Our favorite show, Dancing With the Stars, is back on the small screen and we couldn’t be happier! To celebrate the premiere of Season 27, Closer Weekly put together a revealing roundup of behind-the-scenes drama, spray-tan shenanigans, and more cast secrets from the hit reality competition — scroll down to see! 

Costume Drama

Getting your groove on in a barely-there costume secured by double-sided tape is a recipe for wardrobe malfunctions. “I cannot watch the show without thinking about [it],” DWTS costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner said. “All I look at is their boobs and booties!” Melissa Rycroft, Kelly Monaco, and Nancy Grace are just a few of the stars who’ve come undone on the live show. To help keep the costumes in place, “Everything is really tucked-in, stretched, then pulled,” noted designer Steven Lee. 

(photo credit: getty images)
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A team of 20 helps make the costumes, which are designed by the dancers. “That’s my favorite part,” Lindsay Arnold — who’s paired with former NFL star DeMarcus Ware this season — exclusively told Closer Weekly. “I say, ‘I want this fabric, I want this color, I want this many rhinestones.'” And which costume did she like the best? “I had a longsleeve gown that was completely covered in rhinestones,” she recalled. “Every inch! It was the most deckedout I’ve ever been!”

The Dark Side of Dancing

Those toned arms, sculpted abs, and flawless complexions are the results of a lot of hard work by the show’s makeup artists, who spray-tan the cast to shimmery, chestnut perfection. “We have what we call spray-tan Sundays, where everyone comes in to get tanned,” makeup artist Zena Shteysel — who also paints six-pack abs and high cheekbones on the show’s competitors — revealed. “It’s a major part of the grooming process, as it helps to hide imperfections and creates the illusion of tighter, leaner-looking bodies.” 

Up to five gallons of spray tanner is used each season. Said former pro dancer Chelsie Hightower: “You go in feeling fat and frumpy and you come out feeling skinny and hot!”

(photo credit: getty images)
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Love Stories

Although it’s a reality competition show, DWTS is actually scripted. “The producers try to do what’s called a ‘skeleton script,'” an insider told Closer. “It’s an outline of where they’d like the show to go, but they live for real-life romances and any and all drama.” 

Luckily, there’s a whole lot of lovin’ going on behind the scenes to keep things interesting. Pros Emma Slater and Sasha Farber fell for each other on the show and married in March, as did Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy in 2017. 

Earlier this year, Maks’ brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, announced his engagement to fellow DWTS pro Jenna Johnson. But the most talked-about romance was Season 20’s Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson, who waltzed down the aisle two years ago and welcomed twins Hudson and Haven in April.

robert and kym on 'dwts.' (photo credit: getty images)

Robert and Kym on ‘DWTS.’ (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

For more on Dancing With the Stars, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now — and be sure to sign up for our newsletter for more exclusive news!