Where Are They Now? Access’ Top 10 ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Celebs!

Watch out Fred and Ginger… you’ve got competition. One of today’s most refreshing shows on television, “Dancing with the Stars,” has brought ballroom dancing to the forefront of Americans’ passions. The hit ABC show has given a shot at newfound fame to some of today’s hottest stars. Having just wrapped up its eleventh season, it has proven to be both a TV ratings bonanza… and a career launcher for its contestants. Access takes a look back at what some of your most successful “Dancing with the Stars” alumni have been up to since the glitter has faded from the ballroom. Join us as AccessHollywood.com counts down our Top 10 “Dancing with the Stars” celebs who have had used their success from the show to reinvigorate their careers.

#10 – Cameron Mathison: Cameron is best known for his role as Ryan Lavery on the ABC soap opera “All My Children,” but his popularity was limited to just the soap opera audience for years. It wasn’t until he joined the fifth season of “Dancing with the Stars” that this soap star became a household name. He and his partner, Edyta Sliwinska, were eliminated just one week shy of the semifinals but Cameron is still a winner in our eyes! Cameron went on to become the co-host of The Style Network’s “Instant Beauty Pageant.”

#9 – Joey Fatone: Joey was the smooth baritone in the boy band *NSYNC. When the group decided to go their own ways, Joey took a stab on the Broadway stage in “Rent,” but he wasn’t truly in the limelight again for years — until “Dancing with the Stars” came calling. Joey cha cha’d his way back into, not only his former fans’ hearts, but also all of the living rooms of America! Joey and his partner, Kym Johnson, took the ballroom by storm, eventually finishing as runners-up on the fourth season of “Dancing with the Stars.” After leaving the show, Joey stayed in the reality realm, becoming the host of “The Singing Bee.” Currently, this former boy bander is the announcer for the syndicated game show “Family Feud.”

#8 – Brooke Burke: Brooke graced the covers of Playboy, Maxim, FHM and other men’s magazines in the early 2000’s, but it wasn’t until 2008 when she became a dancing sensation and took home the coveted mirrorball trophy in the seventh season of “Dancing with the Stars,” the first of three trophies for her partner Derek Hough. In 2010, she found a way to keep her “Dancing” gig going, as she replaced the departing Samantha Harris as the show’s co-host, alongside Tom Bergeron.

#7 – Jennie Garth: We all know Jennie Garth as the beautiful and bombastic Kelly Taylor from the 1990’s hit TV show “Beverly Hills, 90210.” After “90210,” Jennie stepped out of the limelight for what seemed like forever! She partook in a slew of made for TV movies but it wasn’t until “Dancing with the Stars” that she became America’s sweetheart once again. Jennie joined “Dancing with the Stars” in its fifth season with Derek Hough as her partner. The two rumba’d their way to the semifinals, eventually finishing fourth. After the show, she reprised her role as Kelly on the CW spin-off, “90210.” Adding to her pop culture cred, she is married to “Twilight” star Peter Facinelli and the couple has three daughters together.

#6 – Melissa Rycroft: Melissa was mortified and humiliated after her “Bachelor” debacle with Jason Mesnick, but it was “Dancing with the Stars” that lifted her spirits and helped her heal. She joined the cast of “Dancing” in its eighth season as former Access Hollywood host Nancy O’Dell’s replacement, beginning rehearsals only a couple days before the show’s premiere. America fell in love with her charming dance routines and girl-next-door persona. After coming in third, she was offered numerous correspondent jobs and became the co-host of ABC’s “Bachelor” spin off, “Bachelor Pad.” She is currently married to her hometown boyfriend and is pregnant with their first child.

