After an action-packed season, the winner of Dancing With the Stars 2022 has finally been revealed.
Following last week's double elimination at the semifinals, only four celebrity contestants remained, heading into the finale; RuPaul's Drag Race star Shangela, The Bachelorette's Gabby Windey, TikTok favorite Charli D'Amelio, and actor Wayne Brady.
During the final, the four remaining contestants and their professional partners were tasked with performing two routines in the hope of winning the Mirrorball Trophy. Each couple had to do a "redemption dance," a redo of one of their routines from earlier in the season chosen by the judges, and a freestyle routine.
Throughout the episode, the Dancing With the Stars co-hosts Tyra Banks and Alfonso Ribeiro recapped the season's biggest moments, and the eliminated contestants returned to perform one final dance.
Selma Blair and Sasha Farber made an emotional return just weeks after the Legally Blonde actress, 50, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, was forced to leave the competition and focus on her health.
The Dancing With the Stars finale marked the last episode starring head judge Len Goodman, who announced on November 14 that he was leaving the show after 31 seasons to spend more time with his family in the U.K.
It was also professional dancer Cheryl Burke's last outing, and the 38-year-old took to the dance floor for a final performance after announcing her own retirement following 26 seasons on the show.
It was a jam-packed episode, and Newsweek has everything you need to know about what happened on the Dancing With the Stars finale, including the performances and who won.
Read more
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- Shangela reacts to Len Goodman's "DWTS" exit and teases if they'd take over
- Why Len Goodman is leaving 'Dancing With the Stars' as judge after 17 years
Dancing With the Stars Finale Performances
Shangela and Gleb
For their redemption dance, Shangela and Gleb Savchenko performed their quickstep routine again, this time to "Queen Bee" by Rochelle Diamante. The pair scored 36/40.
Speaking to Ribeiro after the performance, Shangela discussed the recent shooting at a LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado. "An attack on the LGBTQ community cannot be supported... we need more love, less hate. Just know, there is hope, baby," she said.
Shangela recently spoke to Newsweek about her and Savchenko's finale performance, promising it would be "really epic," and the pair did not disappoint as they returned to the dancefloor for their second routine of the evening.
Savchenko performed in drag as "Natasha" for the routine, the soundtrack for which was a remix of "Survivor / Call Me Mother" by Destiny's Child / RuPaul, and the performance earned the pair a perfect 40/40 score.
Wayne Brady and Witney Carson
Brady and Carson were also tasked with redoing their own quickstep. They performed theirs to "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" by Jackie Wilson and earned a very respectable 36/40 from the judges.
For their freestyle, the duo performed to a remix of "Get Up / 24K Magic" by Ciara ft. Chamillionaire / Bruno Mars, which earned them standing ovation from the crowd, including Brady's daughter, and a perfect 40/40 from the judges.
Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas
TikTok star D'Amelio and her partner Ballas performed their jive again, to rave reviews from the judges.
The routine was performed to "Grown" by Little Mix and earned them a perfect score.
D'Amelio and Ballas then earned a second maximum for their freestyle, which they danced to "Us Again" by Pinar Toprak.
Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy
Windey and Chmerkovskiy also earned perfect scores for both of their finale performances.
First, the pair re-did their cha cha to "I Like It Like That" by Pete Rodriguez and then, for their freestyle, they performed a passionate routine to "Cell Block Tango" from the musical Chicago.
Who Won Dancing With the Stars 2022?
Following the performances, it was time for the final results.
D'Amelio and Ballas, and Windey and Chmerkovskiy, were tied at the top of the leaderboard with perfect 80/80s each, while Brady and Carson, and Shangela and Savchenko, were also tied, both with a total score of 76/80.
Banks and Ribeiro revealed the results of the public votes, confirming that Shangela and Savchenko had finished in fourth place, with Brady and Carson in third.
After revealing that it had been "one of the closest finales in the history of the show," the hosts then announced that the winners of Dancing With the Stars Season 31 were D'Amelio and Ballas.
Following her win, D'Amelio was full of praise for her dance partner, saying: "Thank you so much for the opportunity. Thank you, Mark, for becoming my new best friend."
She also mentioned her mom, Heidi, who also competed in this year's season, saying: "It was such a honor to be able to do this with you."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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