Tuesday, December 5, the always entertaining competition show, “Dancing with the Stars,” (DWTS) culminated its 32nd season with a finale filled with surprises and wow factors. Starting with 16 celebrities during the Disney+ premiere September 26, DWTS Season 32 provided audiences with enough entertainment to last a lifetime— or at least, until the next season. After a grueling, yet rewarding, eleven weeks of injuries, perfect scores and roaring support from the audience, the season finale of DWTS’ 32nd season showed the impact of leaving one’s heart on their sleeve.
For the first time in the show’s duration, the finale of DWTS Season 32 not only featured five finalists, but it aired live for three hours on Disney+. The five celebrity finalists— veteran actress Alyson Hannigan, “Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix, former Bachelorette Charity Lawson, Grammy-winning singer Jason Mraz and Marvel star Xochitl Gomez—all experienced significant highs, lows and triumphs which appeared in full force during the finale. The episode began with interviews from the celebrities and their partners, as well as the show’s judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, detailing exactly how each finalist could potentially secure the evening’s win. Instead of finalists vying for the iconic mirrorball trophy, they aimed to win the revamped Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, modeled after the late judge Len Goodman who passed away last year.
The opening number featured every eliminated contestant from the 32nd season alongside their pro dancers and ensemble cast. From popular Vine star and comedian Lele Pons to supermodel Tyson Beckford, fans faced utter delight from seeing their favorite contestants dancing once again on their screens. The exciting number ended with the finalists flying sky high over the dance floor on disco balls, a hilarious, yet heartwarming beginning to end of the program’s current season.
This season, scores and viewer votes from both the semi-finals and the finals combined to fully scope out the amount of success contestants demonstrated on the dance floor and with the audience. The first half of the competition began with the Redemption Round, where finalists set out to dance in a style they faltered on earlier in the competition. Each contestant also received personal coaching from one of the three judges, in addition to teachings from their professional dance partner or their pro. Hannigan began the round by performing a Salsa with her partner Sasha Farber and receiving advice from Inaba. The omnipresent charm Hannigan displays once again appeared during this routine, earning her and Farber 25 points out of 30. Madix and Lawson— alongside their partners Pasha Pashcov and Artem Chigvintsev respectively — both scored 29 points during their dances. Mraz and Gomez, who both performed elegant Foxtrots for their Redemption dances, scored a perfect 30 out of 30, thus adding 30 extra points to their cumulative scores.
This season in particular represented the purpose of the Redemption dance round— showing vast improvement over time. Each celebrity received improved scores with the specific dance styles the second time around. The feats accomplished by each celebrity showed the cruciality of working toward a goal, no matter how high-achieving it may appear.
“I started watching it with my friend and I loved seeing the character development [within the dancers]. A lot of the people on the show gained a newfound appreciation for dance, and how difficult it is to perform week after week on live television. [In my opinion], it helped them learn a lot more about themselves and what they could achieve,” magnet freshman Elise Gallant said.
Following a whirlwind round of competing, the finale showcased the talent of the rest of their pros who faced elimination earlier in the season, as well as their celebrity partners and blasts from the past. In a Christmas-themed number set to a cover of, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” DWTS hosts Alfonso Ribero and Julianne Hough began the number by singing along to the merry song. Halfway through the performance, former winning celebrities and pros appeared and elicited squeals of joy from the audience: season 19 champion and former pro, Witney Carson, season five winner and race-car driver Hélio Castroneves, season 24 victor and former NFL running back Rashad Jennings and season 28 champion and former Bachelorette Hannah Brown. The reappearance of these notable DWTS figures led fans to further speculate a third All-Star season for the program shortly. Season 31 winner Charli D’Amelio and her partner Mark Ballas performed a special dance for the finale, and D’Amelio also presented the winners of Season 32 with the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy later on during the night. Fan favorite and “The Brady Bunch” star Barry Williams also performed a quick dance with his partner, Peta Murgatroyd right after the show returned from commercials.
For the second round of competition, the finalists performed Freestyle dances featuring songs, styles and elements near and dear to them. Lawson and Chigvintsev opened up the round with an electrifying cheer-themed number, featuring stunts and tricks that resulted in Lawson injuring her jaw. Nevertheless, Lawson executed her dance successfully, resulting in her score of a perfect 30 out of 30, thus granting her a total of 118 points for the finals and semifinals. Mraz and his partner Daniella Karagach followed, performing an upbeat number filled with flicks, footwork and beaming smiles from the pair. After them came Madix and Pashcov who delivered a confident and red-hot dance set to both “Run the World (Girls)” by Beyoncé and “Level Up” by Ciara, which displayed Madix’s growth in confidence throughout the season, in light of the events of Scandoval. Hannigan channeled both her love for performing and Taylor Swift during her freestyle, which opened to the tune of “Enchanted.” Hannigan finished the routine on an energetic note, and fortunately, received her first 10 of the season from Tonioli. Gomez and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy once again ended off the round with her freestyle, which honored her heritage and her enthusiasm, and she earned her fourth perfect score in a row for the two combined evenings.
As the audiences at home and in-person awaited the results of the competition, Mraz performed his hit single, “I Feel Like Dancing,” alongside the pro dancers, which also featured a musical appearance from Hough. Afterward, everybody in the ballroom silently gathered to see the winner of DWTS Season 32.
Hannigan, to no surprise, received fifth overall out of the finalists. Lawson and Madix respectively placed fourth and third, which ultimately left Mraz and Gomez as the last two standing for the win. In the end, 17-year-old Gomez came out on top and became the second Hispanic/Latino winner after Laurie Hernandez. This win also served as the third victory for her partner, Chmerkovskiy, alongside Rumor Willis in Season 20, and Hernandez in Season 23. Fans and loved ones cheered for the duo as they clutched their trophies in hand with grins on their faces.
“I loved the finale! I for sure was happy that Val and Xotchitl won. My favorite part was all the freestyle dances and getting to see the cool costumes and dances that were choreographed. I loved this season,” Gallant said.
The 32nd season of DWTS showcased the importance of strong support systems and believing in oneself. By leaning on the love of friends and family, each finalist showcased how the people around them aided in their push toward the win. Since the events of Tuesday, online support of Gomez has skyrocketed, with fans of the actress ecstatic for her win. Although a legion of viewers wished for Mraz to take home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, the majority of feelings toward Gomez’s win remain positive. Overall, the warm feelings presented at the end of this historic season stand as beneficial momentum for the future of the show’s viewership in later seasons.
