“Dancing with the Stars” has been running for 31 seasons and is currently in its 32nd season. DWTS has so much history. Many of the performers and judges become mainstays on the show. Derek Hough was a pro dancer for 17 seasons and now has been a judge on the show for three years. A well-known judge, Len Goodman, has been on the show since 2005 when the show first aired. He has been on the show ever since. Len Goodman passed away on April 22, 2023. His death was very devastating for not only his family and friends but everyone who has had the opportunity to work with Len on DWTS throughout the years. This current season is so special and will be remembered for years to come.
This year, contestants danced to win the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, which will secure a place in the show’s illustrious history. During this season, they had a Len Goodman tribute which left many in tears at the show and behind a screen watching from their homes. The tribute incorporated many individuals speaking about working with Len in the past and how grateful they were to get the opportunity. The tribute also included a dance in his honor.
In the semifinals, they did something never done before: they kept all five contestants in the finals when usually it’s only four. The final contestants this year were Xochitl Gomez, Alyson Hannigan, Charity Lawson, Ariana Madix and Jason Mraz. They had to perform two dances for the finals, one new and as well as a redemption dance of a dance they did in the past. The judges got to choose the dance they were going to perform and work with them to improve their techniques. They also had to perform a freestyle dance, which as people say, is the make or break of the results.
The voting is comprised of 50% of the judges’ scores and 50% of public votes. In the finals, they brought up the scores from the week before to add to their final scores from the current week. Xochitl got perfect tens from her two dances the week before, and the next week as well, which left her in first place with the judges’ scores. The end of the show came; they were about to announce the winner…..then commercials struck. When the show came back on, it came down to the last two, Jason Mraz and Xochitl Gomez. Alyson placed fifth, Charity placed fourth, and Ariana placed third. The winner of the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy is Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy. This was Val’s third time winning “Dancing With The Stars,” but he was honored doing it alongside Xochitl and getting to take home the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy.
I asked Gianna Capozzi, a JCHS student, how she felt about the winner of “Dancing With The Stars.” “I was very happy with the winner, I wanted Jason or Xochil to win. I just really enjoy the show, and I’m actually going to the DWTS tour in January. I’m very excited to watch the pro dancers in person and get to see Xochitl dance. I went to the show last year and had so much fun and just had to go again.”
Xochitl Gomez is the second youngest DWTS winner at 17 years old. Her most recent project was playing the lead role in Doctor Strange in the “Multiverse of Madness.” This movie is what gave her the most publicity and took off her career. She is such a mature young woman and watching her learn how to dance throughout the weeks was truly inspiring for many individuals. She is such an amazing actor, and I can’t wait to see the next project she may be a part of.
