DWTS Production Designer Reveals the Origins of Mirrorball Trophy

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Dancing With the Stars was crafty during its earlier seasons.

Production designer James Yarnell shared that after the unexpected hit of the first season in 2005, he quickly assembled a trophy using whatever materials he had on hand when a last-minute request came in for a champion’s award.

According to an interview with Deadline published on November 25th, executive producer Conrad Green suggested they get a trophy. James recalled that this happened around weeks three or four into the show’s run, when it was already becoming successful, and they decided to film a segment about it.

James was inspired by the trophy from the U.K. version of Dancing with the Stars, called Strictly Come Dancing. When he realized he didn’t have the materials to make a similar trophy himself, he came up with a new plan.

He explained that he got the idea himself and used the base of a lamp he’d purchased from Lamps Plus. He took the lamp apart and repurposed some of its pieces, then combined those with an older logo.

He explained that the head of ABC thought the trophy was too small right before the finale. So, while the show was live, he quickly added a roll of tape to the trophy, covered it with gold foil, and gained about two inches in height.

The winning trophy was first shown off on the dance floor by champions Kelly Monaco and her professional partner, Alec Mazo. Later in the show’s run, the producers had to adjust their plans when one of their sponsors, Lamp’s Plus, unexpectedly went out of business.

As a design expert, I can tell you the story behind the show’s iconic trophy is actually quite interesting! We originally used cast pieces sourced from a specific lamp design. When the manufacturer, Lamps, stopped making that lamp, we had to get creative. I personally went to Lamps Plus and bought every single lamp they had in stock! That’s why the later trophies feel a bit heavier – they’re fully cast pieces. We kept that look for years, only updating the logo when the show’s branding changed. So, for the first 14 or 15 years, that’s essentially what the trophy looked like – a testament to resourcefulness and consistent design!

A total of 68 trophies have been awarded, with the show creating one for television and another personalized for the winners to keep. The Mirrorball trophy isn’t just a celebration of the dancers’ efforts; it’s also become a tribute to the show’s beloved former head judge, Len Goodman, who sadly passed away in 2023 after battling cancer.

James explained they redesigned the trophy to both modernize it and honor Len. Len was a very formal and imposing figure, so the design team aimed to create a trophy that felt similarly dignified and substantial, using a collar-like shape to represent his stature and formality. They wanted the new design to truly reflect who Len was.

He finished by saying he thought a small bow tie at the bottom would be a nice finishing touch.

James wanted the winners – including Robert Irwin and Witney Carson from season 34 – to receive a prize that felt truly special and worthwhile.

I was so glad to hear the creators really focused on making the object feel real. They didn’t want it to look cheap or like something you’d find on a TV set – they wanted it to have a genuine weight and presence, and I think they absolutely succeeded. It’s become instantly recognizable and iconic, and that’s a testament to their attention to detail.

For more Dancing with the Stars secrets from on and off the ballroom floor, keep reading…

In 2019, Variety reported that contestants on Dancing With the Stars initially earn $125,000 for rehearsals and the first two weeks of the show. According to sources, they receive additional payments each week if they continue on the show, potentially earning up to $295,000 total.

However, Bobby Bones said he made more than this when he won season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018.

The radio host mentioned on Jason Tartick’s podcast, Trading Secrets, in September 2025 that the show’s pay structure was unusual. They explained they weren’t paid for the first episode, but earned $10,000 for the second. The pay then increased, roughly to $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, then $20,000 per episode, ultimately reaching $50,000 an episode for those who continued with the show.

In addition to a salary of about $110,000, Bones revealed he earned nearly $400,000 from the show.

ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these figures.

Details about professional dancers’ earnings haven’t been released, but like the contestants, it appears they earn more the further they advance in the competition.

But even if a pro is eliminated in the first round, they’re not leaving the ballroom empty-handed.

Jenna Johnson explained on the June 2025 episode of the The Morning After podcast, hosted by Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester, that dancers are typically guaranteed work for a set number of weeks. However, she added that contracts vary and she couldn’t comment on the specifics of everyone’s agreement.

Apparently not.

Professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars, like Jenna Johnson, don’t earn extra money for winning the Mirrorball Trophy—now named after the late Len Goodman—but there’s still a good reason to compete until the end. Johnson, who has won seasons 26 (with Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon) and 33 (with Joey Graziadei from The Bachelor), says reaching the finale is still a valuable achievement, beyond just the prestige.

Okay, so I was listening to The Morning After, and she said if you actually LAST the whole season – seriously, make it all the way to the end – you get paid for EVERYTHING, which is incredible! And then, on top of that, there’s a bonus just for getting to the finale! But get this – it’s not like a huge cash prize if you win. Apparently, you don’t split a million dollars with whoever you’re paired with. It’s… just a trophy. A cute trophy! Can you believe it? All that work for a trophy! Still, I’m obsessed, and I’m already planning how I’d decorate with it.

That doesn’t appear to be the case.

In a 2022 appearance on Trading Secrets, Lindsay Arnold shared that her pay was reduced by more than half after she moved from being a professional dancer to a troupe member.

The pros get little input when it comes to being matched with a celebrity.

Lindsay explained on the May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers’ podcast, Hot Smart Rich, that people in these situations have no input. She described it as being told, ‘This is your partner, now you need to make the relationship successful.’

In fact, Jenna said the pairing is often a secret until the last minute.

Jenna explained on The Morning After that the show aims to keep the cast a complete surprise until the live reveal. People often assume the producers know who’s paired up and are deliberately keeping it under wraps, but that’s not the case. The producers themselves don’t even want to know the cast list beforehand, preferring to maintain complete secrecy to capture genuine reactions when the partners meet for the first time. Despite occasional leaks, they work hard to keep everything confidential until the big reveal.

As for what the Dancing With the Stars team looks for when making these matches?

According to former showrunner Rob Wade, the show’s pairings weren’t random. In a 2015 interview with TopMob News, he explained they considered height, body type, personality, and how well contestants would get along. They intentionally avoided pairing people who seemed likely to clash, as the experience is already very intense. Unlike shows like The Bachelor, they didn’t want to create a truly unpleasant experience for the celebrities, themselves, or the audience. Seeing two people who dislike each other wouldn’t be enjoyable, and they admitted to making that mistake in the past.

Dancing with the Stars requires a huge time commitment. Rylee Arnold, who partnered with Stephen Nedoroscik in season 33, explained on the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis that rehearsals typically last four hours – either from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., or 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. But the work doesn’t end there; she often follows up with meetings, choreography work, or studying dance videos. Rylee says her life is completely dedicated to the show, but she loves it and finds it incredibly fulfilling. It’s a job that demands constant effort – they rehearse Tuesday through Sunday after each show, then spend Monday working on camera angles before starting the cycle again.

Emma Slater and Britt Stewart shared in an Instagram video in September 2025 that they are mostly returning, but it will be a joint effort with the show’s producers.

If you think the quickstep is a whirlwind, you should see how quickly the costume department works! Costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner explained to TV Insider that they collaborate with set, lighting, and dance teams to develop a unique story for each dancer’s outfit. Then, they have just five days – sometimes only half a day per costume, before even adding rhinestones – to create everything. The department employs around 20 people, plus an external tailor shop, making it a large-scale operation.

Steven Norman Lee, another costume designer, revealed that dancers often don’t try on their costumes until just hours before the show. While they might occasionally re-use pants for male dancers, most costumes are made from scratch each week.

As Gschwendtner added, they do re-use items for group performances or promotional photos, but never for the competition itself. The goal is to keep each dancer looking fresh and new every week to maintain visual interest.

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2025-12-02 00:19