Joey Graziadei and partner Jenna Johnson took home the Mirrorball Trophy during the Dancing With the Stars season 33 finale, which aired on Tuesday, November 26 — making him the first Bachelor to ever take home the title.
“I feel like Henna deserves this fully and it’s all for her,” he said after Jenna’s husband and fellow pro, Val Chmerkovskiy, handed them the trophy. “It means everything, this whole experience has been unbelievable.”
Earlier in the evening, Derek Hough praised Joey’s prowess on the dancefloor.
“Joey Graziadei, the showman. Joey is a natural performer,” he gushed. “Versatile, consistent and unmatched in musicality. Week after week he confidently handles complex choreography showcasing impressive range.”
Throughout the evening, the final five couples performed two dances each — a redemption dance and a freestyle. Each couple’s redemption dance was in a style chosen by one of the judges.
Stephen Nedoroscik went first, with a Quickstep to “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts, which received high praise from Carrie Ann Inaba who said the late Len Goodman would have been “smiling from ear to ear” after watching their routine. Joey’s went next with a Cha Cha redemption dance, and Bruno Tonioli compared the former Bachelor star to a pro dancer after his performance.
When it came time for Danny Amendola‘s redemption, he was tasked with a Tango. However, received only nines from the judges. Amendola told viewers to “strap it up” for their Freestyle, which was coming up. Ilona Maher‘s redemption Jive which was “so much better” than her first attempt, according to Derek. The redemption round came to an end with Chandler Kinney‘s electric Jive.
Then, it was time for the Freestyles routines, which it was mentioned several times, can “make or break” a contestant. Some of the stars decided to feature what their best at for the Freestyle. Stephen went the gymnastics route while Joey focused his final dance on tennis. Ilona even had a mini-tribute to rugby within her routine.
Danny, meanwhile, channeled his inner Ken for an “I’m Just Ken” routine. Chandler went a more sentimental route while she and partner Brandon Armstrong — the first-ever all-Black pair making it to the DWTS finale — paid tribute to Black performers who came before them.
Keep scrolling to see every score from the DWTS season 33 finale:
