*This article contains spoilers for Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars*

Thanks, Alfonso! 

Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars was full of laughter, talent, budding friendships, and of course, dancing! For those of us who tuned in every Tuesday night to watch our favorite couple dance their hearts out, we’re all a bit sad that the season is already over! For 11 weeks we watched so many stars improve and truly become performers with their pro-dancing partners. The contestants this year ranged from your favorite olympic gymnast, to internet influencers, to the best wildlife conservationist we know! 
Let’s all relive some of that love and recap the Dancing With the Stars season 34 finale!

TEN, TEN, AND TEN!

This season of Dancing With the Stars was one of the most-watched in the show’s history! The finale, which aired on Tuesday, November 25th, was the most popular finale in 9 years, and received more votes from viewers than any other season. This year, the Dancing With the Stars finale consisted of 5 different couples: 

  • Influencer Alix Earle and her pro, Val Chmerkovskiy
  • Olympian Jordan Chiles and her pro, Ezra Sosa
  • Conservationist Robert Irwin and his pro, Witney Carson 
  • Influencer Dylan Efron and his pro, Daniella Karagach
  • Actress Elaine Hendrix and her pro, Alan Bersten 

In the finale, these five couples did amazing! This year, the finale was changed to include three dances from each team—which requires so much stamina! Each couple had to perform a Judges’ Choice, where one judge chooses the dance style the couple will perform. After the judges’ choice was the Instant Dance, which was a new addition to the show! In an instant dance, the star of the team chooses a dance style (out of 4 options) live in the moment that the team would then have to perform alongside a surprise song. Essentially, the instant dance is an improvised dance that the couple has to perform on the spot! Each couple does get the chance to practice different dance styles in rehearsals, but live on the air they have to put it all together.

The last dance of the night is a freestyle choice! The freestyle has no rules from the judges, and this is the biggest chance for each couple to show off all of their best tricks, lifts, and skills! The freestyles during season 34’s finale were incredible! Every freestyle from every couple received a 10 from the judges (the three judges being Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough). Check out some of the videos below to watch this season’s freestyles! This author especially loves Jordan Chiles’ chosen freestyle, with help from special guest star and famous singer, Normani!


CRIKEY, IT’S THE MIRRORBALL TROPHY!

The winning couple of this season’s Dancing With the Stars was . . . Robert Irwin and his partner Witney Carson! It was a fantastic adventure to watch Robert and Witney throughout their Dancing With the Stars journey! For their freestyle, Robert and Witney danced to “Black and Gold’ by Sam Sparro and “The Nights” by Avicii. Take a look down below to watch! Both of the Irwin siblings are now winners of the mirrorball trophy! Robert’s older sister, Bindi, won with her partner Derek Hough 10 years ago in 2015 during the show’s 21st season! The Australia Zoo is now home to two mirrorball trophies.

This win is also Witney Carson’s second mirrorball trophy! Witney and her star partner, Alfonso Ribeiro, won Dancing With the Stars in 2014 in the show’s 19th season—just 11 years ago! Alfonso is now one of the hosts of the show, and was able to announce and hand over the mirrorball trophy to his former dancing partner. This finale certainly was a magical night for each of our winners! 

Tuesday nights are going to be a bit more boring now without Dancing With the Stars to keep us company. For now, us fans will just have to keep up with our favorite contestants to see what they do next, reminisce on the highlights of this season, and gear up for whatever comes next on Dancing With the Stars! 

Back to you, Alfonso! 

Episodes from Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+