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Keo Motsepe | |
|---|---|
 Motsepe in 2015 | |
| Born | Keoikantse Motsepe 24 November 1989 |
| Occupation | Dancer |
| Employer | ABC |
| Television | Dancing with the Stars |
Keoikantse Motsepe (born 24 November 1989) is a South African dancer. His dancing styles are Latin and Ballroom. [1] He is known for being the first black professional dancer on the ABC show Dancing with the Stars .
Motsepe started his career at 11 years of age by entering into a competitive dance scene representing his country. In 2012, Motsepe joined the cast of Burn the Floor. In 2014, it was announced that Motsepe would join the cast of pro dancers on Dancing with the Stars.
In season 19, Motsepe was paired up with Olympic athlete Lolo Jones. They were eliminated during the first week of competition, finishing in 13th place.
In season 20, Motsepe was paired up with model Charlotte McKinney. They were eliminated in the third week of competition, finishing in 11th place.
For season 21, he paired with Grammy Award-winning singer Chaka Khan. They were the first couple eliminated on the second week of competition, finishing in 13th place.
For season 22, he was partnered with Full House and Fuller House actress Jodie Sweetin. [2] The couple was eliminated in the eighth week of competition, despite being at the top of the leader board that week. They placed 6th overall. In a surprise challenge, judge Bruno Tonioli worked with Sweetin and eventual-winner Nyle DiMarco and their professional partners. During the sequence, the two celebrities swapped partners, seeing DiMarco and Motsepe dance the tango in ballroom hold, with both men shirtless, and Motsepe lift and twirl DiMarco. This was the first same-sex dancing included in the show's franchise world-wide. [3]
He returned to season 23 but as a troupe member.
For season 24, he returned as a pro dancer and was partnered with actress & comedian Charo. They were eliminated in the third week of competition, finishing in 11th place.
Motsepe returned for season 25 and was paired with Shark Tank panelist, Barbara Corcoran. They were the first couple eliminated on the second week of competition, finishing in 13th place.
For season 26, he was partnered with former Olympic softball pitcher Jennie Finch Daigle. They were eliminated on the third week of competition and finished in 4th place, tying with Chris Mazdzer and Mirai Nagasu and partners Witney Carson and Alan Bersten.
For season 27, he was paired with Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch. The couple made it to the finals where they finished in 3rd place, marking Motsepe's best so far and also his first time in the finale. [4]
Motsepe appeared in season 28 as a pro dancer, but was not paired with a celebrity. He returned to compete again on season 29 where he is partnered with actress Anne Heche. They were eliminated in the fourth week of competition and finished in 13th place.
| Season | Partner | Place | Average Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Lolo Jones | 13th | 26.0/40 |
| 20 | Charlotte McKinney | 11th | 27.3/40 |
| 21 | Chaka Khan | 13th | 14.0/30 |
| 22 | Jodie Sweetin | 6th | 25.8/30 |
| 24 | Charo | 11th | 23.3/40 |
| 25 | Barbara Corcoran | 13th | 16.5/30 |
| 26 | Jennie Finch Daigle | 4th | 23.0/30 |
| 27 | Evanna Lynch | 3rd | 27.1/30 |
| 29 | Anne Heche | 13th | 18.8/30 |
| Week | Dance | Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | J. Hough | Tonioli | |||||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha | "Tell Her" — Rizzle Kicks | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Eliminated |
| Week | Dance | Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | J. Hough | Tonioli | |||||
| 1 | Jive | "Shake a Tail Feather" — The Blues Brothers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Cha-cha-cha | "California Gurls" — Katy Perry, feat. Snoop Dogg | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba | "Empire" — Shakira | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 | Eliminated |
| Week | Dance | Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | J. Hough | Tonioli | |||||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha | "I Feel for You" — Chaka Khan | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Foxtrot | "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)" — Frank Sinatra | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | Eliminated |
