After one of its most successful seasons, with over 72 million voters tuning in to watch, “Dancing with the Stars” (DWTS) hosted its finale episode on Nov. 25, naming wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and his partner, professional dancer Witney Carson, the winners of Season 34.
For the first time, the couples in the finale performed a total of three dances: a judges’ choice dance, an instant dance challenge and freestyle rounds. Irwin and Carson earned the score of 89 out of 90 possible points. The points were combined with both audience votes and judges’ scores. Due to the fact that the dancers’ placements are not only determined based on the judges’ scores, viewers have an incredible effect on whether the couple gets eliminated or advances to the next night. Since Irwin was a fan favorite, there was a high number of viewers who voted for him and caused him to win the competition. Alix Earle and her partner Val Chmerkovskity took second place and earned a perfect score of 90 points. Jordan Chiles and her partner Ezra Sosa earned 89 points and came in third place, Dylan Efron and his partner Daniella Karagach placed fourth with 88 points, leaving Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten in fifth place with 87 points.
Last year, TV personality and previous star on “The Bachelor,” Joey Graziadei, won the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy after winning the season. The trophy was renamed to honor judge Len Goodman, who passed away from cancer in 2023. Throughout the entirety of season 34, Graziadei had been hosting a podcast, recapping each episodes release. For this year’s finale, Graziadei and his partner, Jenna Johnson, returned to the ballroom and performed once again.
The season’s eliminated stars returned to the ballroom to support the finalists in the last episode. “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” stars Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck, comedian Andy Richter — who was a fan favorite — yoga instructor Hilaria Baldwin, retired National Basketball Association (NBA) player Baron Davis, Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying, actor Corey Feldman, former Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui and “Boy Meets World” star Danielle Fishel all made a featured performance.
Many professionals on the show and select celebrities including Irwin, Chiles, Earle and Efron will be going on a total of 74 live performances across North America throughout 2026. Contestants such as Richter, Fischel and Hendrix will serve as guest hosts in a number of cities.
