In her 10th appearance on Dancing with the Stars, pro Karina Smirnoff finally won the coveted Mirror Ball trophy with partner J.R. Martinez in season 13. She joined Cheryl Burke, Kym Johnson, Julianne Hough, Alec Mazo, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas as one of the few professional dancers to win the dancing competition.

After so many failed attempts, her win shines a light on many of the other long-time pros who have yet to claim a victory and it might give them hope that they might eventually win the Mirror Ball as well. Here's a look at the most prolific Dancing with the Stars pros who have yet to win.

The Biggest Loser: Tony Dovolani

Tony has appeared on 12 straight seasons of Dancing with the Stars, yet he's never won. In fact, he hasn't even come in second. His only appearances in the finale came in season 2 with WWE wrestler (and current George Clooney arm candy) Stacy Keibler and in season 8 with The Bachelor's Melissa Rycroft. If anyone needs a win, it's Tony, and perhaps his 13th time on the show will be lucky.

Close But No Cigar: Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Maks might like to think Dancing with the Stars is his show, but the man has never won in his 11 appearances on the show. However, he has come painfully close. He's finished second, third and fourth two times each, and he's made it to the semi-finals in each of the last four seasons. He's clearly in the zone, but he can't quite seal the deal.

Never to Be: Edyta Sliwinska

After competing in the first 10 seasons of Dancing with the Stars, Edyta has essentially retired to focus on her education and family with husband Alec Mazo. She made it to the finale twice, but now she will most likely never be back to make a run at the trophy.

Eight is Not Enough: Anna Trebunskaya and Louis van Amstel

Both of these pros have appeared on the show eight times, yet neither has won. While Anna has finished second twice (with Jerry Rice and Evan Lysacek), Louis has had less luck in the ballroom as his only time in the finale was his third place finish with Kelly Osbourne.

The SYTYCD Crew: Lacey Schwimmer and Chelsie Hightower

Both of these ladies came to Dancing with the Stars after competing on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance, but neither has won. In her six times on DWTS, Lacey has made it to the end twice with Lance Bass and Kyle Massey. Hightower, however, has been on five seasons of DWTS and has never made the finale, making her the only pro to be on more than two seasons without finishing better than fourth.


Will one of these pros be able to finally do what Karina Smirnoff did this year and win the Mirror Ball trophy when Dancing with the Stars returns for season 14 on March 19? Only time will tell, but we'll definitely be rooting for these underdogs.


(Image courtesy of ABC)