John O’Hurley Still Shocked by ‘DWTS’ Loss to Kelly Monaco, 20 Years Later
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It’s hard to believe Dancing With the Stars is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The inaugural season premiered on June 1, 2005, and changed the TV game. The first season came down to General Hospital‘s Kelly Monaco and Seinfeld‘s John O’Hurley, with Monaco emerging as the first-ever champion.
Looking back on the first season, O’Hurley told Entertainment Weekly it was a “shock” to lose to Monaco, who was paired with Alec Mazo. “She got three 10s and she fell several times during the final piece. I was scratching my head as to how this all happened. So, obviously there were some issues. I’ll leave it at that,” he added.
The show’s host at the time, Tom Bergeron, said that he believed “John took it a little too seriously.” Judge Carrie Ann Inaba admitted that she’s “often surprised” by the DWTS results, and that was the case for the Monaco vs. O’Hurley ballroom showdown.
When the results were announced, a stunned Monaco muttered a few words to Bergeron that didn’t make it to air. “They bleeped it, but [when they said I won], I looked at Tom Bergeron and I said, ‘Are you f**king kidding me?’ It was mind-blowing. It was one of the best feelings in the world,” she revealed.
In a move that has never been repeated over the last 33 seasons, Dancing With the Stars held a special rematch dance-off episode between Monaco and O’Hurley. The rematch aired on September 20, 2005, and O’Hurley was declared the winner.
“[When I won the dance-off], all was right with the world,” he said. “It’s very funny that great moments in your life are always quiet things. When I won that, all of a sudden it just became very personal and very quiet. It wasn’t something you could run around and jump in the air. I just went, ‘Wow.’ And I remember saying that to Tom. I said, ‘You know me as never being shy for words. It’s a quiet moment right now.'”
As for Monaco, she doesn’t put much stock into the rematch special. “It was one day, and it was a different situation. The dance-off happened and it went down how it went down. I don’t think anyone really remembers that,” she admitted.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 34, Fall 2025, ABC
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