There can only be one winner each season on DWTS. The celebrities and their pro partners put their all into their routines to get votes week after week. While some viewers may not agree with who wins, they usually at least respect the decision.

But that wasn’t the case in one controversial season. The winner remains, to this day, one of the most polarizing contestants the show has ever had. They just admitted how they managed to win the Mirrorball Trophy without the support of votes. Keep reading for the shocking details on how they cheated to win.

New DWTS Season Starts, Who Is This Year’s Villain?

Celebrities are ready to take the dance floor again on ABC’s popular reality competition. This year marks the show’s twentieth anniversary. The Season 34 cast was revealed on Good Morning America earlier this month after weeks of online speculation.
‘DWTS’ Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough/Credit: YouTube
The cast list includes Jordan Chiles, who many feel was robbed of an Olympic medal at the 2024 games due to a technicality. Other well-known celebrities include Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel and Conan O’Brien’s longtime sidekick Andy Richter.

But it wouldn’t be a DWTS season without an athlete (Baron Davis,) an ’80s movie star (Corey Feldman,) or a villain. This year’s controversial celebrity is Alec Baldwin’s wife, Hilaria Baldwin. She came under fire in the past for culture appropriation by speaking with a Spanish accent despite being from Boston.

Hilaria Baldwin has some dance experience, so it’s possible she could stay in the competition for a while, and maybe even win. But if she does take home the Mirrorball Trophy, she still won’t be as controversial as the Season 27 winner.

Controversial Champ Reveals How They Cheated To Win Mirrorball Trophy

Television and radio host Bobby Bones competed on Season 27 of DWTS. He was paired with Sharna Burgess. Despite his lack of prior dance experience, Bobby Bones won the Mirrorball Trophy. He credited the win to his “hardcore” fans who voted for him every week.

Bobby Bones was hardly the worst dancer on the show that season. He received scores in the 6s and 7s, sometimes even 8s. But he wasn’t the best dancer with. The audience was shocked when he was declared the winner.

He recently confessed to Bachelor Nation star Jason Tartick that he cheated. Bobby Bones was a guest on the Trading Secrets podcast this week.

“I cheated, in the way of, they give you a limited amount of time with your partner. Like, four hours a day,” he admitted. He revealed how he got around the rule.

“So we would do our four, I would record the session and then go by myself and rent a studio myself and train myself. Like, illegally spent time over … because I was so far behind everybody else,” he said.

He mentioned that DWTS changed the voting rules after the controversial win. Now fans can only vote during the live show and the judges have the power to “save” one of the bottom two couples.

Does it surprise you that Bobby Bones cheated his way to the championship?