Dance reality shows in India enjoy huge popularity, and among the iconic ones is Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa — the celebrity dance competition where TV stars, film personalities and other celebrities pair up with professional choreographers to compete in dazzling dance acts. Since its debut in 2006, JDJ has enthralled audiences with glamour, drama, performances, ups and downs, and emotional journeys. In this article, we present the show’s format, winners, runner-ups, hosts and judges:
JDJ Show Format
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa is the Indian adaptation combining elements of Strictly Come Dancing / Dancing with the Stars format, tailored for Indian television.
Here is how the show works:
- Celebrity + Professional Pairing: In each season, a set of celebrities (actors, singers, TV personalities) are paired with professional choreographers.
- Weekly Performances & Themes: Each week, the pairs perform dance routines under a designated theme (Bollywood, classical, fusion, prop based, etc.). The judges score their performances (typically out of 10 per judge).
- Judges + Elimination: Based on judges’ scores combined with public voting (or sometimes live studio audience) the bottom couples are identified. Sometimes they perform a “face-off” or dance again. Then one or more couples are eliminated each week.
- Finale & Winner: In the grand finale, top couples compete, and the winner is determined by a combination of judges’ scores and public votes (or audience input). The winning pair (celebrity + choreographer) is crowned.
- Host & Guest Appearances: The show is hosted by one or more TV personalities, and often features guest judges or special appearances by celebrities.
- Variations / Twists: Over seasons, twists have included wildcards, double eliminations, theme changes, guest judges, no audience voting (in certain seasons), etc.
Thus, the core appeal is blending celebrity appeal + dance challenge + public involvement + judges’ critique
JDJ Season Winner, Runner-Up, Judges, Host
Below is a consolidated table, based on the Wikipedia page and supplementary sources, showing winners, runner-ups, hosts, and judges for Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa seasons (as documented):
| Season | Winner (Celebrity + Choreographer) | Runner-Up | Judges / Notable Judges | Host(s) |
| Season 1 (2006) | Mona Singh + Toby Fernandes | Shweta Salve + Longines Fernandes | Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shilpa Shetty, Farah Khan | Parmeet Sethi & Archana Puran Singh |
| Season 2 | Prachi Desai + Deepak Singh | — (public reports mention runner-ups in media) | Shiamak Davar, Urmila Matondkar, Jeetendra (judges) (per media) | Prachi also co-hosted in some versions; Rohit Roy is often mentioned as co-host in media |
| Season 3 | Bhaichung Bhutia + Sonia Jaffer | Gauahar Khan + Himanshu Gadani | Saroj Khan, Juhi Chawla, Vaibhavi Merchant | Shiv Panditt & Shweta Tiwari |
| Season 4 | Meiyang Chang + Marischa Fernandes | Sushant Singh Rajput + Shampa Gopikrishna | Madhuri Dixit, Remo D’Souza, Malaika Arora | Mona Singh & Sumeet Raghavan |
| Season 5 | Gurmeet Choudhary + Shampa Gopikrishna | — (various media mention runner-ups) | Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit, Remo D’Souza (judges) | Maniesh Paul & Ragini Khanna (co-hosts per media) |
| Season 6 | Drashti Dhami + Salman Yusuff Khan | Lauren Gottlieb + Punit Pathak | Remo D’Souza, Madhuri Dixit, Karan Johar | Manish Paul & Kapil Sharma |
| Season 7 | Ashish Sharma + Shampa Gopikrishna | Karan Tacker + choreographer | Remo D’Souza, Madhuri Dixit, Karan Johar | Ranvir Shorey & Drashti Dhami (later replaced by Manish Paul) |
| Season 8 | Faisal Khan + Vaishnavi Patil | Sanaya Irani + Jai Kumar Nair | Ganesh Hegde, Lauren Gottlieb, Shahid Kapoor, (Karan Johar), Malaika Arora | Manish Paul |
| Season 9 | Teriya Magar + Aryan Patra | Salman Yusuff Khan + Aishwarya Radhakrishnan | Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez | Manish Paul |
| Season 10 | Gunjan Sinha + Tejas Verma | Rubina Dilaik + Sanam Johar | Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit, Nora Fatehi, Terence Lewis | Manish Paul |
| Season 11 | Manisha Rani + Ashutosh Pawar | Shoaib Ibrahim + choreographer (runner-up) | Judges panel is documented in JDJ page (various judges) | Host(s) on latest season as per show announcements |
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 1 (2006)
The first season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa premiered on 7 September 2006 and ran till 4 November 2006. In this inaugural edition, the judging panel included Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shilpa Shetty and Farah Khan. Hosted by Parmeet Sethi and Archana Puran Singh, the show introduced audiences to the format of celebrities dancing with professionals. The finale saw Mona Singh + Toby Fernandes crowned winners, while Shweta Salve + Longines Fernandes were runner-ups. The success of Season 1 laid the foundation for many more editions ahead.