| Week | Dance | Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||||
| 1 | Tango | "Confident" — Demi Lovato | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Samba | "Bun Up the Dance" — Dillon Francis & Skrillex | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | Safe |
| 3 | Foxtrot | "Rise Up" — Andra Day | 8 | 7 | 8 | 23 | Safe |
| 4 | Cha-cha-cha | "Try Everything" — Shakira | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 [a] | Safe |
| 5 [b] | Paso doble | "Under Control" — Calvin Harris & Alesso, feat. Hurts | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 [c] | No Elimination |
| Viennese waltz | "These Arms of Mine" — Otis Redding | 8 | 8 | 8 | 30 [d] | ||
| 6 | Contemporary | "Try" — Pink | 9 | 10 | 10 | 29 | Safe |
| 7 | Quickstep | "For Once in My Life" — Stevie Wonder | 10 | 9 | 9 | 28 | Safe |
| Team Freestyle | "End of Time" "If I Were a Boy" "Crazy in Love" — Beyoncé | 10 | 9 | 9 | 28 | ||
| 8 | Jive | "Something's Got a Hold on Me" — Etta James | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | Eliminated |
| Team-up Argentine tango | "Habanera" — Georges Bizet | 10 | 10 | 9 [e] | 29 | ||
| Week | Dance | Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | J. Hough | Tonioli | |||||
| 1 | Salsa | "Cuban Pete" — Mambo Compañeros | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 21 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Paso doble | "España cañí" — Charo | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 25 | Safe |
| 3 | Foxtrot | "Chapel of Love" — The Dixie Cups | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 | Eliminated |
| Week | Dance | Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||||
| 1 | Salsa | "Money Maker" — Ludacris, feat. Pharrell Williams | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Tango | "Whatever Lola Wants" — Sarah Vaughan | 6 | 5 | 6 | 17 | Eliminated |
| Week | Dance | Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||||
| 1 | Foxtrot | "All-American Girl" — Carrie Underwood | 7 | 8 | 7 | 22 | Safe |
| 2 | Cha-cha-cha | "Do It Like This" — Daphne Willis | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 [f] | Safe |
| Team Freestyle | "Instant Replay" — Dan Hartman | 9 | 9 | 9 | 37 [g] | ||
| 3 | Viennese waltz | "The Rest of Our Life" — Tim McGraw & Faith Hill | 7 | 8 | 7 | 30 [h] | Eliminated |
| Cha-cha-cha Dance-off | "Dance" — DNCE | Loser | 0 [i] | ||||
| Week | Dance | Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||||
| 1 | Foxtrot | "Do You Believe in Magic" — Aly & AJ | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 | Safe |
| 2 | Samba | "Can't Touch It" — Ricki-Lee Coulter | 7 | 8 | 8 | 23 | No Elimination |
| Jive | "Heat Wave" — Martha and the Vandellas | 8 | 10 | 9 | 27 | Safe | |
| 3 | Viennese waltz | "Hedwig's Theme" — John Williams | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 | Safe |
| 4 | Salsa | "Black Magic" — Little Mix | 8 | 9 | 8 | 25 | Safe |
| 5 | Jazz | "When Will My Life Begin?" — Mandy Moore | 8 | 9 | 8 | 25 | No Elimination |
| 6 | Tango | "Disturbia" — Rihanna | 10 | 9 | 10 | 29 | Safe |
| 7 | Rumba | "Every Little Thing" — Carly Pearce | 10 | 9 | 10 | 29 | Safe |
| Team Freestyle | "9 to 5" — Dolly Parton | 10 | 9 | 10 | 29 | ||
| 8 | Contemporary | "Stand Up for Something" — Andra Day & Common | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | Safe |
| Foxtrot | "Rewrite the Stars" — Zac Efron & Zendaya | 10 | 9 | 9 | 28 | ||
| 9 | Tango | "Disturbia" — Rihanna | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | Third Place |
| Freestyle | "It's Oh So Quiet" — Björk | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | ||
| Week | Dance | Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | D. Hough | Tonioli | |||||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha | "Don't Start Now" — Dua Lipa | 4 | 5 | 6 | 15 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Foxtrot | "Counting Stars" — OneRepublic | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep | "Zero to Hero" — Ariana Grande | 7 | 5 | 7 | 19 | Bottom Two |
| 4 | Paso doble | "Rise" — Katy Perry | 8 | 7 | 7 | 22 | Eliminated |