London Dernis
Online Editor
Season 33 of Dancing with The Stars (DWTS) came to its conclusion in a dazzling three-hour finale. Airing on Nov. 26, the night was full of shocking scores, friendly faces, and of course, new mirrorball champions. The finale featured five couples, deviating from the usual four. It included Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong, Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson, Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten, Danny Amendola and Witney Carson, and Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold. The scores from the previous week were carried into the week’s scores. These scores would then be joined by scores from each pair’s redemption and freestyle dance. Like every week, the DWTS finale kicked off with a stunning opening number before getting into the redemption dances. Redeeming their quickstep, Stephen and Rylee scored a 29/30. With yet another perfect score, Joey and Jenna got a 30/30 for their redemption cha cha. Danny and Whitney left the stage with straight 9s after a redemption tango. Similarly, Ilona and Alan took home a 27 with a fun redemption jive. Chandler and Brandon maintained their spot at the top of the leaderboard with another perfect score for their “APT” redemption jive. While they don’t need to redeem themselves, season 32 champions Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy returned to the stage with a stunning dance to Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.” Then, head judge Derek Hough surprised everyone when he got out of his seat and onto the stage with former DWTS pro Mark Ballas for an Argentine tango. The pairs were now ready to showcase their freestyle dances. Freestyle is a fan favorite as it has no categorical boundaries and is meant to showcase all that was learned over the season. A standout freestyle of the night went to Stephen and Rylee. The couple got their first perfect score to “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. The dance featured Stephen’s Olympic teammates and captured Stephen’s Superman moment.With their freestyle, Joey and Jenna were one point away from a perfect score on their final dance (thanks, Carrie Ann). They danced in honor of Joey’s love for tennis, full of racket swings and neon lights. While many have left Barbie behind in 2023, Ken is still here in the form of Danny Amendola. Danny and Whitney’s fun dance was full of fun references to Barbie characters and showed how much growth Danny has had since episode 1. They received a score of 29/30. Ilona, alongside Alan, made her mark as a true “Feminonenon” with her freestyle to Chappell Roan. This memorable dance was glistening in progress, jokes, and an all-around good time. The obvious hard work was worth it when the pair received their first perfect score. Chandler and Brandon’s dance was one for the history books as the first Black duo to make it to the show’s finale. Their freestyle was a celebration and acknowledgement of this, featuring the show’s first ensemble cast of all Black dancers. Their dance received yet another perfect score. After dancing their hearts out, all five pairs lined up to receive their final placings. In fifth place was Ken (Danny). Fourth went to Superman (Stephen) himself. Chandler, after leading the majority of the weekly leaderboards by judge votes, ended in third. This proves just how important audience votes are when it comes to deciding the winner. After Chandler’s surprising departure, the victory came down to Ilona and Joey. But first, a commercial break had to commence. In the words of Alfonso, “Thanks Julianne.” That 2-minute break felt like ages, but upon return, the wait was up. At the end of the night, it was season 32 winner Val Chmercovsky who got to pass the title down to his own wife. That’s right, Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson have been crowned the season 33 Mirrorball Champions. But fear not fellow fans, the show’s not over yet. In its off-season, DWTS will be going on tour. All the pros will be coming along except for Val Chmerkovsky, Jenna Johnson, and Sasha Farber. Additionally, three celebrities will dazzle the stage with their appearances. First and foremost, Stephen is joining the tour as the co-host alongside Pro Emma Slater. Chandler Kinner, Ilona Maher, and the new Mirrorball Champion, Joey Graziadei, will join the crew at specific dates. Tickets are going fast so make sure to check if the DWTS tour is coming to a city near you.
Caption: Courtesy of abc7ny.com.