From How The Couples Are Paired To Rehearsal Rules — All Your Dancing With The Stars Questions Answered

Update (Spoiler): The winner of Dancing With The Stars 2023 is Human Nature singer Phil Burton and professional dance partner Ash-Leigh Hunter. Home & Away star Emily Weir (partnered with Lyu Masuda) finished as runner-up in a nail-biting grand finale on Sunday, July 23.

Reality TV is always fun to watch, but it's often even more entertaining when celebrities are involved. From I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! to The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition, there are plenty of reality shows featuring famous faces. But none are quite like Dancing With The Stars.

DWTS has always been a fan favourite, and the fact that we're now at Season 20 is proof of that. Over the years, we've seen a variety of contestants on the show, from actors to athletes and musicians. As they swap their day jobs for a couple of weeks to shake and shimmy on the dance floor, we get to see our favourite celebs in a completely different light.

However, there are many questions that still go unanswered about behind-the-scenes details of Dancing With The Stars. That mystery ends here. From rehearsal hours to costumes and music choices, we've rounded up the most frequently asked questions about DWTS and have answered them, right here.

Things move very fast on Dancing With The Stars. Each celebrity contestant is paired with a professional dancer just four weeks prior to the show's first episode. It's then up to these pairs to squeeze in as much rehearsal time as possible in one month, in order to nail everything from the waltz to the cha-cha. A show insider tells us that some of the cast rehearsed between six to eight hours per day.

The celebrities get to practise on set multiple times to get familiar with certain aspects, such as staging props and lighting changes. They also get two full run-throughs in their costumes.

Producers mostly try to consider mixing up the style of dances, so you don’t see three ballroom dances in a row. No one wants to go first every week, so they also make sure everyone gets to move in the order.

When it comes to pairing a celebrity with a professional dance partner, producers consider a range of factors, including height, dance strengths and where the stars live.

According to Woman's Day, producers have decided to pay all celebrities a set fee of "just under $50,000".

"The cast all rehearsed and trained as if they were going to the finale. They all put in the same amount of time, so they were all paid for five weeks of their time," an apparent source told magazine. "It was one-price-fits-all."

Considering the nature of the competition, the chances of injuries are higher than usual. Contestants are encouraged to warm up thoroughly to avoid injuries but when they do happen, they get medical assistance as soon as possible. Production ensures that there are physios and medics on set.

Oscar-winning wardrobe designer Tim Chappel is the mastermind behind the show’s amazing costume creations. He also happens to be the costume designer for The Masked Singer.

The judges are all styled by Channel 7 stylist Sheridan Tyler, with Sharna Burgess' styling also assisted by Karissa Dunn.

The couples perform to a track prepared by music director, Dorian West.

Dancing With The Stars creative director Kelley Abbey choreographs the group dances that involve the professional dancers.

We're also told that there is a special performance coming up that judge Sharna Burgess choreographed with the female professional dancers.

This year's season of Dancing With The Stars features 14 celebrities which are Charlie Albone (Better Homes and Gardens landscaper), Christie Whelan Browne (actor), Emily Weir (Home and Away actor), Gavin Wanganeen (AFL star), Issa Schultz (The Chase Australia Supernerd), James Magnussen (Olympic medallist), Laura Byrne (former Bachelor star), Mary Coustas (comedian and actor), Matt Preston (former MasterChef judge), Paulini (singer), Phil Burton (singer), Pia Miranda (actor), Sally Pearson (Olympic gold medallist) and Virginia Gay (actor).