The Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy for Dancing With the Stars Season 33 was anyone’s to win given the level of artistry, dedication, and skill that all five finalists exhibited throughout the season and going into last night’s finale. The winning couple was Bachelor star Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson, who turned in consistently great performances over the last 13 weeks.
The show’s judges – Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli – were raising “10” paddles freely throughout the night. However, Inaba gave Graziadei and Johnson a “9” for their tennis-themed freestyle, which elicited some strong reactions from the show’s studio audience.
“I was a little defeated [by that],” Johnson told TV Insider on the post-show press line right after the finale. “I thought Joey did absolutely exquisite in it. But I was actually brought back to my season with Adam Rippon [in 2018]. I think we got [three] 8’s and I was so defeated then, but we ended up winning.”
Graziadei already felt like a winner when he received a shoutout in a pre-taped video package during the show from his fiancé Kelsey Anderson. “She said I have got a leg up on her for [our wedding] dance,” the Mirrorball champion said with a smile.
Johnson likewise feels like a champion in the relationship department. She credited her husband Val Chmerkovskiy, who was eliminated earlier in the season with Phaedra Parks, for helping her win her second trophy. “He’s been my No. 1 supporter throughout this,” she raved. “He’s been Mommy and Daddy [to our son Rome] for us right now while I’ve been getting ready for this.”
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“I don’t even know how I felt [when we won],” Graziadei said. “I honestly blacked out. I remember Jenna screaming really loud. I remember hugging her and Val coming in. This [trophy] is heavier than I thought it would be!”
What’s next for the winning couple? They’re both set to take part in some of the DWTS Tour. (Click here to see when the show might be coming to a city or town close to you.)
Graziadei shared that he and Kelsey have settled into a new place in Los Angeles where they’ll be situated for the foreseeable future. The former Bachelor star could have the option of having a private wedding or, given his increased popularity, the possibility of a televised special – if that were to fit in with ABC’s programming needs. The risk of that, however, is that the day becomes more public than private.
“We’re both in the process of starting to figure it out and we both said what we want it to be for us,” he said. “So, however you want to take that. We’ll figure out what it is. But it’s going to be just for us and we’re going to make sure it’s something special that we can look back on.”
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong came in third place. Like Graziadei and Johnson, they performed well and scored highly very consistently throughout the season. “I’m just happy to be here,” Armstrong told TV Insider before he, Kinney, and the other couples headed to the airport to fly to New York City for TV appearances. “I really am. It’s a win for me to be here,” he added.
“It was more important for our freestyle to be brilliant than our placing,” Armstrong philosophized. “Joey is so amazing. We’re all very proud of him and Jenna.”
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Kinney is not only happy to have competed alongside Olympians (runner-up Ilona Maher, fourth place finisher Stephen Nedoroscik) but also to have taken Armstrong to the finals for the first time in his career. “I’m very proud of that,” she said.
The show opened up Kinney to a whole new audience but she feels that audiences could have gotten to know her even better through some of the pre-dance video packages had they been edited a bit differently. “I wish they had shown my struggle more,” she admitted with a slight laugh, “because I did struggle! I cried in many rehearsals because it was really hard and I never wanted it to look easy. Beyond that, I wouldn’t change anything I did because I was true to myself and grateful.”
Football star Danny Amendola and Witney Carson came in fifth place but had some of the most memorable dances this season including their Wolverine/Deadpool Jazz performance to “Bye, Bye, Bye” during Disney Night. Speaking of the big screen, does Carson have any aspirations for a career in scripted TV or films? “Carrie Ann just asked me if I’ve ever acted,” Carson shared. “I’ve thought about it, but I think dancing is where I’m at right now.”
“She can really sing, too,” playfully interjected Amendola, prompting Carson to respond with a laugh, “No, I can’t!”
After a beat, she added, “Heck, if they call me, I’ll do an audition…sure, why not?” Amendola offered in support, “I think you’d be awesome.”
The pressure of learning a new dance or even two each week is now over, but Nedoroscik says he’s facing a new challenge now that he’s taken on the role of hosting the upcoming Dancing With the Stars tour. “I’m thinking, ‘Oh, man, I have to host this tour!’” the pommel horse champion said with an enthusiastic smile.
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