Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) season 1
The first season of Dancing with the Stars debuted on ABC on June 1, 2005. Six celebrities were paired with six professional ballroom dancers. Tom Bergeron and Lisa Canning were the hosts while Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli were the three judges for this season.
| Dancing with the Stars | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
| Hosted by |
|
| Judges |
|
| Celebrity winner | Kelly Monaco |
| Professional winner | Alec Mazo |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | June 1 – July 6, 2005 |
| Season chronology | |
The premiere drew over 13 million viewers, the second biggest summer debut ever for an American reality series after Survivor. The second week climbed to 15 million viewers, and the show climbed to the top of the ratings in the summer 2005 TV season, where it remained for the remainder of the season.
The season finale aired on July 6, 2005, where General Hospital actress Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo were announced as the winners, while actor John O'Hurley and Charlotte Jørgensen finished in second place.
Due to controversy over Kelly Monaco winning over the consistently higher-scoring John O'Hurley, a special rematch episode was held on September 20, 2005, with the results announced on a September 22 telecast. This time, John O'Hurley and Charlotte Jørgensen were the champions, and sizable donations were made to both Monaco and O'Hurley's chosen charities.