Dancing with the Stars Finale Sends Pre-Thanksgiving Buzz to America
By Katie Jamroga
Dancing with the Stars, one of America’s longtime favorite competition-style shows, had its finale last Tuesday. The “stars” competing for the Len Goodman mirrorball trophy included media personality Dylan Efron, actress Elaine Hendrix, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, social media personality Alix Earle, and wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin.
For the week leading up to the finale, social media buzzed with conversation over who should win the competition and walk away with the mirrorball trophy. The two clear fan favorites were Alix Earle, paired with Val Chmerkovskiy, and Robert Irwin, paired with Witney Carson. Earle fans argued that the TikTok star had worked the hardest and improved the most on her dances within the 11 weeks. However, Irwin fans argued that the Australian zookeeper was not only one of the strongest dancers, but one of the brightest personalities and most grateful contestants.
The Earle versus Irwin debate continued right up until the finale, where each contestant had to perform three dances. First, a “Judges’ Choice” dance, where the star danced with their “pro” to choreography by one of the three judges: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, or Bruno Tonioli. Second, an “Instant Dance,” where the couples would perform a randomly-selected style of dance to a random song, with only about one minute to practice it during the commercial break beforehand. Third, a “Freestyle” dance — one of the most popular routines of the entire show — where the couples chose their own style and music and performed a routine entirely of their choice to end their time on the show.
Every star’s routines across the board dazzled fans. One of the highlights included Chiles’ “Freestyle” dance with partner Ezra Sosa, a hip-hop routine to “Bow Down (Homecoming Live)” by Beyoncé and “Motivation” by Normani. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba even commented during the episode, “That is the best freestyle I have ever seen in twenty seasons, hands down.”
But in the end, despite the strong performances from all of the contestants, the results were exactly what the fans had predicted. After Hendrix placed fifth, Efron placed fourth, and Chiles placed third, it came down to Earle and Irwin for the win. Before sharing the winner, host Julianne Hough told the two finalists, “Each of you have individually received more votes tonight than anyone has ever received on Dancing with the Stars, and the gap between you is one of the tightest we have ever seen in a finale.”
With the audience holding their breath and on the edge of their seats, host Alfonso Ribeiro announced that Irwin and Carson were the winners of season 34 of Dancing with the Stars.
What made this result even more magical for the Irwin family was that 10 years prior, Irwin’s sister, Bindi, had won the competition in season 21 with partner and now host, Derek Hough. The legacy of the Irwin family now runs not only at the Australia Zoo, but also on the dance floor.
Even though the Earle fans took to social media to ruthlessly defend their preferred finalist, both Earle and Irwin proved that their skills extend beyond their careers.
