A new celebrity has been crowned the winner ofDancing with the Stars!
After 10 weeks of competition, TikTok starCharli D’Amelioand her partnerMark Ballaswere named the season 31 champions ofDWTS.
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The evening also featured two retirement celebrations: proCheryl Burketook the dance floor for a final performance afterannouncing her retirement following 26 seasons, andLen Goodman, whoannounced his retirement last week, was honored with a tribute video and his own mirrorball trophy.
First Round: Redemption Dance
Shangela and Gleb Savchenko
Shangela said it was “scary” to end up in the bottom two for the first time, but now, “It’s full steam ahead to the mirrorball trophy.”
Reflecting on her journey, Shangela said she thought herHalloween Night performancewas her “breakthrough moment” after receiving a perfect score.
“I’ve only been at the top of the leaderboard once,” she added, noting that she wants to prove to others “if you can commit, you can do it… now it is time to show them why I deserve to win.”
“Your frame was so much better,” he said, though he did acknowledge, “You went on the wrong foot.”
Carrie Ann Inabatold Shangela “you excite me” and pointed out “that was way more elegant” than her first time performing the quickstep. Len said “the improvement was vast” and called their dance “dynamic” whileDerek Houghcommended Shangela for her historic run on the show and called her dance “fantastic.”
Score: 36/40
Wayne Brady and Witney Carson
Wayne said he was “surprised” to be in the finale, “but I wouldn’t have wanted to start this journey unless I knew I would be standing here.” He also spoke about the challenges his busy schedule posed and emphasized how he “wanted to prove to myself” that he could do this.
Wayne and Witney welcomed Len into rehearsals, where he told the pair that he wanted them to redo their quickstep. “I wanna see a really good frame,” he told them.
Speaking to cameras, Wayne said: “The redemption dance, I can’t even stress how important it is because everything is going to be critiqued within an inch of its life. This week is a big one — trust me, we are going to bring it.”
Bruno added that “whatever you do, you make it look good,” and Carrie Ann commended Wayne, telling him, “Your posture and frame are so improved… you are so balanced when you dance.”
Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas
Charli said she was “so excited” about her scores last week. “What a way to go into the finale!” she celebrated.
Reflecting on her jive earlier in the season, which was performed duringweek five on Prom Night, Charli told Mark, “I don’t think I spent enough time working on the character aspect.”
The duo then welcomed Carrie Ann into rehearsals to help with their redemption jive. “I’m looking for a little bit more emotion,” she told the TikTok star.
Len said “I think this was even better than the last one,” while Derek noted it’s hard to believe how far Charli has come. “It’s remarkable and it’s crazy — the nuance, the attention to detail,” he said.
Bruno declared Charli as the “queen of jive” and said she was “as good as I’ve ever seen.”
Score: 40/40
And she certainly did. After the routine, Derek said she was “born to perform” and commended her “quality of movement” and “texture.”
Second Round: Freestyle
The pair then set their sights on their freestyle routine, with Wayne noting, “I want to make people feel something.” He added, “For this freestyle… we are going in. This is the last dance where I can bring home that mirrorball.”
Len said there were “lots of fantastic moves” and Derek said “he’s a fan of [Wayne’s] for life.” Bruno was in full support of the routine, noting, “You always perform like the greatest showman.”
Carrie Ann praised the 50-year-old actor, telling him he was “keeping up with all the young boys, showing ‘em how it’s done.”
Afterward, Wayne said of their dance: “That was freestyle was a perfect way to cap everything off. I got to do it with my new little sister. I’ve learned so much from [Witney]. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks but that’s bull… I’m learning.”
For her last dance, Charli said she was sad to reach the milestone. “I’m having fun!” she told Mark.
“I lost everything I was because of this career,” she said of being a TikTok star. “And then I realized, it’s this. It’s dance.”
“I didn’t think I would fall back in love with dancing. This is the happiest and most myself I’ve felt,” she added. “I’ve gotten to rediscover this part of me that I’ve loved for so long and then just closed the door on. WinningDancing with the Starswould be the icing on the cake.”
Derek was also in tears, telling Charli and Mark, “That was so powerful… you two, your connection. Thank you.” Derek also said he could relate about losing the love of dance, “so the fact that you guys found that, it makes me so happy.”
“That was pure, unquestionable excellence. It was a celebration of dance in all its forms,” Bruno said, as Carrie Ann added, “You took the more challenging, difficult [path]… you are almost beyond human when you dance.”
Len said “no one, as far I know, has gotten 10’s for six weeks running. This was a culmination of everything. Fantastic choreography… it was just spectacular.”
Speaking to Alfonso, Charli said she hopes to continue dancing after the show ends. “I found a new version of myself that I want to continue to be and that’s all thanks to Mark,” she said.
“We’ve come so far and then it just ends. It’s so crazy but I think it is such a blessing to feel the bittersweet,” she said, later noting that their freestyle must be “outside of the box and pull out things the judges haven’t seen — that’s why I’m really excited for this performance.”
She added, “I think I’ve gained a lot of confidence since the beginning and I’ve really grown as a woman and a dancer.”
“You had so much charisma out there,” said Len, adding, “Even when you had a slight wardrobe malfunction.”
Derek added, “I absolutely loved it. The concept from beginning to end was sensational.”
In her final rehearsal, Shangela admitted she had no idea how her partner would react to working with her at the beginning of the season — but credited Gleb for his partnership.
“I stepped into your world and you never shut me down. I wouldn’t wanna be doing this dance with anybody else,” Shangela said after Gleb told her she’s been his favorite partner so far.
Setting her sights on the freestyle, Shangela vowed to bring “everything I know about the world of drag into this performance.” She added that it would be “high-energy” and a “nonstop rollercoaster.”
Carrie Ann praised Shangela afterward, telling her, “Anything you do, you do with your heart wide open!”
Derek noted, “We’ve never seen something like that on the show before. It had magical, it had aerials… I couldn’t imagine a better way to finish season 31,” and Bruno joked, “I feel like I won the lottery!”
After the epic performance, Shangela told Alfonso, “Drag belongs everywhere… we promised you a show and we gave you a show!”
Results
Then, it was time for the results. Shangela and Gleb finished in fourth place, while Wayne and Witney placed in third.
After “one of the closest finales in the history of the show,” Tyra and Alfonso announced that the winner ofDWTSseason 31 was Charli and Mark.
Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas.disney+
“Thank you so much for the opportunity, thank you Mark for becoming my new best friend,” Charli said after winning, as she added to her mom Heidi, “It was such a honor to be able to do this with you.”
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Dancing with the Starsseason 31 is streaming in full on Disney+.
source: people.com
