Quick Facts
Biography
Peta Jane Murgatroyd (born July 14, 1986) is a New Zealand-born Australian professional Latin dancer. She performed in the international tour of the dance production Burn the Floor, including its Broadway run. She is best known for her appearances on the American edition of Dancing with the Stars, in which she has won twice.
Early life
Murgatroyd was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but moved to Australia when she was 18 months old; as a result, she considers herself more of an Australian. She was raised in Perth, Western Australia, and started studying classical ballet at age 4. She trained for 12 years under former principal dancer of the Kirov Ballet, Madame Lubov Nikonorenko. An ankle injury at 16 years old forced Murgatroyd to give up ballet. Murgatroyd then picked up Latin dancing.
Career
Within months of beginning ballroom training, Murgatroyd became the W.A. Amateur Latin State Champion in 2002 and won the title again in 2003. She placed second in the Great World City Championships. Success at other competitions followed quickly; she was a semi-finalist in the Lion City Championships in Singapore and was a finalist in the Australian Open Championships. She placed third in the world at the Blackpool Dance Festival Youth Under 21 Latin competitions in 2005.
Burn the Floor
Murgatroyd joined the cast of Burn the Floor in 2004, touring with them around the world for six years. When Burn the Floor landed on Broadway in August 2009, Murgatroyd was the lead female dancer.
Dancing with the Stars
Murgatroyd joined the cast of Dancing with the Stars in 2011 as a member of the dance troupe in season 12. She became a regular member of the professional cast as of season 13.
| Season | Partner | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Metta World Peace | 12th |
| 14 | Donald Driver | 1st |
| 15 | Gilles Marini | 6th |
| 16 | Sean Lowe | 6th |
| 17 | Brant Daugherty | 7th |
| 18 | James Maslow | 4th |
| 19 | Tommy Chong | 5th |
| 20 | Michael Sam | 10th |
| 22 | Nyle DiMarco | 1st |
Dancing with the Stars (Season 13)
In season 13, Murgatroyd competed on the show as a professional with basketball player Metta World Peace. They were the first couple eliminated off the show.
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Krazy" | 5 | 4 | 5 | Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars (Season 14)
In 2012, Murgatroyd was again featured as a professional dancer competing on season 14 as the partner of football player Donald Driver. On 22 May, it was announced that the couple was the winner of the competition. She is the second professional to win after finishing last the prior season, after Kym Johnson.
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Dedication to My Ex (Miss That)" | 7 | 7 | 7 | No elimination |
| 2 | Quickstep / "Stay the Night" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba / "One Sweet Day" | 9 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble / "Purple Haze" | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 5 | Argentine Tango / "Sin Rumbo" | 10 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 6 | Foxtrot / "The Way You Do the Things You Do" Motown Marathon / "Nowhere to Run" | 9 Awarded | 9 7 | 9 Points | Safe |
| 7 | Viennese Waltz / "La Donna è Mobile" / Team Paso Doble – "O Fortuna" | 9 9 | 9 8 | 9 9 | Safe |
| 8 | Tango / "Higher Ground" Jive / "Rip It Up" | 9 10 | 9 9 | 9 9 | Safe |
| 9 | Waltz / "Kissing You" Samba / "Mr. Big Stuff" | 9 10 | 9 9 | 10 10 | Last to be Called Safe |
| 10 | Argentine Tango / "They" Freestyle / "I Play Chicken with the Train" Cha-Cha-Cha / "Beggin'" | 10 10 10 | 9 10 10 | 10 10 10 | Winner |
Dancing with the Stars (Season 15)
For season 15, Murgatroyd was partnered with actor and season 8 runner up Gilles Marini. They ended up in sixth place.
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "Call Me Irresponsible" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 2 | Jive / "Don't Stop Me Now" | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango / "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | Safe |
| 4 | Bollywood / "Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny)" | 10 | 9.5/10 | 10 | Safe |
| 5 | Rumba / "I Will Always Love You" Team Freestyle / "Gangnam Style" | 10 9 | 9.5 9 | 10 9 | No elimination |
| 6 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" Group Country Western / "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" & "I Play Chicken With A Train" | 9 No | 9 Score | 9.5 Given | Safe |
| 7 | Argentine Tango & Samba Fusion / "When I Get You Alone" Swing Marathon / "Do Your Thing" | 9.5 Awarded | 9.5 5 | 9.5 Points | No Elimination |
| 8 | Quickstep / "Danger Zone" Salsa / "Rebelión" | 9.5 9.5 | 10.0 10.0 | 10.0 9.5 | Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars (Season 16)
In 2013, Murgatroyd was again featured as a professional dancer competing on season 16 as the partner of The Bachelor star Sean Lowe. They landed in sixth place.