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 2
Season 2 followed, featuring a new batch of celebrities and choreographers. According to media sources, Prachi Desai + Deepak Singh won the title (though full official listing is less detailed on Wikipedia). Judges in that season reportedly included Shiamak Davar, Urmila Matondkar and Jeetendra. Hosting and contestant details varied in media coverage. That season helped expand the popularity of the show among wider audiences and cemented JDJ’s format as a prime dance reality property.
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 3
Season 3 aired from 27 February 2009 to 31 May 2009. The judging panel was Saroj Khan, Juhi Chawla and Vaibhavi Merchant. It was hosted by Shiv Panditt and Shweta Tiwari. The season had 12 contestant pairs. In the finale, Bhaichung Bhutia + Sonia Jaffer won, with Gauahar Khan + Himanshu Gadani as runner-ups. This season was notable because a sports star (Bhutia) won the title, showing the crossover potential of dance reality.
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 4
Season 4 began on 12 December 2010 and concluded on 8 March 2011. Judges included Madhuri Dixit, Remo D’Souza and Malaika Arora. Hosting was by Mona Singh and Sumeet Raghavan. In a competitive finale, Meiyang Chang + Marischa Fernandes emerged winners, while Sushant Singh Rajput + Shampa Gopikrishna came second. Season 4 was praised for its choreography diversity and raising the bar for performance standards.
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 5
The fifth season continued the JDJ journey with fresh contestants and heightened anticipation. Media sources say Gurmeet Choudhary + Shampa Gopikrishna took the trophy. Judges in this season included stalwarts like Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit and Remo D’Souza. Hosting was managed by Maniesh Paul, often with Ragini Khanna as co-host per media reports. Season 5 was known for dramatic performances, emotional backstories, and solid viewer engagement.
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 6
Season 6 premiered on 1 June 2013 and wrapped up on 14 September 2013. It had a strong judging panel of Remo D’Souza, Madhuri Dixit and Karan Johar. Hosting this season were Manish Paul and Kapil Sharma. In the grand finale, Drashti Dhami + Salman Yusuff Khan won, defeating the pair Lauren Gottlieb + Punit Pathak. Season 6 was marked by tough eliminations and some memorable dance battles.
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 7
Season 7 kicked off on 7 June 2014 and ended 20 September 2014. Judges were Remo D’Souza, Madhuri Dixit, and Karan Johar. Hosting initially by Ranvir Shorey & Drashti Dhami, later replaced by Manish Paul. The winner was Ashish Sharma + Shampa Gopikrishna, and Karan Tacker + choreographer took the runner-up spot. This season had exciting twists and audience favorites battling till late weeks.
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 8
Season 8 (also called Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded) ran from 11 July 2015 to 10 October 2015. Manish Paul was the host. Judges included Ganesh Hegde, Lauren Gottlieb, Shahid Kapoor, Karan Johar (initially), later Malaika Arora. In the finale, Faisal Khan + Vaishnavi Patil won, while Sanaya Irani + Jai Kumar Nair were the runner-ups. This season was notable for replacing Karan Johar with Malaika and for its high energy performances.
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 9
Season 9 aired from 30 July 2016 to 21 January 2017. The host remained Manish Paul. Judges comprised Karan Johar, Farah Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez. In an interesting rule shift, that season eliminated public voting in many weeks—judges’ scores + studio audience votes were used to decide elimination. The winners were Teriya Magar + Aryan Patra, while Salman Yusuff Khan + Aishwarya Radhakrishnan were the 1st runners-up. Season 9 was recognized for its freshness, wildcard entries, and performance innovations.
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 10
Season 10 returned after a gap, from 3 September 2022 to 27 November 2022. It was hosted by Manish Paul. Judges included Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit, Nora Fatehi, and Terence Lewis. Gunjan Sinha + Tejas Verma won the title, with Rubina Dilaik + Sanam Johar as runners-up. Season 10 brought new energy, younger participants, and upgraded production values, and was well received by fans after the hiatus.
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 11
The eleventh season concluded on 2 March 2024. The winner was Manisha Rani + Ashutosh Pawar, with Shoaib Ibrahim + choreographer as runner-up. The show continued its legacy of combining public engagement, strong performances, and star attraction. While detailed judge and host listings vary in reports, this season continued to blend the classic JDJ format with new twists.