'Dancing With the Stars' finale: It's a mirrorball miracle for…
SPOILER ALERT: This recap of the Season 25 finale of Dancing with the Stars contains spoilers.
‘Twas the night of the finals! It’s Thanksgiving week, but for the Dancing With the Stars finale, it was all about Christmas as the 25th mirrorball champion was crowned in a holiday-themed spectacular at The Grove, complete with Nutcracker troupe members, shirtless elves, and a snowstorm in 80-degree weather. Len was even Santa. Ho ho ho.
For the second night of the Season 25 grand finale, the final three couples danced a repeat of their favorite past performance as well as a new 24-hour Fusion Challenge dance. And for the first time ever, viewers were able to cast a last-chance vote online during the finale, which meant, for once, the judges didn’t have the last word.
Christmas miracles are great, but mirrorball miracles are even better—and Jordan Fisher got one. In the final seconds of the live show, Jordan and pro dancer Lindsay Arnold were crowned the new Dancing With the Stars champs, capping off a whirlwind season that scored them the blingiest mirrorball trophy yet, specially designed for Season 25.
While Jordan’s win wasn’t exactly surprising—he was a frontrunner early on—on this show, one misstep can shatter the dreams of even a shoe-in. It truly isn’t over until the final dance. The win marked Lindsay’s first first-place title in the celebrity ballroom competition as she knocked a hungry Mark Ballas into the runner-up slot.
Here’s how the final dances played out.
Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold: 30/30 + 30 /30 – (140 total for both nights)
A series of rejections as a child actor-singer led Jordan Fisher to Hamilton on Broadway—he never gave up. And in true form, a second performance of his Week 2 samba was pure perfection. “You draw the audience to you like a magnet,” Bruno Tonioli told him. “You’re world class.”
A salsa-Paso doble combo encompassed Jordan’s fusion dance, and it was perfect enough to earn the biggest rave reviews from the judges all night. Carrie Ann Inaba even said Lindsay became a better pro dancer by dancing with the Broadway star. Then this happened: “I think you’re the most complete male celebrity we’ve ever had on Dancing with the Stars,” Len Goodman said.
Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas: 30/30 + 30/30 – (140 total for both nights)
From her America’s Got Talent rejection to her game-changing YouTube debut, Lindsey Stirling’s career has had its highs and lows. But for the DWTS finale, it was all highs. After a perfect-scoring redo of her “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” Guilty Pleasure dance, Len told the violin virtuoso, “Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am — that was a jive!”
For the fusion dance, Lindsey and Mark danced a cha cha–tango fusion that was so good even Len couldn’t be a Grinch. “You’re a wonderful performer, not just with a fiddle but with your feet as well,” the not-so-grumpy judge said. Bruno chimed in with, “Talk about wow factor — you’ve got it!”
Frankie Muniz and Witney Carson: 30/30 + 28 /30 – (138 total for both nights)
Frankie Muniz was lost after a car crash ended his racing career, but he found himself with Dancing With the Stars. For the finale, the actor reprised his breakthrough Argentine tango from Disney night, this time nabbing a perfect score. “It was even better the second time around,” Bruno said of the redo.
For Frankie’s fusion, there was a little confusion—Len couldn’t see where the foxtrot ended and the tango began. While he fell short of the mirrorball win, Carrie Ann told Frankie: “You are so the heart and soul of what this show is based on. You are an OG Dancing With the Stars contestant.” In the end, Len crowned Frankie the people’s champion, which isn’t a bad title to have — even if it doesn’t come with a mirrorball.
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