'Dancing With The Stars' Awards First Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy
By Afouda Bamidele on December 6, 2023 at 8:45 AM EST
"Dancing with the Stars" Season 32 finally has its winners!
In the final episode that aired Tuesday night, Marvel star Xochitl Gomez and her professional partner Val Chmerkovskiy emerged victorious, claiming the prestigious Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. The medal was renamed in September in honor of the dance competition's longtime head judge, Len Goodman, who passed away in April.
The 'DWTS' Finalists Had To Show Their Expertise In Two Dance Categories
The "DWTS" Season 32 finale commenced with an energetic opening number featuring this season's professional dancers and the return of their celebrity partners, including Barry Williams, Mauricio Umansky, Lele Pons, Harry Jowsey, and Mira Sorvino.
The entire dance was done to Candi Staton's 1976 chart-topper "Young Hearts Run Free" alongside the five finalists, who made a grand entrance into the ballroom, descending from the ceiling while suspended on their disco balls.
Adding to the festivities, Season 31 champions Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas made a comeback to the stage, delivering a performance to the tune of Rick James' "Give It to Me Baby." Halfway through the finale, the professional dancers treated the audience to a Christmas-themed performance.
The presentation included a surprise appearance by season 5 star and race car driver Hélio Castroneves, former professional Witney Carson, season 24 champion and NFL star Rashad Jennings, and season 28 champion and former "Bachelorette" Hannah Brown.
Finalist and singer-songwriter Jason Mraz took the stage for a live performance of his song "I Feel Like Dancing," accompanied by the pros and judge Derek Hough.
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As for the finale, each pair showcased their skills with two performances — a redemption dance, revisiting one of their routines from earlier in the season, and an expressive freestyle.
"How I Met Your Mother" star Alyson Hannigan and her professional partner Sasha Farber commenced with a lively salsa to Gloria Estefan's 1989 hit "Get on Your Feet," earning a score of 25/30.
They followed up with an even more impressive freestyle, dancing to "Enchanted (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift and "Papi" by Jennifer Lopez, securing a score of 28/30.
Unlike their counterparts, Mraz and Daniella Karagach earned perfect scores for both performances. They were foxtrotting to Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" and freestyling to C2C and Derek Martin's "Happy."
For their samba to the 1997 hit song "Spice Up Your Life" by Spice Girls, Ariana Madix and Pasha Pashkov scored 29/30. The dance couple's freestyle to Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls) and Ciara's "Level Up" got them a perfect 30/30 score.
Charity Lawson and Artem Chigvintsev tangoed to "Libertango" by Astor Piazzolla for a score of 29/30 before freestyling to "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child and "Suéltate" by Sam i and Jarina De Marco featuring Anitta and BIA and scoring 30/30.
The night's champions proved why they deserved the mirrorball by foxtrotting to Katy Perry's 2013 single "Unconditionally" and freestyling to District 78's "Que Calor" and getting perfect scores, per Variety.
Len Goodman Honored With Change In The 'DWTS' Trophy
In September, The Blast reported that Conrad Green, the executive producer for the hit ABC show, disclosed that "DWTS" contestants will now vie for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
The producer unveiled plans to introduce the redesigned trophy during the Season 32 premiere show, taking a moment to honor Goodman. In his words:
"The Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy will now be lifted on 'Dancing With the Stars' like the Vince Lombardi trophy is lifted at the Super Bowl."
The "Crime Scene Kitchen" showrunner emphasized that the show aimed to make Goodman an integral and enduring presence, intending to "always remind people of the importance" of the late English professional ballroom dancer.
Green continued, stating that the remembrance performance on the show will be an emotional and moving moment. He added, "Len loves this show and will always be there, looking down on us."
He further expressed admiration for the late Goodman's keen eye for detail and extensive knowledge of dance and credited him with contributing significant respect to the show.
The People's Choice Awards winner noted that "dancers always wanted to know what Len thought of their performance," thereby enhancing the credibility and reputation of the renowned dancing competition.
