And the Dancing With the Stars Mirrorball Goes To…
Spoilers follow for the finale of Dancing With the Stars season 33.
Dancing With the Stars has handed out its final rose of the season. Former Bachelor star Joey Graziadei took home the mirrorball trophy on Tuesday night, winning the season 33 finale alongside pro partner Jenna Johnson. After cha cha-ing to “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake, the pair freestyled to “Canned Heat” by District 78 featuring Jake Simpson. Even though judge Carrie Ann Inaba didn’t think that the dance moves with glowing rackets were a … serve, voters evidently had plenty of love for the tennis-themed performance. No other Bachelor has ever made it to the finale of the ABC dance competition show, let alone won. As Graziadei’s fiancée Kelsey Anderson pointed out, he’s set the bar pretty high for the first dance at their wedding.
Four other couples competed in the finale. After redemption dances, they each had one last chance to win the judges and viewers over. Rugby Olympian Ilona Maher earned her first perfect score for a femininomenonal freestyle with Alan Bersten, ultimately placing second. (At least she got to reference a viral moment and quip that she’s “never been better, Carrie Ann.”) Actress Chandler Kinney and pro Brandon took third place. As the first Black duo to make it to a Dancing With the Stars finale, they chose to turn their last dance into a tribute honoring the Nicholas Brothers and other Black artists who came before them. Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and pro Rylee Arnold got on his home turf (a pommel horse) and placed fourth, while football player Danny Amendola and his Kenergy landed in fifth with pro Witney Carson.
As with any election that involves American voters, there’s currently a lot of discourse online about the results. If it helps, there’s still a chance that you might get to see your fave onstage again, depending on who you were rooting for. During the finale, hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough announced that Nedoroscik will co-host the Dancing With the Stars 2025 live tour. Kinney and Graziadei will also appear in several select cities, while the schedule currently has Maher down for one date (April 5 in Hollywood). Sorry to the Danny stans!
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