Background and career
Witney Capri Carson McAllister (née Carson; born October 17, 1993) is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer and choreographer. She first gained recognition as a contestant on the ninth season of the reality competition series So You Think You Can Dance. Carson then joined Dancing with the Stars as a troupe member, and was promoted to pro in 2014. She won the nineteenth season with actor and comedian Alfonso Ribeiro, and the thirty-fourth season with wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin. For her work on the series, Carson earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Choreography.
Witney Capri Carson was born on October 17, 1993, in American Fork, Utah. She is the first child of Jill Carson (née Johnson), a travel agent, and Tyler Carson, a software developer. She was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with two younger brothers and a younger sister. Carson began her dancing career at the age of three and was trained in a variety of dance styles, such as ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, lyrical, tap, Latin and standard ballroom. After graduating from American Fork High School, she briefly studied ballroom dance at Utah Valley University.
On February 23, 2012, Carson auditioned for the ninth season of the Fox competition series So You Think You Can Dance in Salt Lake City. She was one of the top twenty contestants and was paired with ballet dancer Chehon Wespi-Tschopp. As she progressed in the competition, Carson partnered with Nick Lazzarini, Stephen "tWitch" Boss, and Marko Germar. She was ultimately eliminated during the semi-finals on September 5, 2012. Carson returned the following season as an all-star and partnered with contestants Paul Karmiryan and Du-Shaunt "Fik-Shun" Stegall.
In March 2013, Carson joined the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars as a member of the troupe for the sixteenth season. She remained in the troupe for the following season and was promoted to pro on season 18, partnering with singer Cody Simpson. They were eliminated during the fifth week of competition on April 14, 2014, finishing in ninth place. For season 19, Carson was partnered with actor and comedian Alfonso Ribeiro. They won the competition on November 25, 2014, making Carson one of six professional dancers to win the Mirrorball Trophy within their first two seasons. For season 20, Carson was partnered with The Bachelor star Chris Soules. They were eliminated during the eighth week of competition on May 5, 2015, alongside Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson; the former couple finished in fifth place. Carson later starred in David Winters's musical film Dancin': It's On! opposite Gary Daniels. For season 21, Carson was paired with Big Time Rush singer and actor Carlos PenaVega. They reached the finale, but were eliminated during its first night on November 23, 2015, finishing in fourth place. For season 22, Carson was paired with NFL linebacker Von Miller. They were eliminated during the seventh week of competition on May 2, 2016, alongside Kim Fields and Sasha Farber; the former couple finished in eighth place. For season 23, Carson was paired with rapper Vanilla Ice. They were eliminated during the fourth week of competition alongside Babyface and Allison Holker; both couples finished in tenth place. For season 24, Carson was partnered with comedian Chris Kattan. They were the first couple to be eliminated from the competition, finishing in twelfth place on March 27, 2017; Carson's lowest placement and earliest exit to date. For season 25, Carson was partnered with Malcolm in the Middle actor Frankie Muniz. They reached the finale and ultimately finished in third place on November 21, 2017. For the Athletes season, Carson was paired with Olympic luger Chris Mazdzer. They were eliminated during the third week of competition on May 14, 2018, tying in fourth place with Jennie Finch Daigle and Mirai Nagasu and their partners Keo Motsepe and Alan Bersten. For season 27, Carson was partnered with actor Milo Manheim. They reached the finale and finished as the runner-ups on November 19, 2018, behind Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess. For season 28, Carson was partnered with Nickelodeon actor and comedian Kel Mitchell. They also reached the finale and finished as the runner-ups on November 25, 2019, behind Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten. During the season, Carson served as the card dealer of the GSN game show Catch 21, which reunited her with Alfonso Ribeiro. For season 30, Carson returned to the show and was partnered with WWE wrestler Mike "The Miz" Mizanin. They were eliminated during the seventh week of competition on November 1, 2021, finishing in ninth place. For season 31, Carson was partnered with comedian, actor and television personality Wayne Brady. They reached the finale and finished in third place on November 21, 2022. Carson did not return for season 32, but came back for season 33 and was partnered with NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola. They reached the finale and finished in fifth place on November 26, 2024. For season 34, Carson was partnered with wildlife conservationist and television presenter Robert Irwin. They won the competition on November 25, 2025, exactly eleven years after Carson won her first Mirrorball Trophy. For season 35, Carson was partnered with Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez. She was four months pregnant when she announced her return, becoming the first professional dancer to enter an installment of Dancing with the Stars while pregnant, and the first to compete that far in her second trimester. Their first dance, a cha-cha-cha to "Mr. Big Stuff" by Jean Knight, earned one of the lowest scores in the series' history. Although they earned the lowest cumulative points of the season, audience votes allowed Rodriguez and Carson to advance to the halfway point of the competition. They were eliminated on October 13, 2026, finishing in eleventh place.
* The average has been adjusted to be out of 30, not 40
Season 18 with celebrity partner Cody Simpson
