From shocking early eliminations to runner-up heartbreak, these contestants deserved to win it all.

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One reason I stayed away for so many years was its focus on ballroom and the fact that so many talented dancers didn't end up winning.

Now, I know coming onto the show with dance experience is always controversial, and I usually agree. I think anyone who comes onto the show with zero dance experience and then learns quickly enough to match the pros deserves the Mirrorball trophy over someone with years of experience.

However, in some seasons, there were standout STARS who 100% deserved the trophy. Either they were leagues above everyone else, or there was no dance newbie who was truly blowing everyone away. Yet, they still lost!

Since the new season is around the corner, I think now is the perfect time to revisit all the ones that got away!

We are throwing it back for our first one! I first heard about Dancing With the Stars during Season 5, and I heard my favorite member of the Cheetah Girls was going to be on it: Sabrina Bryan. I was thrilled and so excited to watch. Since Sabrina was the group's dancer, I was convinced she would win. Not to mention she was paired with THE Mark Ballas, who was incredible even in his early days.

I was devastated when she was voted off in Week 6, and it is one of the main reasons I stayed away from the show for many years. I knew the show had to be rigged if the dancer from the Cheetah Girls did not win.

Riker Lynch is known for being the brother of Ross Lynch, a member of the band R5, and one of the Warblers on Glee. Coming from a super-talented family and having dance experience from Glee definitely gave him a leg up in Season 20. But like many others, he only placed second.

His Pirates of the Caribbean paso doble is still ingrained in my mind, and honestly, it is one of my top dances ever on DWTS.

One of the world’s most decorated gymnasts, and she only placed fourth!! She didn’t even get to the finale. Granted, she was in a hard season filled with talent (Heather Morris and Normani), but for someone who literally performs intense tricks and stunts for a living to not even get to the finale is wild.

Sticking with Season 24, Normani only finished third—right ahead of Simone Biles! Normani is known as a singer and member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, where she performed incredible routines with the girls in music videos and on tour. So, she had the baseline skills to take it all home.

Normani made it to the finale, but still didn't win despite her talent. Her partner was Val Chmerkovskiy, known for creating incredible dances and being a great teacher to his celebrities.

Rounding out Season 24’s robberies is Heather Morris! She was a superstar dancer on Glee (our 2nd Glee star not to win) and an actual backup dancer for Beyoncé. So how was she somehow eliminated during Week 6? What?!?!?

She is also one of the few contestants who literally got a perfect score the night she was eliminated. "Robbed" is an understatement.

This is one of the most recent DWTS robberies! Alix Earle is a TikTok influencer who was on Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars. Like many others on this list, she was paired with Val, who quickly whipped her into shape. She already had some dance experience from high school and college, but Val really helped improve her technique. She was also very committed to the show, completely changing her party girl lifestyle to be in the studio 24/7 practicing. I would definitely say she was one of the most improved dancers of the season.

However, she ended up in second place behind Robert Irwin. Now don’t get me wrong, Robert was also great, but I do think Alix was a step above him in danceability. But Robert is literally Australia’s sweetheart, so there was no world where he wouldn't win against an influencer.

Our queen! Zendaya is everywhere now, but when she was on Season 16 of DWTS, she was just 16 and known as a Disney Channel star. On Disney, she was the star of Shake It Up, a show revolving around dance. DWTS was her chance to show she could actually dance outside of Disney choreography, and boy did she show up! She stunned every week and, with Val as her teacher, she improved immensely. She ended up getting second place, but she definitely deserved that Mirrorball.

The silver lining? She is now one of the biggest names in Hollywood and a hugely successful actress. So I don't think she is too bitter over it.

And finally, the most notable robbery of all: Milo Manheim!!! I didn't really know Milo before he was on DWTS (his Disney Channel fame came after my time), but I saw his dances on YouTube and was blown away. He was so good, plus he was partnered with Witney, who is known for her great choreography. Every dance was fun, full of energy, and showcased his amazing talent. His only dance background was the Disney franchise ZOMBIES, so he had a baseline of rhythm and movement, but you could see him improve each week.

Then, for some unknown reason, he placed second behind Bobby Bones, a radio personality who was straight-up not good. None of his dances were captivating, and it is rumored he won because of his large fanbase and because he encouraged his radio listeners to vote for him each week (this was before social media played a huge part in the DWTS universe).

I think it is a known fact that Milo is the most robbed celebrity in Dancing With the Stars history, and he even brings it up as a joke quite often.

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