Lacey Schwimmer
Early life[edit]
Lacey Schwimmer grew up in Redlands, California. Her parents are Laurie Kauffman and notable West Coast Swing dancer Buddy Schwimmer. She is the younger sister of Benji Schwimmer, winner of the second season of So You Think You Can Dance.[6]
Schwimmer has been training and dancing competitively since a young age. At age seven, she and partner Brian Cordoba danced in the 1995 U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships.[7] At age ten, she and partner Blace Thompson placed 1st in the Young America Division at the 1998 U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships.[8] Schwimmer went on to have annual top rankings at the U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships and has won numerous U.S. titles.
Later career[edit]
Dancing with the Stars[edit]
On the morning of August 25, 2008, on Good Morning America, Schwimmer was announced as the first "So You Think You Can Dance" alum to be a professional dancer on season seven of Dancing with the Stars and was partnered with Lance Bass. TV Guide reported that Schwimmer had endometriosis but was still able to continue on the show as her condition was caught early and therefore did not require surgery.[12][13][14][15] She returned for seasons 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13. During that time, she and professional dancers Chelsie Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin were the only former participants from So You Think You Can Dance to perform as regulars on Dancing with the Stars. However, other SYTYCD alumni such as Anya Garnis, Iveta Lukosiute, Ashleigh Di Lello, Ryan DiLello and Pasha Kovalev have often done special performances performed during the results show.
On November 25, 2008, Schwimmer and her celebrity partner, Lance Bass, finished in third place. Lacey was on the last DWTS tour with her partner Lance Bass. The tour ended on February 8, 2009. Lacey returned for season eight of DWTS, and she was partnered with reality television star Steve-O. On August 24, 2009, it was announced on Good Morning America that Schwimmer would be partnering with Mark Dacascos for season nine.[16] Schwimmer was not paired with a celebrity partner in season ten, but was present in a few results show dances.
In season 11, Schwimmer was partnered with Disney Channel star Kyle Massey. They made it to the finale and were the runners-up to Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough. For season 12, Lacey was partnered with radio personality Mike Catherwood. They were eliminated first on March 29, 2011. For season 13, Schwimmer was partnered with Chaz Bono. They were eliminated on October 25, 2011.