#5 – Gilles Marini: The easy-on-the-eyes Gilles was previously best known for his minor role as Samantha’s sexy neighbor, Dante, in the first “Sex and The City” movie. However, it wasn’t until “Dancing with the Stars” that people started noticing there was more than meets the eye to the gorgeous Frenchman. Gilles paired up with Cheryl Burke and wowed the judges and audience week after week. The couple jived their way to runner-up status in Season 8 of “Dancing with the Stars,” helping the once little-known actor become a household name. Today, Gilles has a reoccurring role as character Luc Laurent on ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters,” and is a staple on the Hollywood scene.

#4 – Mario Lopez: Mario Lopez started out as the teenage Casanova on the hit show “Saved By The Bell.” After stretching the show out for a hefty six years it was time to get A.C. Slater graduated and on to the real world. Mario joined “Dancing with the Stars” in its third season alongside partner Karina Smirnoff. Mario and Karina rocked the ballroom each week and received some of the highest scores of the season, nabbing the runner-up spot on “Dancing” – the two even ended up taking their on screen relationship to a much more intimate level for a while! However, this Latin lover’s career was just heating up and the couple broke up after two years. Mario later landed the hosting position of the MTV dance competition “America’s Best Dance Crew.” Adding more to his cred – he’s written two books and hit the Broadway stage in the highly-praised revival of “A Chorus Line.” Today, Mario is the host of Telepictures’ “Extra” and more recently, he’s become the star of his own VH1 reality show following his and his fiancées pregnancy titled “Mario Lopez: Saved By the Baby.” How about… Mario Lopez’ career: saved by the paso doble?!

#3 – Mel B: The Spice Girls were the biggest thing to come out of England since The Beatles and Mel B, dubbed Scary Spice, was on top of the world in the ‘90s. As the group entered the new millennium, Mel’s career momentum began to slow down — until “Dancing with the Stars” came for her! Mel B and her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, dazzled in the ballroom. The two danced away as runners-up during the fifth season of “Dancing with the Stars.” Since then, Mel B has enjoyed a stint in the Las Vegas revue “Peepshow.” She also accepted the hosting position for the second season of Oxygen’s “Dance Your A** Off.” Of course, there was also her gig as Access Hollywood’s very own “Dancing with the Stars” guest correspondent during Season 6! Now, at the hottest she’s been in years, Mel B has landed her own reality show on The Style Network titled “Mel B: It’s a Scary World.” Scary? Not so much!… Successful? That sounds about right!

#2 – Nicole Scherzinger: Nicole was the original lead Pussycat Doll vocalist but after carrying the group from hit single to hit single, she decided to branch out on her own. When her solo career didn’t jumpstart the way she planned, she joined “Dancing with the Stars’” tenth season, with the affable Derek Hough as her partner. Nicole wowed America with her feisty feline dance moves and took home the mirrorball trophy! When the show ended, Nicole headed for the stage as Maureen in Neil Patrick Harris’ directorial debut of “Rent” at The Hollywood Bowl. More recently, this Pussycat is set to have a role in the highly anticipated 2012 film “Men In Black III.” Her music career’s also back on track, and she’s about to release her comeback single, “Poison.” Don’t Cha wish you could have a smokin’ hot career like Nicole?

#1 – Kelly Osbourne: We’ve watched Kelly Osbourne grow up in front of us on television with her wacky rock star parents, Sharon and Ozzy, and her younger brother, Jack. She was the curvaceous and untamed daughter with a sailor’s vocabulary on MTV’s “The Osbournes.” In 2004, she checked herself into a rehab center for an addiction to painkillers — and then did so again in 2009. It wasn’t until “Dancing with the Stars” that she started to clean up her act. Kelly and her partner, Louis Van Amstel, snagged the ninth season’s third place spot. Since then, Kelly has been rockin’ and hasn’t looked back! After leaving “Dancing with the Stars,” Kelly landed numerous hosting positions and is currently a regular correspondent on E!’s “Fashion Police” with Joan Rivers. In addition, she’s the December cover girl for Shape magazine, for which she recently modeled her new rockin’ bod in a bikini! Way to go Kelly! We couldn’t be bigger fans of yours!