‘Dancing With the Stars’ champs Joey Graziadei, Jenna Johnson react to winning the Season 33 mirrorball — and taking the title from Val Chmerkovskiy
Congrats are in order for Joey Graziadei, who made history as the first male contestant from “The Bachelor” to win “Dancing With the Stars!”
The reality TV star and his pro partner, Jenna Johnson, took home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy during Tuesday night’s three-hour finale. Placing second was Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten, followed by Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong in third, Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold in fourth and Danny Amendola and Witney Carson in fifth.
“I really don’t know how I’m feeling right now, it’s a crazy, crazy process,” Graziadei joked following his win. “We are finally out of it so now we get to celebrate and enjoy it. And I don’t what’s next just quite yet. I want to be in Los Angeles and I’m open to so much.”
It was also an extra special moment for Johnson, as her husband — Season 32 mirrorball champion Val Chmerkovskiy — and his former dance partner, Xochitl Gomez, presented the two with their shiny new trophies.
“I don’t know if that’s ever happened in ‘Dancing With the Stars’ history,” Johnson told Page Six of the celebratory moment for their family. “I can’t wait to see that video. So many people told me they took a video of him passing it off and celebrating. I just appreciate Val so much and this whole process.”
“I’m just so, so grateful. This has been my favorite season ever,” she continued. “To be able to share this moment with Joey, and now have one of these [trophies] that we get to share forever is insane.”
Meanwhile, co-host Alfonso Ribeiro revealed that “this was the tightest season” in regards to who was going to be walking away with the prize.
“I really believed that everybody could win. There was no clear winner,” he exclusively told Page Six in the ballroom. “There was no one who was going to get the fan vote, the emotional vote, what they were doing on the floor. I could make a case for every one of them.”
Additionally, the show broke multiple records this season thanks to viewers at home taking time to vote for their favorite dance duo each week.
“I truly believe that ‘Dancing With the Stars’ is back! Hopefully we get next season on the air quickly, and we keep this momentum going,” teased Ribeiro, who co-hosts the series with Julianne Hough.
This is the second win for Johnson, who also took home the Season 26 mirrorball trophy with former Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon.
Former “Bachelor” alums who have competed on the show include Jake Pavelka (Season 10), Sean Lowe (Season 16), Chris Soules (Season 20), Nick Viall (Season 24), Joe “Grocery Store Joe” Amabile (Season 27) and Matt James (Season 30).
While Graziadei is the first male from the franchise to secure a win, two former “Bachelorette” stars have nabbed the top prize in recent years: Hannah Brown (Season 28) and Kaitlyn Bristowe (Season 29).
Following Tuesday night’s finale, Page Six also spoke with Season 33 runners-up Maher and Bersten, who gushed over their “incredible night” in the ballroom.
“I’m very proud of myself. I’m proud of how far I’ve come,” Maher explained. “I’m proud of continually wanting to improve and knowing that I can do better. And I’m super proud of Alan for being so patient with me and creating dances that really showcased me in such a positive light.”
The Olympic rugby star then gave a shout-out to all her fans and supporters, saying they’re “a big reason” why she and Bersten got to second place.
“I think girls really resonated with seeing me out there,” the athlete shared. “Being a big girl, being a really strong girl, I still always felt beautiful [dancing], always felt like a ’femininomenon.’”
The two performed a fan-favorite “freestyle” routine to District 78’s version of “Femininomenon” by Chappell Roan, incorporating several nods to various moments from both the 2024 Paris Olympics and “DWTS” that have gone viral on TikTok.
“I think Ilona is exactly what you see and we just wanted to encapsulate that into this dance,” Bersten explained of how the performance came to be.
“I wanted to show her incredible personality, her incredible improvement in dancing. She is a star. She is so good at dance now and I’m so proud of her.”
Next up, fans can catch Maher, Bersten, Graziadei, Johnson and more pros and celebrities from this season hitting the road for the “Dancing with the Stars: Live 2025” tour.
The show — co-hosted by Nedoroscik and Emma Slater — kicks off Jan. 7 at the Altria Theater in Richmond, Va., and wraps April 5 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Tickets can be purchased at dwtstour.com.
