On Monday, November 25, the 28th season of Dancing With the Stars came to an end. In the finale, the audience saw Kel Mitchell and Witney Carson, Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten, Lauren Alaina and Gleb Savchenko, and Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber compete one last time.
Before the winning pair was announced, all final four couples had to perform two dances.
First up, Alaina and Savchenko danced a foxtrot number to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” All throughout the season, the country singer offered plenty of sweet, comic relief, but many could tell that she felt that she was occupying James Van Der Beek’s spot in the finale – who was eliminated last week. Carrie Ann Inaba said Alaina’s perform was just “OK,” and the judge felt like the country singer was “holding back a bit.” The pair scored 27 out of 30 points.
Despite all the emotional drama around Hannah Brown, the former Bachelorette star seems to have found where she belongs on Dancing With the Stars. Brown showed the judges in their first dance that she has grown considerably – from confidence to radiant energy – even the judges commented on it. “What lovely, sweeping movement across the floor,” said Len Goodman. “So much more confident, engaging, radiant. You flowed so much better,” expressed Bruno Tonioli. Brown and Bersten scored 28 out of 30 points.
Many can agree that Ally Brooke has improved the most on the show. For many weeks, the former Fifth Harmony singer appeared in the bottom two. However, this week, she was earning 10’s across the board. Brooke and Farber performed a jive to “Proud Mary.” The judges commented on her energy and said she “succeeded on every level” in her performance. The duo scored 30 out of 30 points – a perfect score!
Mitchell and Carson brought back his jazz performance to “We’re All in This Together” from Dancing With the Stars Disney night. When the couple first performed their jazz routine weeks earlier, it didn’t feel like a jazz dance. However, this week, the judges and audience could tell that Mitchell and Carson stepped it up and displayed more jazz moves. “It was better the second time you did it,” said Inaba. “You were right out the front the whole time, leader of the pack,” added Goodman. The pair also received a perfect score – 30 out of 30 points!
The second round of the competition focused on freestyle.
The comedian decided on a freestyle hip-hop performance, which was fast-paced and left Mitchell almost breathless. While the audience loved the performance, Goodman wasn’t impressed at all. “I’m not going to be the party pooper here,” said Goodman. “This for me was similar to the first dance you did.” However, the other judges felt differently. “I have to say that final acceleration…really was exhilarating,” said Tonioli. Inaba said her “inner fly girl” was ecstatic about the performance. Mitchell and Carson scored 29 out of 30 points.
The judges couldn’t get enough of Brooke and Faber’s freestyle performance to “Conga.” The pair’s routine was fast, included crazy lifts, and made both of them shine on stage. The former singer went all out in her final performance on the show, and the judges loved it. “It was a show stopper,” exclaimed Tonioli. “I’ve seen every single freestyle, but I’ve never seen anything like that,” Inaba added in. The duo received another perfect score!
Alaina and her partner performed a freestyle to “Country Girl,” which allowed the country singer to return to her roots and dance to what she knows. The judges loved their performance. “This was the perfect freestyle for you,” said Inaba. “You paid homage to your roots,” Goodman added. Alaina and Savchenko received their very first perfect score!
The former Bachelorette star and her partner freestyle danced to “Girl on Fire” and “Hollaback Girl,” and these two songs perfectly expressed Brown’s confidence. Brown and Bersten included lifts, flips, and fast choreography that left her exhausted at the end of it. “You came out sharp,” said Goodman. “It was great.” Tonioli chimed in. “It was superb.” The couple also scored a perfect score!
After all the performances finished, it was time to crown Dancing With the Stars season 28’s winner.
Alaina and Savchenko placed in fourth place.
Next up were Brooke and Farber, who placed third.
The second runner-up was Mitchell and Carson.
And the winner of Dancing With the Stars was… Brown and Bersten!
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Brittany R
Brittany is a writer who is obsessed with rom-com movies, Gossip Girl, reality television, fashion, and pop-culture. When she isn't reporting on the latest celeb buzz, she is filling up her online shopping cart without checking out.