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“Dancing with the Star’s” just crowned a winner!
Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas took home the Season 31 mirrorball trophy.
The pair had some tough competition going into the finale, including Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy; Wayne Brady and Witney Carson; and Shangela and Gleb Savchenko.
Each of the teams performed a redemption dance, chosen by the judges, and freestyle dance.
For their redemption dance, Charli and Mark were asked to perform their jive from Prom Night, and Carrie Ann Inaba told D’Amelio in rehearsals that she was looking for “more emotion.”
After they performed to Little Mix’s “Grown,” Carrie Ann praised her for dancing “with her heart,” while Len Goodman said it was “even better” than before. Derek Hough told the TikTok star it was “remarkable” how far she’d come. Bruno Tonioli called Charli the “queen of jive.” The improvements earned Charli and Mark a perfect score.
For their second dance, the duo performed a freestyle number to Pinar Toprak’s “Us Again.” They earned a standing ovation from the crowd, and Derek was emotional calling it “powerful.” Bruno called it “a celebration of dance in all its forms” and Carrie Ann told Charli “you are almost beyond human when you dance.” Len thought the performance was “spectacular.” Again, they earned a perfect score.
At the end of the show co-hosts Tyra Banks and Alfonso Ribeiro announced Charli and Mark as the winning team. Charli shared, “Thank you so much for the opportunity, thank you Mark for becoming my new best friend.” She also told her mom Heidi, who competed on the show this season, “It was such a honor to be able to do this with you.”
During the episode the eliminated teams were back to perform as well. Selma Blair, who left the season early due to health reasons, joined partner Sasha Farber for a contemporary number as fellow contestant Jordin Sparks sang “No Air” live.
The night also honored judge Len Goodman and pro dancer Cheryl Burke, who are both leaving the show.