Karina Smirnoff (born January 2, 1978) is a Soviet-born American professional ballroom dancer of Ukrainian origins.
She is known as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars, where she won the thirteenth season with army veteran and soap opera star J. R. Martinez.
She has also won two runner-up titles, a semifinal title, and several quarterfinal titles.
She is a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion.
She has won the title at the UK Open, is a three-time champion at the US Open, two-time champion at the Asian Open, five-time champion at the Dutch Open, and five-time US National Professional Champion.
1993
In 1993, Smirnoff immigrated to the United States.
Smirnoff attended multiple schools, including Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis and Christopher Columbus High School in The Bronx.
She finally graduated from the Bronx High School of Science.
Smirnoff graduated from New York City's Fordham University with a double major in economics and information system programming.
Early in Smirnoff's dancing career, she and Roman Nabatov competed as an amateur couple for USA.
1997
They ended their dance partnership in January 1997.
1998
Smirnoff soon after started dancing with Paul Killick in October 1998 as a professional couple for England; this partnership ended in July 1999.
1999
She has taken second at the British Open Blackpool Dance Festival, and the first woman to reach the British Professional Final with three different partners, and surpassed her own distinction by being the only woman to have made the final with four different partners between 1999 - 2006.
Karina Smirnoff was born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, and is of half-Greek and half-Russian Jewish descent.
At 11, she began competing in ballroom dancing.
She chose to pursue ballroom dancing.
Immediately, Louis Van Amstel and Karina Smirnoff, in July 1999, entered a professional dance partnership, representing the U.S.A; the partnership ended in December 2000.
2001
From January 2001 to September 2005, Smirnoff was in a dance partnership with Slavik Kryklyvyy and they represented the U.S.A; this partnership thus far is her most successful one.
Kryklyvyy and Smirnoff earned numerous top titles and high ratings together.
2004
Smirnoff appeared in the 2004 film Shall We Dance? as a dance instructor and was Stanley Tucci's dance partner.
She also released a fitness DVD, Shape Up With Karina Smirnoff.
2005
Her last professional partner recorded in competitions was Dmitri Timokhin representing Russia in October 2005.
2006
They won first place at the 2006 Grand-Prix Dynamo in Moscow.
They finished dancing together in June 2006.
Smirnoff was the project manager/director of a dancing event entitled "Day & Night", held on November 18, 2006 at the Hollywood & Highlands Grand Ballroom.
She guest starred as Madame Escajeda in an episode of Hannah Montana.
2007
returned to the show on March 19, 2007 for Season 4, this time partnered with Billy Ray Cyrus, country singer and Hannah Montana star.
The pair was the seventh to be eliminated from the competition on May 8, 2007.
Her partner for Season 5 of the show was current five-division world champion boxer, Floyd Mayweather Jr. On October 16, 2007, Karina and Floyd were the fourth couple eliminated from competition and came in 9th place.
She returned for Season 6, partnered with singer Mario and finished in 5th place.
In Season 7, she was partnered with chef Rocco DiSpirito and they were the fourth pair to be eliminated with a finish of 9th place for the second time.
For the eighth season, Smirnoff's partner was Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak.
2009
They were eliminated in the fourth round on March 31, 2009, along with Holly Madison and her partner Dmitry Chaplin.
For the ninth season, she was partnered with singer Aaron Carter.
They were eliminated on November 10, 2009, placing fifth.
2011
She is featured in a nude pictorial in the May 2011 American issue of Playboy magazine.
2016
In November 2016, it was announced that Smirnoff would be joining the cast of E! reality series Famously Single for its second season.
Smirnoff was a performer on the third season of the ABC series Dancing with the Stars with celebrity partner Mario López.
They finished in second place, losing to the team of Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke.