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "The Power of Love" | 7 | 6 | 6 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Jive / "(Let's Get Movin') Into Action" | 7 | 6 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Prom Group Dance / "The Rockafeller Skank" Cha-cha-cha / "YMCA" | No 7 | Scores 7 | Given 7 | Safe |
| 4 | Viennese Waltz / "I Won't Give Up" | 6 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 5 | Quickstep / "Go Get It" | 8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 6 | Samba / "I Wish" Team Samba / Superstition | 7 8 | 7 9 | 7 8 | Bottom Two |
| 7 | Rumba / "Hero" Rumba Dance Off / "Apologize" | 8 Lost | 8 This | 8 Event | Safe |
| 8 | Tango / "Hot n Cold" Jazz (Trio Challenge) / "Magic" | 7 7 | 7 7 | 7 7 | Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars (Season 17)
For season 17, Murgatroyd was paired with Pretty Little Liars actor Brant Daugherty. They were the sixth couple eliminated on November 4, 2013.
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Blurred Lines" | 7 | 8 | 7 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Rumba / "Underneath Your Clothes" | 8 | 7 | 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Crazy in Love" | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 4 | Salsa / "Shake Señora" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Last to be called safe |
| 5 | Contemporary / "Your Song" | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 6 | Tango / "The Night Out" Switch-Up Challenge / Various | 9 Awarded | 10 3 | 9 Points | No Elimination |
| 7 | Jive / "Tutti Frutti" Freestyle Team 1 / "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" | 9 10 | 9 10 | 9 10 | Safe |
| 8 | Foxtrot / "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" Dance Off / "I Found Someone" | 9 Lost | 9 The | 9 Event | Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars (Season 18)
In 2014, Murgatroyd was again featured as a professional dancer competing on season 18 partnered with Big Time Rush member James Maslow. They made it to the finale but came in fourth place.
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | |||
| Inaba | Goodman | Guest1 | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "Story of My Life" | 7 | 7 | — | 7 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Salsa / "Follow the Leader" | 9 | 8 | — | 8 | Safe |
| 3 | Jive / "The Middle" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 42 | Tango / "Dark Horse" | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | No Elimination |
| 5 | Contemporary / "Let It Go" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Safe |
| 6 | Quickstep / "You're the One That I Want" | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 7 | Samba / "Gasolina" Team Freestyle / "The Cup of Life" | 9 8 | 8 8 | 9 10 | 9 9 | Last to be called safe |
| 8 | Viennese Waltz / "6'2" Celebrity Dance Duel (Jive) / "Ain't Nothing Wrong with That" | 8 9 | 9 10 | 10 10 | 9 10 | Last to be called safe |
| 9 Semifinals | Cha-cha-cha / "Love Never Felt So Good" Rumba / "Islands in the Stream" | 10 9 | 10 9 | 10 9 | 10 9 | Safe |
| 10 Finals | Tango / "Adore You" Freestyle / "Original Don" | 9 10 | 10 9 | — | 10 10 | Eliminated |
1The guest judges were Robin Roberts (Week 3), Julianne Hough (Week 4), Donny Osmond (Week 5), Redfoo (Week 6), Ricky Martin (Week 7), Abby Lee Miller (Week 8) and Kenny Ortega (Week 9).
2For this week only, as part of the "Partner Switch-Up" week, Maslow performed with Cheryl Burke instead of Murgatroyd; Murgatroyd danced a rumba with Olympic ice dancing champion Charlie White, scoring a 33 (7, 8, 9, 9).
Dancing with the Stars (Season 19)
For season 19, Murgatroyd paired with comedian and actor Tommy Chong. The couple made it to the Semi-finals, but were then eliminated and finished in 5th place.
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | |||
| Inaba | Goodman | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Drop It Like It's Hot" | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 2 | Salsa / "Higher" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Argentine Tango / "Por una Cabeza" | 8 | 101 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 4 | Jive / "Jailhouse Rock" | 7 | 72 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 53 | Mambo / "Pass the Dutchie" | 6 | 64 | 5 | 6 | No Eimination |
| 6 | Foxtrot / "September" | 7 | 75 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 7 | Quickstep / "That Old Black Magic" Team Freestyle / "Time Warp" | 7 8 | 7 8 | 7 8 | 7 8 | Last to be called safe |
| 8 | Paso Doble / "Ring of Fire" Rumba Dance-Off / "I'm Not the Only One" | 6 Awarded | 7 3 | 7 Extra | 6 Points | Last to be called safe |
| 9 | Viennese Waltz / "Trouble" Trio Samba / "Talk Dirty" | 7 7 | 8 7 | 7 7 | 7 7 | Safe |
| 10 Semi-finals | Jazz / "Tainted Love" Rumba / "Tainted Love" (acoustic version) | 7 9 | 7 8 | 7 9 | 7 8 | Eliminated |
1Week 3 score given by guest judge Kevin Hart in place of Goodman.
