Former “Bachelor” Joey Graziadei was named champion of the “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom.
THE reality TV star and her professional partner Jenna Johnson defeated American Olympian Ilona Maher and pro Alan Bersten, who placed second in the final minutes of the eight-week competition on ABC.
“I feel like Jenna totally deserves this and this is it for her,” Graziadei said after winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. “It means everything, this whole experience has been amazing, honestly. Ilona, you have been amazing this season. I love you. All finalists, judges, thank you for your patience. I did my best, I promise!
Five semi-finalist couples qualified for the final. The other three were: Disney Channel alum Chandler Kinney and his partner Brandon Armstrong, who came in third place; Olympic gymnasts (aka “Pommel Horse Guy”) Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold, who placed fourth; and former NFL star Danny Amendola and Witney Carson, who placed fifth.
In a piece reflecting on his time on the show, Graziadei said he felt “completely overwhelmed” when he started training and wasn’t sure he deserved to compete. ‘The Bachelor’ Season 28 star, who was the franchise’s first contestant to win ‘DWTS,’ said he went from nervous in Week 1 to “confident and excited” about dancing final.
As is usually the case with “Dancing With the Stars” contestants, he said the competition was “the hardest thing” he’s ever had to do.
“The mental aspect of this competition was hands down the hardest thing I’ve done,” he said. “I have to learn routines and perform them correctly in front of people in a week. The actual stress is crazy.
Graziadei said Us every week that he “passed out” after winning and only remembers Johnson “screaming very, very loud” and hugging her. He also remembers last season’s winning pro, Val Chmerkovskiy, Johnson’s husband, coming on stage to hand them the disco ball.
“I remember that (trophy) was heavier than I thought and that was it. This is where we are right now. And now here we are,” he said.
Maher – who became a social media sensation with her behind-the-scenes dispatches from the Paris Olympics – accepted the loss with grace, hugging her partner as confetti fell in the ballroom and thanking her later fans on Instagram for following him.
“Thanks for everything, guys. Your vote is the reason we came in 2nd place,” she and Bersten wrote in a joint statement. “Of course, it’s not a first, but honestly, we’ve won in many other ways. So lucky to have been partners and to have shared this incredible journey. We will remember it forever.
For the finale, each duo performed a freestyle accompanied by additional dancers, as well as a “judges’ redemption” dance. Graziadei, tennis teacher before his “Bachelor” years, played a tennis-themed dance set to “Canned Heat” and a redemption cha-cha set to “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” making up for his lackluster Week 1 spin.
Judge Derek Hough called the cha-cha “a punctuation mark that lets everyone know you’re one of the main contenders on this show.” The cha-cha earned the pair three perfect 10s from Hough and fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Although their tennis freestyle failed to “pass” for Inaba, who gave them a 9, it did earn them two perfect 10s from Hough and Tonioli.
“We did so much work…everyone did it, but that meant the world obviously had to understand that and, you know, end with an exclamation point,” Graziadei said Wednesday during his tour of victory on the ABC broadcast. “Hello America.”
Graziadei also said he’s “going to take a little break from reality TV” after back-to-back stints on both ABC series.
Graziadei said “The Bachelor” and “DWTS” were both “incredible.” “I obviously had an amazing fiancée and I now have a disco ball, so it’s been a great year for me,” he added, referring to his engagement to Kelsey Anderson.
Maher was instructed by Tonioli to perform a jive as a redemption dance – the same type of dance that brought her to tears during the previous week’s judging. The rugby player, who is also famous performed a jazz number as Luisa from “Encanto” during the Disney evening of the competition, delivered an upbeat jive set to “Shake a Tail Feather” this earned her and Bersten a 9 from each judge.
For her freestyle, the bronze medalist showcased her femininity with a high-octane performance to “Femininomenon” that Inaba said blew her away and earned them three perfect 10 scores.
Meanwhile, Live Nation announced Wednesday that Nedoroscik will join Dancing With the Stars: Live! 2025 tour as co-host, with Maher and other fan favorites joining the traveling dance show on select dates. The show will make several stops in California this spring.
The actors will perform in Redding, Santa Rosa, San Jose and Temecula on March 22, 23, 25 and 30 respectively. Between April 3 and 5, the tour will stop in Santa Barbara, Indio and Los Angeles.
