By Abigail Holliday
Staff Writer
“Dancing with the Stars” just wrapped up 33 seasons with Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson taking home the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy.
Graziadei is a 29-year-old who transitioned from a contestant on “The Bachelorette“ to being crowned “The Bachelor” on the shows’ 28 season, according to People Magazine.
Johnson is a 30-year-old professional dancer who has been on “Dancing with the Stars” for eight seasons. She was also partnered with Jojo Siwa in Season 30, according to People Magazine, making them the first same-sex pairing on the show.
This season included two Team USA Olympians, Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik, a former NFL player, Danny Amendola, and TV stars Graziadei and Chandler Kinney. Another notable celebrity was Anna Delvey, a famous criminal and con artist, who was eliminated in the first round with Ezra Sosa.
The finalists included Amendola and Witney Carson, Graziadei and Johnson, Kinney and Brandon Armstrong, Maher and Alan Bersten, and Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold.
Graziadei and Johnson started strong in the finale, dancing the Cha Cha to “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake as their redemption dance chosen by the judges, and finished with a freestyle to “Canned Heat” by District 78 featuring Jake Simpson. Their freestyle dance was inspired by Graziadei’s love for tennis and stemmed from the fact that before his stint on “The Bachelor,” he was a tennis coach in Hawaii.
The duo ended the night with a final score of 117. They earned a score of 30 for their redemption dance – a perfect score – and a 29 for their freestyle from the judges.
Carrie Ann said their routine was “underwhelming” and that they lost their energy in the middle. The crowd and other judges, Derek Hough and Bruno Toniolo, vehemently disagreed to the point that she was booed.
Ilona and Alan came in at a close second place, with Chandler and Brandon in third place, Stephen and Rylee in fourth place, and Danny and Witney in fifth place.
Actress Xochitl Gomez and dancer Val Chmerkovskiy, the winners of “Dancing with the Stars” Season 32, passed the torch to Graziadei and Johnson. This is extra special for Johnson since her husband, Chmerkovskiy, was the one to be the first to award her winner and celebrate.
It was also announced that Kinney, Maher, Graziadei and Nedoroscik will all be joining the DWTS Live 2025 Tour, with Stephen co-hosting, according to Today.
