After months of hard-fought competition, it came time to crown the winner of Dancing with the Stars Tuesday. Five pairings earned their chance to dance for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in the season 33 finale.
In the semifinals, the couples were tasked with preparing one ballroom and one Latin dance each, to a style and song of their choosing. Ex-Bachelor lead Joey Graziadei earned his first perfect score of the season with an impressive foxtrot performance, while Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik sank to the bottom of the leaderboard with a cha-cha that fell short.
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Amidst last week's heated elimination, hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough announced they would be sending all five couples to the finale. This choice followed suit with the show's 32nd season but bucked DWTS' usual trend of keeping just four contestants for the finale.
In the concluding episode, stars performed a redemption dance to a style they'd previously learned in competition and a highly-anticipated freestyle routine. Several celebrities had breakthrough performances, including Stephen Nedoroscik and Ilona Maher who both snagged their first perfect scores in the freestyle round.
Here are the final results and scores from the DWTS Season 33 finale.
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Dancing with the Stars scores tonight
Redemption Dance Round
This will be updated during the show. Dancers are listed in the order they appeared.
| Contestant Name | Judges' Score |
| Stephen Nedoroscik | 29 |
| Joey Graziadei | 30 |
| Danny Amendola | 27 |
| Ilona Maher | 27 |
| Chandler Kinney | 30 |
Freestyle Dance Round
This will be updated during the show. Dancers are listed in the order they appeared.
| Contestant Name | Judges' Score |
| Stephen Nedoroscik | 30 |
| Joey Graziadei | 29 |
| Danny Amendola | 29 |
| Ilona Maher | 30 |
| Chandler Kinney | 30 |
Leaderboard
This will be updated during the show.
| Ranking | Contestant Name | Combined score (semifinal and final) |
| 1 | Chandler Kinney | 118 |
| 2 | Joey Graziadei | 117 |
| 3 | Ilona Maher | 114 |
| 4 | Stephen Nedoroscik | 112 |
| 5 | Danny Amendola | 110 |
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10:58 p.m. — JOEY AND JENNA WIN IT! Season 32 champions Xochitl Gomez and Jenna's husband Val Chmerkovskiy present the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy to the duo. Ilona and Alan are runners-up.
THE WINNERS AND NEW CHAMPIONS OF DANCING WITH THE STARS ARE…
— The DWTS Report (@dwtsreport) November 27, 2024
JOEY GRAZIADEI AND JENNA JOHNSON#DWTS pic.twitter.com/5lpWL4QKNa
10:55 p.m. — Ribeiro and Hough announce fifth place for Danny and Witney, fourth for Stephen and Rylee, and third for Chandler and Brandon. It's down to just Joey and Ilona for the Mirrorball Trophy.
10:51 p.m. — It's finally time the name the winners of season 33!
10:47 p.m. — Hosts Ribeiro and Hough announce that Nedoroscik will be hosting the DWTS tour in the offseason, and that Chandler, Ilona and Joey will be joining at select tour stops.
10:45 p.m. — The professionals perform one last dance together to celebrate this landmark season.
10:43 p.m. — Voting has officially closed.
10:38 p.m. — IT'S A 30! Kinney secures a perfect night, and her and Armstrong make history as DWTS' first black couple to make it to the final. She edges out Graziadei for the top spot on the leaderboard.
10:37 p.m. — At the judges table, Carrie Ann calls the dance "beyond impressive" and "important". Derek tells Kinney she should be proud, and Bruno sings praises to the couple.
10:34 p.m. — Chandler and Brandon perform their freestyle to "Hellzapoppin" by Eyal Vilner Big Band and "Move on up" by Curtis Mayfield. The dance starts out in black and white, then transforms into a colorful disco vibe.
10:32 p.m. — CHANDLER AND BRANDON: The duo plans to perform a freestyle that honors black performers from throughout history.
10:27 p.m. — IT'S A 30! Maher tallies her first perfect score of the season!
10:26 p.m. — Each judge raves about Maher, claiming her dance was extremely impactful and a spread a great message.
10:23 p.m. — The couple performs a fun freestyle dance to "Femininomenon" by Chappell Roan, and it's started by a commentary from Maher where she quotes her iconic line of the season — "Been better Carrie Ann". Several other professionals make cameos in the dance.
10:21 p.m. — ILONA AND ALAN: In their freestyle, Maher and Bersten are looking to encapsulate the Olympic rugby player's message of female empowerment.
10:16 p.m. — IT'S A 29! Yet again, Carrie Ann gives out a nine, while the other two judges give 10s.
10:14 p.m. — After the dance, Derek calls his performance one of the most entertaining he's ever seen on the show. Bruno and Carrie Ann give minimal critiques.
