Xochitl Gomez and partner Val Chmerkovskiy became the first pair to win Dancing With the Stars’ Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy during the Tuesday, December 5, season 32 finale.
“Oh my god, there’s so much confetti,” Gomez, 18, exclaimed as she cried tears of joy. This is the third time Chmerkovskiy, 37, took home the win as a pro on the ABC series.
DWTS’ grand prize was renamed to honor Goodman in September. Goodman, who died at age 78 in April, served as a judge on the reality competition series from 2005 to 2022.
Before the winners of the coveted prize were announced, the five final couples each took the stage twice. The duos performed both a freestyle and a redemption routine, the latter of which allowed the pros another go at a dance they struggled with earlier in the season.
Alyson Hannigan and partner Sasha Farber tried their hand at redemption first, performing a salsa to “Get on Your Feet” by Gloria Estefan. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba told Hannigan, 49, that she wanted to see her bring more sex appeal to the dance this time around.
“You did an amazing job. Something is so different about you,” Inaba, 55, told the actress after the performance. “You are a different person than the person who walked in on that very first episode. You have grace, you have confidence now.”
Jason Mraz, meanwhile, was tasked with a foxtrot for the redemption round.
“The first time he performed [the foxtrot], he had some problems because the frame was very tight,” Bruno Tonioli said to cameras before telling Mraz, 46, that he looked like he was “carrying a sack of potatoes” during rehearsal.
However, Mraz and partner Daniella Karagach’s practice paid off and the pair earned a perfect score.
“Pure classic ballroom foxtrot,” Tonioli, 68, said, praising the “old school Hollywood leading man” flavor that Mraz brought to the dance.
Karagach, 30, broke down in tears while listening to the judges’ feedback and proceeded to gush about Mraz to cohost Julianne Hough.
“I’m just so proud of him, the human being that he is,” Karagach said. “Week 4 was a struggle for us and the fact you were able to push through and be in this final so open heartedly and just want it so bad is just so refreshing.”
Ariana Madix also impressed the judges with her samba, which Derek Hough wanted her to attempt again so she could “slow it down” and show off the “lines and control” that characterize the dance.
“Giving you the samba in a finale is mean, but Ariana, you’re a samba queen!” Hough, 38, gushed after the performance, giving Madix, 38, a standing ovation.
One finalist, however, received some criticism after her redemption dance. Although Inaba praised “the passion and connection” between Charity Lawson and partner Artem Chigvintsev that she was missing during their first tango, she said she “had to call out” a mistake in the choreography.
Despite Inaba’s critique, Hough called Lawson’s tango “the best dance of the night so far.”
Last but not least, Gomez and Chmerkovskiy danced a foxtrot. Tonioli told Gomez that she “lost balance” the first time she attempted the dance and “hit it so cleanly” that her arm movements weren’t as elegant as they should’ve been.
After the performance, Tonioli was satisfied. “Your musicality is like part of the orchestra,” he told Gomez. “It really is a delight watching you.”
The finalists weren’t the only ones who performed during the finale; all the previously eliminated season 32 couples returned for an opening number set to “Young Hearts Run Free” by Candi Staton as well as a jive to “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” by Mariah Carey.
Last season’s champions, Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas, also showed their stuff during the episode, performing a routine set to “Give It To Me Baby” by Rick James.
Keep scrolling to see all the performers’ scores from the season 32 finale:
Sara Donnellan
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