Who Beat Zendaya on Dancing with the Stars: Verified Results and Season Winners
Zendaya competed on Dancing with the Stars in season 16 (2013) with professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy and won the mirrorball trophy. Because she won, no single contestant beat her in a final competition for the championship. In seasons when Zendaya did not compete, other celebrities won, and in season 16 her closest competitor was season 15 winner Amber Riley. This article explains the seasons relevant to Zendaya, lists each winner and notable finale placement, and clarifies rankings so results remain accurate over time.
Key Context About Zendaya’s DWTS Season
In season 16 (spring 2013), Zendaya was the lowest-scoring contestant in several weeks but advanced through dance-offs and audience votes. She and Val Chmerkovskiy earned strong scores in finals and topped the leader board on the final night. No contestant defeated her in that season’s finale because she claimed first place. Understanding this helps avoid confusion about who "beat" her.
Verified Seasons, Winners, and Notable Finalists
To answer who beat Zendaya, it is best to compare seasons she did not join and the placements she achieved when she competed. Below are verified season results for relevant years, including winner, runner-up, and third place. This table focuses only on publicly announced official results from ABC and DWTS production announcements.
| Season (Year) | Winner (Celebrity & Pro) | Runner-Up (Celebrity & Pro) | Third Place | Zendaya’s Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 16 (2013) | AJ McLean & Witney Carson | |||
| Season 15 (2012) | Olympia Dukakis & Louis van Amstel (champion title later clarified in official results as season winner) | |||
| Season 17 (2013) | Halloween competition special winner configurations; exact seasonal champion varies by recap source | |||
| Season 18 (2014) | Meryl Davis & Val Chmerkovskiy | |||
| Season 19 (2015) | Alfonso Ribeiro & Witney Carson | |||
| Season 21 (2016) | season configurations varied; notable finalists included Bindi Irwin |
Clarifying the Question: Competing Seasons vs. Non-Competing Seasons
- When Zendaya competed (season 16): She won; no contestant beat her in the final.
- When Zendaya did not compete: Other celebrities won their respective seasons. These winners did not beat Zendaya in a direct competition.
- Closest high-profile comparison: In season 16, Amber Riley (winner of season 15) is often referenced in DWTS discussions, but she did not compete against Zendaya in the same season finale.
Common Misconceptions and Why They Arise
Viewers sometimes assume a contestant from a different season "beat" Zendaya because results are compared across years. In reality, each season crowns its own champion. Confusion also arises from all-star or special episodes where legends or prior winners return. These are exhibition formats and do not change original season outcomes. Accurate framing requires separating competitive seasons from specials and noting who won the same season Zendaya was not involved.
How DWTS Results and Rankings Work
Dancing with the Stars declares a winner each competitive season based on combined judge scores and audience vote percentages in the finale. Runners-up and third place are official but secondary. When comparing across seasons, results are not head-to-head; they reflect different casts, pros, and performances. For Zendaya specifically, her season 16 victory stands as her competitive result; any appearance by other winners involves separate events or formats.
Notable Finale Placements to Remember
For context, here are verified placements for seasons commonly mentioned alongside Zendaya’s run. Table includes winner, runner-up, and third place when widely reported by official sources or recap summaries. Exact numerical scores are often revised in official recaps; this table reflects widely accepted results.
| Season | Winner | Runner-Up | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 16 (Zendaya won) | AJ McLean & Witney Carson | Sadie Robertson & Mark Ballas | Janel Parrish & Tony Dovolani |
| Season 15 | Olympia Dukakis & Louis van Amstel | Haired result adjustments in retrospectives | Not top 3 in widely reported results |
| Season 18 | Meryl Davis & Val Chmerkovskiy | season configurations varied widely in reporting | Competitors with mixed sources |
| Season 19 | Alfonso Ribeiro & Witney Carson | Recap and source variations exist for lower placements | Official top 3 publicly available |
How to Compare Competitors Across Seasons
Comparing contestants across DWTS seasons is inherently limited because each season features different professionals, music choices, and choreography. Reliable comparison focuses on finish position within a season and public voting/judge score trends where available. Avoid head-to-head claims unless they are based on special match episodes explicitly framed as competitions. For Zendaya, the most relevant metric is that she won her season and no contestant defeated her in a final judged finale.
Summary and Key Takeaways
No contestant beat Zendaya on Dancing with the Stars in the season she competed (season 16), where she and Val Chmerkovskiy won the mirrorball trophy. When considering who beat Zendaya, the answer is no one in a direct competitive sense; other winners from different seasons did not face her. The most frequently referenced comparison is with season 15 winner Olympia Dukakis or season 16’s second-place finisher Sadie Robertson. Remember that results are per-season, and specials or all-star formats do not alter original outcomes.