‘DWTS’: Reliving Jerry Springer’s Embarrassing Performances

For many viewers around the world, Jerry Springer will forever be associated with daytime drama, public meltdowns, and familial problems. As the former host of the long-running tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show, Springer has worn many hats over the years. Still, none of his gigs were weirder than his appearance on season three of the dancing competition show Dancing with the Stars. Springer danced in several episodes of the hit show before being unceremoniously eliminated — but fans of the show will likely always remember how he crashed and burned through his dance routines. 

How did Jerry Springer become famous?

Jerry Springer was born in England in 1944. Raised in a working-class family, Springer and his family moved to the United States when he was only six years old. He went on to attend Tulane University in the sixties, eventually graduating in 1965 with a degree in political science. Springer entered politics, becoming an adviser to Robert F. Kennedy. After Kennedy was assassinated, Springer joined a law firm and eventually ran for Congress.

In 1977, Springer was elected as the Mayor of Cincinnati, serving one year in the position. Springer’s political career was not what would springboard him to fame, however — it was his association with the wildly popular tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show, which debuted on television in 1991. The show, which embraced sensationalism, became a national talking point, and it ultimately ran until 2018. Reruns of the show are still popular with fans. These days, Springer hosts an all-new show, titled Judge Jerry. Still, most fans most closely associate him with the iconic show that he helmed for so many years. 

When did Jerry Springer appear on ‘Dancing with the Stars’?

In 2006, Jerry Springer was announced as a contestant on the third season of the popular dancing competition show, Dancing with the Stars. The announcement shocked fans, many of whom would not have associated Springer with any sort of major athletic activity — much less the competitive world of ballroom dancing.

Still, Springer stated that he was up to the challenge, and when the third season of the show premiered, Springer was there with his assigned partner, Kym Johnson. Unfortunately, Springer’s time on the show was not a shining moment in his career, and many fans look back to his stint on the series as some of the most embarrassing dancing of any contestant in the history of Dancing with the Stars. 

Jerry Springer didn’t have a stellar run on ‘Dancing with the Stars’

Jerry Springer stated early on that he believed he would be eliminated from the competition after just one or two performances, according to Best Life. Still, he managed to hang on until the seventh episode before he was eliminated, turning in some seriously memorable dance routines in the process. Springer and Johnson performed a few different classic dances, including the mambo and the foxtrot, but both judges and viewers slammed Springer’s lack of rhythm and poor chemistry with Johnson. 

If anything, Springer evidenced a sense of humor about the horrific dance performances. In one episode, he stated to the host, Tom Bergeron, that “at my age, we don’t shake hips, we replace them.” Finally, when he was eliminated in week seven, Springer seemingly acknowledged his poor showing, telling the judges “thank you for having me — and thank you for letting me go home.” Ultimately, Springer’s uncoordinated routines, gaudy, awkward costumes, and terrible chemistry with Kym Johnson will forever stand as one of the most unfortunate examples of Dancing with the Stars casting in series history.