The glittering finale of Dancing With the Stars Season 33 concluded on Tuesday night with Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson lifting the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy. The victory capped off a season filled with dazzling routines, emotional moments, and record-breaking voting, as viewers played a pivotal role in crowning the champions.
The finale began with a unique twist. Instead of the usual high-energy opening number, the show opened with 30 minutes of pretaped segments featuring the judges breaking down the finalists’ journeys. The celebratory atmosphere quickly picked up, though, with returning celebrities performing to Madonna’s “Holiday.”
This season leaned into dramatic and newsworthy moments, such as Anna Delvey’s poignant dance to Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing,” where she joined the stage during the word “nothing.” Rumored couple Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber, along with ex-partners-turned-dance-duo Gleb Savchenko and Brooks Nader, added intrigue with a routine to Peaches & Herb’s “Reunited.”
Season 32 champions Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy made an appearance, dancing to Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.” Mark Ballas and Derek Hough paid homage to the roots of the Argentine Tango with their electrifying performance of “Libertango” by Tango Bardo. Meanwhile, the DWTS LIVE 2025 Tour pros performed a high-energy routine to Troye Sivan’s “Rush.”
In the finale competition, each finalist performed two routines: a redemption routine assigned by the judges and a freestyle routine that showcased their creativity and skill.
Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold opened the competitive performances, earning praise from Carrie Ann Inaba, who said the late Len Goodman “would be very proud.” Their freestyle, performed with Stephen’s gymnastics teammates, moved the audience to tears and earned a perfect score.
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson delivered a redemption Cha Cha that secured the first perfect 30 of the night. While their freestyle routine fell short for Inaba, who called it “underwhelming,” their overall performances throughout the season were enough to earn them the championship.
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson brought the house down with a hot-pink Ken-and-Barbie-themed freestyle. Derek Hough lauded it as “one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever seen on this show.”
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