A big part of the appeal of Dancing With the Stars is that ballroom dancing is just plain romantic. You imagine yourself in the arms of an attractive partner, and next thing you know, you're picking up the phone and turning Gilles Marini into a household name. What follows is a list of the sexiest competitors ever on DWtS, with the caveat that in order to be mentioned, a contestant had to have had a noticeable run on the show (sorry, Denise Richards). Josie Maran (Season Five) is a very attractive woman, but there's nothing sexy about last place. In alphabetical order:

Brooke Burke (Season Seven): Sexiest DWtS champion ever? I vote yes. But it's a sign of how good a dancer Burke really was that she was able to have that kind of success, because if anything, models and generic pretty girls have often been voted out before their time. Let this be a lesson: it is much more sexy to dance well than to be hanging out with the likes of Tommy Lee on Rock Star: Supernova.

Shannon Elizabeth (Season Six): She made it to sixth place, which ensures she'll be remembered for something other than that one naughty scene in American Pie. Not content to be pretty window dressing, Elizabeth worked hard on the show, which can be credited to her increasing comfort level with partner Derek Hough. She ended up dating the 12-years-younger Hough for a while, a sexy coup that all can appreciate.

Kelly Monaco (Season One): A great irony about DWtS: it's considered one of the prime family shows on the air right now, but its first winner was a young woman whose major fame to that point had come via a Playboy centerfold. A history of nudity was not a prerequisite for making this list, but in Monaco's case as in the cases of Burke and Elizabeth, it certainly didn't hurt.

Gilles Marini (Season Eight): Marini has done something unusual: he appears to be in the process of now actually becoming a star for the first time, as a result of having been cast as a DWtS "star" and sending female hearts a-swoon. The male model and Sex and the City naked guy proved to be much more than just a pretty face; many consider him the top male dancer ever on the show.

Mario (Season Six): Mario's success on the pop and R&B charts had happened outside the view of the primary demographic for DWtS, but he quickly made his mark, proving that the younger generation is not completely tacky. What could be sexier than a nice young handsome man who will take you out for a waltz and then sing "Let Me Love You" when it's all over?

Stacy Keibler (Season Two): In the annals of DWtS sexiness, there is Stacy Keibler, and there is everyone else in a distant second place. I will accept no contrary views on this point. Keibler, who was unknown prior to her season unless one really followed professional wrestling, was a revelation with her impossibly long legs and technical skill. In layman's terms, she could really shake it. I don't care if it's on Lou Dobbs Tonight, we need to get her back on TV regularly.

Helio Castroneves (Season Five): I had a choice of athletes and DWtS champions Castroneves and Apolo Anton Ohno for one slot on this list, and I decided to go with the man who drives 200 mph instead of the guy who is four feet tall. The relationship between fast cars and sex has been noted by scholars going all the way back to Chuck Berry, so once he learned the quickstep and brandished that Portuguese accent, it was all over.

Mario Lopez (Season Three): A heartthrob since he was a teenager, Lopez likely would have made this list even had he not proven himself to be an excellent dancer. But his chemistry with partner Karina Smirnoff sparked rumors of a romance from the early stages of the season (rumors that were eventually confirmed), and ever since, fans have been mentally matchmaking every time unmarried dancers are paired up. This sort of speculation has been dynamite for DWtS.

Ty Murray (Season Eight): He was probably cast because his wife is the more famous Jewel, and the notion of having a married couple on DWtS was irresistible. But the rodeo champion won a lot of hearts with his earnest desire to improve (although fourth place was probably stretching it). Women do love their cowboys, and they love it even more when the cowboy makes an effort at cleaning up and dressing up.

Melissa Rycroft (Season Eight): This may come as a surprise to some of you, but the average man does not find women complaining about their bad boyfriends to be sexy. But despite her unpromising introduction to America as a snubbed Bachelor bride, Rycroft was able to use her experience as a cheerleader to her advantage on the show, despite a lack of rehearsal time. She out-sexy'd Holly Madison by virtue of never having had Hugh Hefner's cadaverous hands on her.