10:12 p.m. — The pairing performs their freestyle to a mashup of "Pink" by Lizzo and "I'm just Ken" by Ryan Gosling.
10:10 p.m. — DANNY AND WITNEY: For their final dance, Amendola and Carson are channeling Barbie and Ken.
10:04 p.m. — IT'S A 29! Bruno and Derek hand out 10s, but Carrie Ann sticks to a 9.
10:02 p.m. — The judges are impressed, though Carrie Ann calls it a tad "underwhelming", with some unfinished movements. Derek disagrees, giving Joey a standing ovation, and Bruno calls it original and totally unexpected.
10:00 p.m. — Joey and Jenna perform their unique freestyle, incorporating notes of a Tango and Paso Doble. It's set to "Canned Heat" by District 78.
9:58 p.m. — JOEY AND JENNA: For his freestyle, Joey is including some tennis innuendos. Prior to the Bachelor, Graziadei was a tennis instructor in Hawaii.
9:52 p.m. — IT'S A 30! The pair gets their first perfect score of the season! Arnold's sister Lindsay is in the skybox, who used to be a professional on the show.
9:51 p.m. — At the judges table, Bruno compliments the athleticism and artistry in their dance, and Carrie Ann gets emotional after watching. Derek recounts watching the gymnast on television during the Olympics.
9:48 p.m. — The two dance their freestyle to "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay. Nedoroscik and his friends show off some of their gymnastics skills in the dance.
9:47 p.m. — STEPHEN AND RYLEE: The couple plan to incorporate the pommel horse, and some of Stephen's gymnastic friends into their freestyle dance.
9:46 p.m. — It's now time to move onto the second round of highly-anticipated freestyle dances. Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik will lead off the group once again.
9:43 p.m. — Judge Derek Hough and three-time DWTS professional champion Mark Ballas team up to perform a traditional Argentine Tango routine. The two are best friends, and grew up dancing together.
9:36 p.m. — IT'S A 30! Kinney notches her third perfect score of the season, keeping her at the top of the leaderboard with Joey Graziadei.
9:35 p.m. — The judges praise Kinney completely. Carrie Ann compliments her for overcoming a harder season than most competitors, and Derek points out the difficulty level she accomplished this time around.
9:33 p.m. — The pairing performs a red-hot jive to "APT." by Rose and Bruno Mars.
9:31 p.m. — CHANDLER AND BRANDON: The Disney actress is tasked with a jive for her redemption dance. Judge Carrie Ann noted she wanted to see a higher level of energy this time around.
9:27 p.m. — After commercial break, alleged showmances Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko and Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber perform a steamy dance to "Reunited". Another highlights reel details the second half of the season.
9:23 p.m. — Eliminated celebrity Reginald Veljohnson and professional partner Emma Slater dance an interlude to the "Family Matters" theme song.
9:21 p.m. — IT'S A 27! The judges hand out all nines for the redemption jive.
9:20 p.m. — Judge Bruno gives great praise for Maher's improvement and determination. Carrie Ann happily compliments the routine, but calls out a small hesitation, and Derek notes it a "true redemption".
9:19 p.m. — Maher and Bersten show off their new jive to the song "Shake a Tail Feather" by Ray Charles and the Blues Brothers
9:16 p.m. — ILONA AND ALAN: For their redemption round, the pair will perform a jive, which they last attempted on hair metal night.
9:12 p.m. — Season 32 champions Xochitl Gomez an Val Chmerkovskiy perform a brand new routine to "Piny Pony Club" by Chappell Roan. The two will soon pass the torch to the winners of season 33.
9:04 p.m. — A highlight reel from season 33 is played, refreshing the audience on dances from each week of competition.
9:02 p.m. — IT'S A 27! The judges give nines out across the board.
9:01 p.m. — At the judges table, Derek gives a great review with minor critiques on his leg movement. Bruno compliments the lines, shape and step placement, and Carrie Ann claims Amendola has made the biggest transformation of the men remaining. She points out a small hesitation in the routine.
8:59 p.m. — Amendola and Carson dance their Tango routine to "I Had Some Help" by Morgan Wallen and Post Malone.
8:57 p.m. — DANNY AND WITNEY: For the couple's redemption dance, the hosts pick a Tango. Amendola did a Tango in their very first dance of the season.
8:56 p.m. — After commercial break, eliminated celebrities Tori Spelling and Anna Delvey perform a dance break with partners Pasha Pashkov and Ezra Sosa.
8:50 p.m. — IT'S A 30! Joey gets his second perfect score of the season, after getting his first just last week.
