When you think of Simone Biles, you probably picture her flying through the air, defying gravity, and sticking landings that would shatter a normal person's ankles. But back in 2017, the Greatest of All Time took on a different kind of floor. She traded her chalk for sequins and joined the cast of Dancing with the Stars Season 24.
Honestly, everyone thought it was a guaranteed win. I mean, she’s Simone Biles. She has the discipline of a soldier and the athleticism of a literal superhero. But if you remember that season, it wasn’t the smooth sailing victory everyone predicted. It was actually kind of a mess. Between the weirdly harsh judging and a comment that basically broke the internet, Simone’s time in the ballroom was a lot more complicated than her Olympic routines.
The "Smiling" Incident: A Lesson in Policing Excellence
Let’s get into the moment that defines Simone Biles dancing with the stars for most fans. It was Week 8. Simone and her partner, Sasha Farber, had just finished a Trio Paso Doble. Now, if you know anything about the Paso Doble, it’s supposed to be serious, sharp, and intense.
The judges—specifically Carrie Ann Inaba and Julianne Hough—started picking apart her "authenticity." They told her they didn't know if her smile was real or just something she’d rehearsed. They wanted more "rawness."
Basically, they were telling the most decorated gymnast in history that she wasn't emoting the "right" way. Then host Tom Bergeron chimed in with a comment about how he was waiting for her to smile at the compliments, and she just... didn't.
That’s when it happened.
"Smiling doesn't win you gold medals."
Mic drop. Total silence in the ballroom. It was such a real, unscripted moment of a world-class athlete standing her ground against the weird "pageant" expectations of reality TV. Simone later admitted she had tears in her eyes and almost ran to the bathroom. She was trying so hard, but it felt like the judges were moving the goalposts every single week.
Why the Greatest of All Time Didn't Win
It’s still wild to think about, but Simone Biles didn't even make the finals. She finished in fourth place.
How does that happen?
On the night she was eliminated, she and Sasha had actually earned two perfect scores. They got a 40 for their Jive and a 40 for their Rumba. Technically, they were at the top of their game. But Dancing with the Stars isn't just a technical competition; it’s a popularity contest and a "journey" narrative.
The Ringer Curse
In the world of DWTS, there’s this thing called the "Ringer Curse." When a celebrity comes in with too much skill—like a professional gymnast—the audience sometimes fails to connect with them because they expect perfection from Day 1. There’s no "growth" story if you’re already amazing.
The Sasha Factor
Some fans on Reddit and Twitter still argue that Sasha Farber wasn't the right pro for her. While they had a great "big brother/little sister" dynamic (Sasha even helped her navigate the dating world for the first time!), some felt his choreography didn't push her enough to overcome that "robotic" label the judges kept trying to pin on her.
Stiff Competition
That season was stacked. You had Rashad Jennings (who eventually won), Normani from Fifth Harmony, and David Ross. Rashad had the "most improved" storyline that voters love. Normani was doing incredible, high-energy performances. Simone was stuck in this middle ground where she was too good to be the underdog but too "guarded" to be the fan favorite.
Normal Simone vs. Gymnastics Simone
One of the most touching things about this whole era was seeing Simone try to find herself outside of the gym. She’d been doing gymnastics since she was 6. By the time she hit the ballroom at age 20, she had just come off the 2016 Rio Olympics where she won four gold medals. She was exhausted.
She told Entertainment Tonight after her elimination that the show helped her find "Normal Simone." She learned how to dance in heels—well, mostly, she admitted she was still tripping the day before the semi-finals.
It was a glimpse into the mental health journey she would later prioritize on a global scale. We saw a young woman realizing that her worth wasn't tied to a leaderboard or a judge’s score for the first time in her life.
The Lasting Legacy of Her Ballroom Run
If you go back and watch her 1920s-themed Jive or her Moana contemporary piece, the talent is undeniable. She brought a level of power to the ballroom that most contestants can’t touch. But the real legacy of Simone Biles on Dancing with the Stars isn't the footwork.
It’s the fact that she refused to fake a personality to please a panel of judges.
She proved that even a "GOAT" can have a bad day, or a weird week, or get unfairly criticized, and still walk away with her head held high. She didn't need the Mirrorball Trophy. She already had the gold.
Actionable Takeaways from Simone's DWTS Journey
- Protect your boundaries: When people (like the judges) try to police your emotions or tell you to "smile more," it's okay to stay true to your actual feelings.
- Technical skill isn't everything: Whether in business or art, the "human connection" and the story you tell often matter more than being 100% perfect.
- Try things outside your comfort zone: Simone knew she wasn't a dancer, but she did it anyway to find out who she was outside of gymnastics.
- Know when to move on: Her graceful exit showed that losing a reality show doesn't diminish your actual career achievements.
The next time you're watching a reality competition and a judge tells a female athlete she needs to be "softer" or "more expressive," remember Simone. Remember that her "stony" face was the same one that focused her through the most difficult vaults in history. If you want to see the real Simone Biles, don't look at her smile—look at her work.