Dancing with the Stars crowned Xochitl Gomez and her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy the champions of Season 32 during the finale episode that aired Tuesday night on ABC.
The Marvel star and Val won the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy based on the judges’ scores and viewer votes from last week that were combined with the judges’ scores and votes from the live three-hour finale broadcast.
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“Oh my gosh,” Xochitl said, clearly feeling emotional and speechless after Dancing with the Stars host Alfonso Ribeiro announced her victory.
“Why is there so much confetti on me?!” she joked.
The finale results marked Val’s third time winning Dancing with the Stars.
Two-time Grammy winning singer Jason Mraz and pro partner Daniella Karagach finished as the runner-up couple.
Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix and pro partner Pasha Pashkov placed third.
The Bachelorette star Charity Lawson and pro partner Artem Chigvintsev finished in fourth place, and American Pie actress Alyson Hannigan and pro partner Sasha Farber claimed fifth place.
Xochitl and Val were crowned champions after two rounds of competition critiqued by Dancing with the Stars judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
Round 1 featured the five finalist couples each performing a redemption dance in which they were asked to improve on a dance style they previously performed.
And for the second round, each pair took the stage with a fun freestyle routine in which there were no rules or guidelines.
Xochitl and Val topped the judges’ two-week leaderboard with a perfect score of 120 points. They had received four perfect scores in the last two weeks from the judges for their four routines.
On Tuesday night, Xochitl’s redemption dance was their foxtrot from Week 3 of the competition, and they received a perfect score of 30 points for the encore performance.
Carrie Ann called the performance “breathtaking” and said Xochitl exuded so much power. And Derek acknowledged how Xochitl thrived under pressure and the dance was “smooth as silk.”
Xochitl and Val then danced a Latin and hip-hop freestyle routine that also earned a perfect score of 10s across the judging panel.
Bruno said Xochitl had brought the house down with her artistry and ability to present a scene. He called her “an outstanding talent.”
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Carrie Ann praised Xochitl for how she represented herself throughout the competition, and Derek gushed about her apparent connection with “Dad Val.”
“[You are] the most consistent, captivating, charismatic dancer on this show. Unreal!” Derek added.
Charity and Artem finished in second place on the judges’ two-week leaderboard with a total of 118 out of 120 possible points.
Charity and Artem first delivered an improved version of their tango from Week 1, and they earned 29 judges’ points for Round 1.
Carrie Ann noticed a mistake but she thought the performance was wonderful, and Derek dubbed it “the best dance” of the redemption round.
Charity and Artem followed that up with a 30-point worthy freestyle that was inspired by Charity’s cheerleading past.
Derek said it felt like Charity had been waiting all season to do that and they’ve never seen anything like that in the history of Dancing with the Stars.
Bruno said he nearly had a heart attack watching that thrilling and speculator performance that was filled with tricks. And Carrie Ann praised Charity for the level of difficulty in the dance and for showing viewers something new.
Two couples — Jason and Daniella as well as Ariana and Pasha — tied for third place on the two-week leaderboard with a total of 117 points each.
Jason and Daniella initially repeated their foxtrot from Week 4 and earned 30 judges’ points for the routine.
Bruno said the late judge Len Goodman would’ve loved that dance because it was a pure and classic foxtrot, and Derek called the dance “absolutely stellar” and “sensational.”
For their freestyle dance, Jason and Daniella performed a fast-paced Lindy Hop dance that also received 30 points from the judges.
Bruno said it was an exciting and uplifting extravaganza, Carrie Ann thought the dance was wonderful, and Derek complimented Jason on the nonstop dancing and how it was a “phenomenal” spectacle.
Ariana and Pasha took the stage with their Week 2 samba and earned 29 judges’ points for their improved version of it.
“Giving a samba in the finale is mean, but Ariana, you are The Samba Queen!” Derek shouted.
Bruno also pointed out how Ariana had worked every movement with energy and enthusiasm.
Ariana and Pasha then impressed with a powerful freestyle to the Beyonce hit “Who Run the World,” which received 30 additional judges’ points.
Carrie Ann yelled about how the dance was “off the charts” and Ariana showed what an empowered woman looks like.
Derek said he gave the stank face the entire time because he was loving it so much and that Ariana shined. And Bruno added how Ariana was at the top of her game and looked “hot as hell.”
And finally, Alyson and Sasha landed in fifth — and last — place on the two-week leaderboard with a total of 104 points.
Alyson and Sasha’s redemption dance was their salsa from Week 1, and the judges scored them 25 points for the new and improved version.
Carrie Ann said Alyson did an amazing job and showed grace and confidence. Derek gushed about how it was “insane” how much Alyson had improved since doing that routine in the first week of competition.
Alyson and Sasha’s freestyle paid tribute to Taylor Swift, but the couple was two points why of earning their perfect score of the season.
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Derek said Alyson had given her all and the performance was fantastic, and Bruno labeled Alyson “the people’s champion.”
Carrie Ann added how everything came together and it was truly Alyson’s finale; however, she and Sasha only received 28 points for the dance.
About The Author:
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.