“Dancing With The Stars” Champion Facing Jail Time After Arrest
on Oct 28, 2025
Melissa Rycroft Won Season 15 Of Dancing With The Stars
Melissa Rycroft Strickland gained overnight fame when she was dumped on live television after winning The Bachelor. She became engaged on the 13th season of The Bachelor, but during the live finale, Jason Mesnick broke up with her after revealing he still had feelings for the runner up, Molly.
Rycroft had the whole country rallying around her and gained even more attention when she was cast on Season 8 of Dancing With The Stars with just 48 hours notice.
Partnered with Tony Dovolani, Rycroft placed third behind actor Gilles Marini and Shawn Johnson. She returned for Season 15’s All Star season and was partnered with Dovolani once again.
Rycroft and Dovolani ended up winning Season 15, this time beating her Season 8 co-star Shawn Johnson.
After her Bachelor breakup, she reconnected with a former partner, Tye Strickland. They were married in 2009 and have three children together.
Rycroft Was Arrested In September
On September 23, the former Bachelor star was arrested on “suspicion of driving while intoxicated” in Dallas, Texas, according to TMZ. She was booked into a local jail and released on a $1,000 bond eight hours after being locked up.
Her lawyer, Bret Martin, released a statement to the outlet saying, “I want to remind the public of the fundamental principle of our justice system…every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We, as a society, have gotten completely away from this fundamental concept. My Client was arrested on the allegation of Driving While Intoxicated. An arrest is no indication of guilt.”
He continued, “It is imperative that we closely examine the circumstances of this case-including the conduct of law enforcement, the toxicology results, and the facts surrounding her arrest-before any conclusions are drawn. We respectfully request that the media and the public allow the legal process to unfold, and withhold any judgment whatsoever until all of the evidence has been properly analyzed and presented in a court of law.”
Melissa recently responded to a comment on her September 3rd Instagram post after a fan said, “I made the same mistake over 2 years ago because of a perfect storm of bad life events. There’s no excuse, but it happened. Don’t ever forget that you are beautiful, loved and blessed. But most of all, you are human.”
She responded, “Thank you. Life really sucks right now and I’m struggling, but I’m trying to march forward….but thank you for the sweet words in what seems like a world of negativity.”
She Will Face Jail Time
Us Weekly reports that the former reality star will face time in jail. Prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against Rycroft Strickland for “operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and for having an alcohol concentration level of 0.15 or more at the time her blood analysis was performed.”
Texas law states that a person convicted of DWI for the first time faces a mandatory three dails in jail and up to 180 days incarcerated, a $2,00o fine, and a year suspension on their driver’s license.
Her hearing is scheduled for sometime in November.
