On November 25, 2025, the Dancing With the Stars finale took place. The finalist couples were Elaine and Alan, Dylan and Daniella, Jordan and Ezra, Alix and Val, and Robert and Whitney. After three competitive rounds and an entire season of amazing ballroom dances, our winners are… Robert Irwin and Witney Carson! Robert had an amazing season with great success and has won over many new fans. This is Whitney Carson’s first mirrorball win, but it’s the second Irwin win after Bindi Irwin (Roberts’ sister) and Derek Hough won on season 21 in 2015. The finale was filled with so much talent, beautiful costumes, amazing dances, and high scores were given throughout the whole competition.
The first round of dances was the “Judges’ Choice” routine, where each couple performed their last ballroom or Latin dance chosen by one of the three judges. Starting with Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, they danced a samba, which judge Carrie Ann Inaba assisted in choreographing. The judges loved the routine, each giving Alix a 10, making her score a 30/30! Next up to the floor was Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach, and with the help of Bruno Tonioli, they danced a Paso doble, but unfortunately, only scored a 28/30. The fan favorite, Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, were up next to take on the Rumba. With judge Derek Hough’s help, a six-time mirrorball winner, Elaine had a clean sweep of 10s! Robert and Witney then danced the quickstep chosen by Derek Hough, but Robert had injured his rib, making it difficult to breathe while dancing. Witney said during an interview on the show that “I’m extremely worried about Robert” and “At the end of the day, his health is my priority.” But he pushed through and luckily scored a 29/30. Derek even said, “King! My man!” after the dance. Last in this round was UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, with judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s assistance in her choice of a paso doble. Carrie Ann said to Jordan, during their rehearsal, “This dance is perfect for you because you are fierce.” They danced to “Breakin’ Dishes” by Rihanna and scored a 29/30.
This next round is a new round on the show that has not been done before. It was called the “Instant Dance Challenge,” where each of the pairs had just five minutes to select costumes, hear their music, finish their routine, and practice their dances before performing. Before the finale, each star was blindfolded and selected one of four dance styles to do in the finale. Each pair prepared a dance for each style in case they were selected to do it. Up first was again Alix and Val doing the Cha-Cha, and the song given to them was “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” by Raye. Their routine was almost perfect, making no noticeable mistakes, which of course led them to score another 30/30, bringing their total to 60/60! Dylan then chose the foxtrot, which earlier in the season was notably one of their best dances, and the song that was picked for them was “Ordinary” by Alex Warren. They danced beautifully, and even the judges were ecstatic about the performance, which of course, led them to hit the mark, receiving a 30/30! Elaine was up next, where she chose the quickstep for her and Alan, and they were given the song “You Can’t Hurry Love” by the Supremes. Though they had a few stumbles, their energy was high, and they performed the whole way through, but still, they only scored a 27/30. Robert then selected the Cha-Cha for Witney and him and got to dance to “Cake by the Ocean” by DNCE. Their performance was electric because of Robert’s strong and sharp movements and Witney’s amazing choreography. 10s across the board for them was only right to bring their total score to a 59/60! To close this round, Jordan and Ezra took the floor with a Tango to “I Like It” by Alesso and Nate Smith. They were intensely focused and had an amazing performance with stunning tango technique. Their scores were then revealed as a 30/30, bringing them to a tie with Robert and Witney at 59/60.
The final and most exciting round is up next, which is the “Freestyle.” The pros get to choose whatever style of dance they want and choreograph to it. This part of the evening was filled with some jaw-dropping routines, and the winner was soon to be revealed. Val choreographed a phenomenal freestyle for Alix to the songs “Maneater” and “Sports Car.” This dance included many of the other pros on the show, including last season’s winner Jenna Johnson. Part of their dance was on a stair-like structure, where Alix amazed the audience. Alix and Val’s partnership and skill were unmatched this season; they scored another 30/30, bringing their final total for the night to 90/90! For Dylan and Daniella’s freestyle, they danced an emotional contemporary where they did many lifts and had beautiful movement together. At the end of the dance, they danced in a shallow pool of water, which made the dance overall outstanding. Because of their amazing performance, they scored a 30/30, bringing their final total to 88/90! Elaine and Alan pulled out all the stops for their final dance. Their dance featured previous contestant Andy Richter and Elaine’s lifelong best friend Lisa Ann Walter. Their dance was a tribute to the troubles of other dancers and won them a 30/30, bringing their total final score to 87/90! Next up, Robert and Witney danced a tribute to his family to the songs “Black and Gold” by Sam Sparro and “The Nights” by Avicii. Their dance was sensational and emotional, earning them, of course, a 30/30, so their final total was 89/90. Last but most certainly not least was Jordan and Ezra dancing a powerful and dynamic Hip Hop routine with a tall fence that dancers climbed and danced on to “Bow Down” by Beyonce. Their routine went viral on TikTok after the show, but of course, they earned a clean 30/30!
The dances were incredible and powerful throughout the night. Guest performances from other pros and troupe members took place, as well as a surprise dance by last season’s winners, Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson. In fifth Place was Elaine, fourth place was Dylan, and third place was Jordan. The final two pairs came forward, giving each other one last hug before the reveal. “The winners and new champions of Dancing With The Stars are… Robert and Witney!” announced Alfonso Ribeiro, Dancing With The Stars announcer.