8:48 p.m. — After, Derek has rave reviews for Joey, exclaiming he "enjoeyed" the routine. Bruno claims it was polished, synchronized, and immaculate. Carrie Ann praises Joey's consistency throughout the entire season, and calls him deserving of the Mirrorball.
8:47 p.m. — The two dance an uplifting routine to "Can't Stop the feeling" by Justin Timberlake.
8:45 p.m. — JOEY AND JENNA: The Ex-"Bachelor" lead is next up. For their redemption dance, judge Derek Hough chose a cha-cha for the couple, which was their Week 1 dance style.
8:40 p.m. — IT'S A 29! Carrie Ann and Bruno give 10s, while Derek gives a 9.
8:38 p.m. — At the judges table, Bruno has all positive comments. Carrie Ann claims Len Goodman "would have been smiling", and that it was her favorite performance of Stephen's. Derek calls out a miss in the middle of the dance, but details the improvement he's seen.
8:37 p.m. — Dressed in bright orange, the couple dances to the "Friends" theme song, "I'll Be There for You"
8:35 p.m. — STEPHEN AND RYLEE: The pairing start off with a quickstep as their redemption dance. The judges felt Stephen needed to work on his musicality in this style.
8:32 p.m. — The final five contestants make their debut onstage.
8:29 p.m. — Everyone is finally out on the stage! The hosts, professionals and celebrities collaborate on an electric opening number to get the dancing started. Eliminated celebrities Anna Delvey, Tori Spelling, Reginald Veljonson, Eric Roberts, Brooks Nader, Phaedra Parks, Jenn Tran, and Dwight Howard dance with their partners to Madonna's "Holiday".
8:21 p.m. — Backstage, Julianne speaks with Danny and Stephen, who are excited to start dancing. Lastly, Carrie Ann gives an analysis of Stephen's skill, stamina and strength as a star on season 33.
8:17 p.m. — After the commercial break, Bruno is giving a judge's perspective on Danny's growth throughout the season. He commends him for his physical and powerful performances in episodes past.
8:09 p.m. — Ribeiro speaks with Ilona and Alan backstage, who comedically allude to what their freestyle is going to look like. Now, Bruno raves about Ilona and what makes her a unique contender in the finale.
8:06 p.m. — Judge Derek Hough now gives his insider opinion on Joey, illustrating some of his performance quality and showmanship from past episodes.
8:05 p.m. — Backstage with hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, they ask Chandler and Joey how they're feeling about their performances. Each explain their excitement and nerves.
8:03 p.m. — The show is starting with comments from the three iconic judges on each of the remaining contestants. Carrie Ann gives a glowing review of Chandler Kinney first, walking the audience through some of her previous dances.
8 p.m. — The finale has begun and voting is officially open!
7:45 p.m. — It's almost time for competition to start! Dancing with the Stars has officially announced each couple's selected dance styles and songs.
Who was eliminated on Dancing with the Stars?
- Episode 2: Anna Delvey and Tori Spelling
- Episode 4: Reginald VelJohnson and Eric Roberts
- Episode 5: Brooks Nader
- Episode 6: Phaedra Parks
- Episode 7: Jenn Tran
- Episode 8: Dwight Howard
- Episode 9: No elimination
In a last-second reveal, it was announced that there would be no elimination in last week's semifinals episode.
How does Dancing with the Stars scoring work?
The show's scoring is divided into two categories: Judges and audience. During the episode, the three judges each give the dancers a score from 1 to 10.
This season, Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli return as judges. Before the audience votes, the judges give the dancers a maximum of 30 points. There are some guest judge appearances and their votes are also out of 10. When a guest judge is included, the maximum points go up to 40.
This is where the scoring can get confusing. It isn't exactly the number of points a dance gets, but how that number relates to the total number of votes the judges gave out. Let's say the judges give out 100 points throughout the round; Dancer A gets 10 and Dancer B gets 20. Before audience votes are tallied, Dancer A will have 10 percent of the judge's vote and Dancer B will have 20 percent.
Let's say Dancer A got 35 percent of the public vote and Dancer B only got five percent. Dancer A's final score would be 45 percent of the vote and Dancer B would have gotten 40 percent. In this example, Dancer A would move on and Dancer B would be eliminated.
Scoring is the percentage of the judges' votes added to the percentage of the audience's votes for a total score.
How to vote for Dancing with the Stars
You can cast your vote for your favorite dancers either through ABC's website or text messages. A number will pop up on the screen during the broadcast, and you can text the dancer's first name to that number to register a vote.
Usually, you are limited to casting up to five votes or the number of contestants remaining, whichever is higher. This year, you get 10 votes per competitor, per voting method.
Voting is only live during the original DTWS broadcast in the ET/CT slot.
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