such a lovely place, such a lovely face."
06:42 Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold's Argentine Tango contains one of the series' best tricks.
06:49 This time, the NFL legend doesn't rely on raw strength, but rather grace,
06:53 coordination, and musicality. Holding Arnold by the waist, he flips her into one cartwheel,
06:59 then a second that rolls over the backs of his shoulders.
07:02 "I was thinking to myself, this could be heaven or this could be hell."
07:07 This buttery smooth lift synchronizes perfectly with the musical phrase of Hotel California,
07:12 and makes for a perfectly hypnotic effect. We've watched this trick
07:16 several times now and still aren't sure how the pair pulls it off.
07:19 Number 3. Lindsay Stirling and Mark Ballas, Freestyle.
07:29 There's being multi-talented, there's flexing,
07:32 and then there's violinist Lindsay Stirling's freestyle from the season 25 finale.
07:36 [Music]
07:42 This two and a half minute performance is so full of tricks it feels like a full-length symphony.
07:47 The first shock comes when the backup dancers part to reveal a mid-dance violin performance.
07:52 Lindsay plays over her partner Mark's shoulder while executing tango footwork,
07:56 and keeps the phrase going as she flips onto his shoulders.
07:59 [Music]
08:07 Her body control and pose while in the spin is impressive even without the added challenge of
08:12 intonation and the half dozen other things violinists have to think about to play a single
08:17 note. Degree of difficulty? Off the charts.
08:19 [Music]
08:31 Number 2. Janelle Parrish and Val Shmierkowski, Freestyle.
08:35 Lifts are peak drama, and no one delivered drama quite like actress Janelle Parrish and
08:39 her pro partner Val Shmierkowski during season 19.
08:42 [Music]
08:52 The pair brought sizzling chemistry every week, and it all culminated in one simple
08:56 but jaw-dropping lift in night one of the finale. At the climax of a passionate contemporary dance,
09:02 Shmierkowski bench-pressed Parrish from the floor and held her over his head.
09:06 The lift showcases not only his strength but also her trust in him, which is just as remarkable
09:12 as she stays completely relaxed and poised from start to finish.
09:15 [Music]
09:23 So many elements make this lift more than just a trick. Shmierkowski's smile as he catches her,
09:28 the violin swell, and the dismount-almost kiss put this one in the Dancing with the Stars history
09:34 books.
09:34 [Music]
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10:01 Number 1. Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough - Freestyle
10:04 When Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson went on the show,
10:07 some expected her to rely on acrobatics to rack up the points.
10:10 [Music]
10:21 Instead, Johnson leaned hard into ballroom mastery, becoming one of the most technically
10:25 skilled celebs ever seen on the show. In the gymnasts' all-stars finale freestyle, however,
10:30 the gloves came off. Shawn stood on her pro Derek's shoulders and both of them fell forwards
10:36 at once like a giant human domino all the way to the floor. The stunt is so smooth that by the time
10:41 they finish their somersaults, you forget how terrifying it looked in the first few seconds.
10:46 While it would be epic for a pair to top this lift, future contestants should probably leave
10:50 the dangerous stunts to those who do it for a living.
10:53 [Music]
11:00 What do you think was the most impressive lift or trick on Dancing with the Stars?
11:04 Let us know in the comments.
11:06 [Music]
11:13 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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11:23 [Music]