2The American public scored the dance in place of Goodman with the averaged score being counted alongside the three other judges.
3This week only, for "Partner Switch-Up" week, Chong performed with Emma Slater instead of Murgatroyd. Murgatroyd performed with Jonathan Bennett.
4Score given by guest judge Jessie J in place of Goodman.
5Score given by guest judge Pitbull in place of Goodman.
Dancing with the Stars (Season 20)
For season 20, Murgatroyd was partnered with football player Michael Sam. The couple was eliminated on Week 4 and finished in 10th place.
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | |||
| Inaba | Goodman | Hough | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Uptown Funk" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Foxtrot / "Working My Way Back to You" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Salsa / "Celebrate" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Safe |
| 4 | Rumba / "Not My Father's Son" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | Eliminated |
Dancing with the Stars (Season 21)
On August 19, 2015, Good Morning America announced Murgatroyd would be one of the pro dancers on the upcoming season 21 of Dancing with the Stars. However, before the season premiered, Murgatroyd was forced to sit this season out due to an ongoing ankle injury. Murgatroyd told People magazine she had four torn ligaments and a floating piece of bone in her ankle which would require surgery and six to eight weeks of recovery time. Murgatroyd would have been partnered with singer Andy Grammer.
Murgatroyd returned to the show during the season 21 semifinals, performing a salsa trio with Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and Sharna Burgess. The group received a score of 30 for the dance.
Dancing with the Stars (Season 22)
Murgatroyd returned for season 22 and was partnered with deaf model and actor Nyle DiMarco. On May 24, 2016, Murgatroyd and DiMarco were crowned the season's champions.
Murgatroyd will not return for season 23 due to her pregnancy.
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Cake by the Ocean" | 8 | 7 | 8 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Rumba / "Stole the Show" | 7 | 6 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango / "Verge" | 8 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 4 | Samba / "Trashin' the Camp" | 8 | 8/91 | 9 | Safe |
| 52 | Viennese Waltz / "I Get to Love You" | 9 | 10/93 | 9 | No Elimination |
| 6 | Quickstep / "Hey Pachuco" | 8 | 8 | 9 | Safe |
| 7 | Foxtrot / "Beautiful Day" Team Freestyle / "Super Bad", "Living in America" & "I Got You (I Feel Good)" | 10 9 | 9 9 | 9 10 | Safe |
| 8 | Paso Doble / "Victorious" Team-up Dance (Argentine Tango) / "Habanera" | 10 10 | 9 10 | 10 94 | Safe |
| 9 Semi-finals | Trio Jive / "Hit the Road Jack" Argentine Tango / "Unsteady" | 9 10 | 9 10 | 9 10 | Safe |
| 10 Finals | Quickstep / "S.O.B." Freestyle / "The Sound of Silence" Cha-cha-cha & Tango Fusion / "Summer" | 9 10 10 | 9 10 10 | 9 10 10 | Winner |
1 Score given by guest judge Zendaya.
2 For this week only, as part of "America's Switch Up", DiMarco performed with Sharna Burgess instead of Murgatroyd. Murgatroyd performed with Doug Flutie.
3 Score given by guest judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
4 Due to Tonioli being the judge coaching DiMarco's team during the team-up dance, the viewers scored the dance in his place with the averaged score being counted alongside the remaining judges.
Dancing with the Stars: Live!
In April 2015, it was announced Murgatroyd would take part in the Dancing with the Stars: Live! "Perfect Ten" tour during the summer of 2015. On June 25, 2015 the official Dancing with the Stars Twitter account announced Murgatroyd would be taking a short break from the tour due to an ankle injury.
Murgatroyd again joined the Dancing with the Stars: Live! for the "Dance All Night" tour in winter 2015-2016. The tour was scheduled to stop in 43 cities.
Sway: A Dance Trilogy
In 2014 Murgatroyd started performing in Sway: A Dance Trilogy in Westbury, New York alongside Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Chmerkovskiy credits his father Sasha with the idea for Sway. Sway is a live ballroom dance show starring Maksim, his brother Valentin, and Tony Dovolani. The show also features Murgatroyd, other professional dancers from Dancing with the Stars and So You think You Can Dance, and dance instructors from Dance with Me studios.
Personal life
Murgatroyd dated Australian professional ballroom dancer and former DWTS cast member Damian Whitewood for five years before breaking up in early 2012.
She has been dating DWTS pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy off and on since 2012. In 2015, Chmerkovskiy confirmed he and Murgatroyd were dating again. Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd became engaged on December 5, 2015, when he proposed while onstage for a performance of Sway: A Dance Trilogy in Miami, Florida. Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd's son Shai Aleksander was born January 4, 2017.