Lindsay Arnold Cusick is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer. She was a contestant on So You ThinkYou Can Dance. She is a professional dancer and choreographer on Dancing with the Stars.
At the age of 18, Arnold auditioned for the ninth season of So You Think You Can Dance. She made it through to the top twenty finalists. Her partner was martial arts fusion dancer Cole Horibe. When only ten dancers remained, the contestants switched partners to a new all-star each week. As she proceeded to the top 8 dancers, Arnold partnered with dancers Jakob Karr and Alex Wong. Although she was eliminated on August 29, 2012, she received repeated praise from the judges about her versatility as a dancer and her star quality. After the season, she performed on the 30-city tour.
''Dancing with the Stars''
Arnold became a professional dancer on season 16 of the reality television seriesDancing with the Stars. At the time, she was the second youngest pro dancer in the show's history. She was partnered with professional boxer Victor Ortiz. They finished in 8th place and were eliminated in week six after getting three 6s. She returned in season 17 as a member of the dance troupe, and continued in the troupe through season 20. She was promoted again to a professional partner in season 21, in which she partnered with National Guard member Alek Skarlatos. The couple made it to the finals and finished in third place. Arnold returned as a professional for season 22 and was paired with Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris. Arnold and Morris made it to the semi-finals but were eliminated, finishing in 4th place despite receiving the highest scores of that night. Arnold returned for season 23 and was partnered with former NFL player Calvin Johnson Jr.. The couple made it to the finals and finished in third place. Arnold returned for season 24 and was partnered with former MLB catcher David Ross. Despite low scores, the couple outlasted many high-scoring couples, made it to the finals and finished in second place, behind Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater. For season 25, Arnold was paired with singer and actor Jordan Fisher. They placed first on November 21, 2017, and they set the record for most perfect scores with a total of 9. She further achieved a feat not yet reached, by finishing fourth, third, second, and first place in four consecutive seasons. For season 26, Arnold was partnered with former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They were eliminated in the second week of competition, tying in 7th place with Arike Ogunbowale and Gleb Savchenko. For season 27, she was paired with former NFL player DeMarcus Ware. The couple was eliminated on week 7 of the competition, finishing in 7th place despite high scores. For season 28, Arnold was paired with former White House Press Secretary and political aide Sean Spicer. Despite consistently earning low scores and criticism from the judges, the pair made it to week 9 of the competition before being eliminated and finishing in 6th place overall.
Season 16 with celebrity partner Victor Ortiz Season 21 with celebrity partner Alek Skarlatos 1 Score given by guest judge Alfonso Ribeiro. 2 This week only, for "Partner Switch-Up" week, Skarlatos performed with Emma Slater instead of Arnold. Arnold performed with Carlos PenaVega. 3 Score given by guest judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy. 4 Score given by guest judge Olivia Newton-John. Season 22 with celebrity partner Wanya Morris 1 Score given by guest judge Zendaya. 2 For this week only, as part of "America's Switch Up", Morris performed with Witney Carson instead of Arnold. Arnold performed with Von Miller. 3 Score given by guest judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy. 3 Due to Goodman being the judge coaching Morris' team during the team-up dance, the viewers scored the dance in his place with the averaged score being counted alongside the remaining judges. Season 23 with celebrity partner Calvin Johnson Jr. 1 Score given by guest judge Pitbull. 2 Score given by guest judge Idina Menzel Season 24 with celebrity partner David Ross 1 Score given by guest judge Nick Carter 2 Score given by guest judge Mandy Moore Season 25 with celebrity partner Jordan Fisher 1 Score given by guest judge Shania Twain. 2 Score given by guest judge Julianne Hough. Season 26 with celebrity partner Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1 Score given by guest judge Rashad Jennings. Season 27 with celebrity partner DeMarcus Ware Season 28 with celebrity partner Sean Spicer 1 Score given by guest judge Leah Remini. 2 Due to Arnold being unable to perform weeks 8 and 9, Spicer danced with Jenna Johnson instead. 3 Score given by guest judge Joey Fatone.
