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"Dancing with the Stars" has crowned its new champion.
After a whopping 72 million votes during the live finale, "DWTS" came to a triumphant end Tuesday, Nov. 25, naming Robert Irwin and pro partner Witney Carson the winners of Season 34.
The pair earned the highest score tabulation of both audience votes and judge decisions. They beat out the remaining couples: Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach; Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy; Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa; and Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten.
Irwin and Carson scored an 89 out of 90 total possible points throughout the night. Earle took second place with Chmerkovskiy and earned a perfect 90 out of 90 total possible points.
Chiles and Sosa came in third place, Efron and Karagach in fourth place, and Hendrix and Bersten came in fifth place.
For the first time in "DWTS" history, the remaining couples performed a total of three separate new dances. The jam-packed night featured a judges' choice dance, an instant dance challenge, and freestyle rounds performances.
All of the Season 34 couples made a return to the ballroom with additional performances to "Sugar on My Tongue" by Tyler, The Creator, "Applause" by Lady Gaga and "I Don't Dance" by Alexander Jean. There were several other performances, including an opening number to "Never Can Say Goodbye" by The Communards, choreographed by Joey Pizzi.
Follow along for a recap of the night, including the final tally.
Who won 'Dancing with the Stars?'
After a particularly competitive season, Robert Irwin, wildlife conservationist and son of the late, great Steve Irwin, nabbed the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy alongside Carson.
Irwin and Carson scored an 89 out of 90 total possible points throughout the night.
Ahead of the finale, Irwin's pro dancing partner shared that he had suffered an injury in a TikTok video posted on Tuesday, Nov. 25. "Robert's ribs have been killing him, and more will be revealed on Tuesday, and you guys can get a better idea of what we've been dealing with all week," Carson said in the video.
Carson also described the finale as bittersweet, as the past 11 weeks of dance rehearsals have been exhausting physically and emotionally. "My body is feeling it. Robert's body is feeling it. We're, like, kind of falling apart right now," she said. "Just trying to keep it together."
Final 'DWTS' Season 34 finale scores
A 3-hour show and over a dozen dance numbers later, the final scores are in. Here's how each couple did in the eyes of the judges:
- Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: 90
- Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: 88
- Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: 87
- Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: 89
- Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: 89
Alix Earle earns her third perfect score of the night during Round 3, Freestyle Dance
For the third and final round, Earle and Chmerkovskiy danced their freestyle to a mashup of "Maneater" by Nelly Furtado and "Sports Car" by Tate McRae, earning her third perfect score of the night.
Here's how each contestant scored in the Freestyle Dance Challenge category:
- Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, 30/30
- Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, 30/30
- Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, 30/30
- Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, 30/30
- Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, 30/30
Season 33 winners Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson return to the ballroom
"DWTS" couple Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson put on their dancing shoes one more time for the Season 33 finale of the dancing competition. After winning last season's Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, they performed a dance routine set to "Tanguera" by Fabio Hager Sexteto.
Round 2, Instant Dance Challenge scores during 'DWTS' finale
Once again, for the second round, Earle took the stage first. She and partner Chmerkovskiy danced a Cha-Cha to "Where is My Husband" by Raye, with her second perfect score of the night. Out of the five couples, Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten were the only ones who did not receive a perfect score from the judges for Round 2.
Here's how each contestant scored in the Instant Dance Challenge category:
- Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, 30/30
- Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, 30/30
- Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, 27/30
- Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, 30/30
- Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, 30/30
How 'DWTS' finalists did during Round 1, Judges' Choice scores
For the Judges' Choice round, Earle took the stage first. She and Chmerkovskiy danced a samba to "Hip Hip Chin Chin" by Club des Belugas, to the tune of a perfect score.
Here's how each contestant scored in the Judges' Choice category:
- Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, 30/30
- Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, 28/30
- Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, 30/30
- Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, 29/30
- Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, 29/30
Eliminated 'DWTS' cast members return to support finalists
The star-studded night also featured performances from all the season's eliminated stars, including fan favorite Andy Richter and polarizing reality star Whitney Leavitt. The two became defining personalities this season as the show, a stalwart of network television, crested a ratings wave and welcomed scads of younger viewers.
"Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" stars Jen Affleck, Alec Baldwin's wife Hilaria Baldwin, retired NBA player Baron Davis, Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying, "The Goonies" actor Corey Feldman, former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui, and "Boys Meets World" star Danielle Fishel all returned to the ballroom to support the top five finalists.
'DWTS' judge Carrie Ann Inaba replies to heckler during live finale
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba wasn’t going to ignore a yell from the audience after she was critiquing finalist Jordan Chiles's performance. After a heckler rushed to the gymnast's defense, calling her a "queen," Ann Inaba halted her comments to shout, "What? What did you say?" Co-host Alfonso Ribeiro then geared the interaction toward finalist Derek Hough, saying, "Alright, alright, it's alright. Don't worry about that — Derek, you're up."
Revisit the most dramatic moments of 'DWTS' Season 34
Contributing: Lianna Norman, Palm Beach Post; Samantha Neely, FortMyers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who won 'Dancing with the Stars'? Full finale recap
Reporting by Anna Kaufman, Pamela Avila and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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