‘Dancing With the Stars’: Bobby Bones Defends Hannah Brown Defeating Kel Mitchell in an Upset

Bobby Bones is defending the controversial winner of Dancing With the Stars season 28, The Bachelorette Hannah Brown. No stranger to a little DWTS controversy himself, Brown responded to someone who tweeted that Kel Mitchell “got robbed” of the mirrorball trophy, writing that although the audience was “pretty shocked” when Brown won, that’s just the way the reality dance competition works.

“Yeah. The room was pretty shocked when Kel didn’t win. But no one got robbed. Fan bases are the biggest part of the show,” the radio show host tweeted late Monday night.

Brown, 25, certainly has a large fanbase, as she competed on the ABC show fresh off her time on The Bachelorette on the same network earlier this year. As for Bones, 39, he knows all about how a fan base can elevate a sub-par dancer on the show, as he won Season 27 with significantly lower scores than the other finalists.

Bones also shared a messaged of support for country singer Lauren Alaina, who he has been vocally supporting all season, when she was announced as fourth place Monday night. “Proud of you [Lauren Alaina!!!!” Bones tweeted.

Throughout the night, where each couple danced their favorite routine of the season as well as a freestyle routine, Brown and her pro partner Alan Bersten earned a 58/60 — a total from a 28/30 on their Viennese Waltz and a 30/30 on their Freestyle. Mitchell, who came in as runner-up with pro partner Witney Carson, earned a 59/60 on the whole — a total from a 30/30 on their Jazz and a 29/30 on their Freestyle.

Meanwhile, Ally Brooke and pro partner Sasha Farber scored a perfect 60/60 on the night and were still sent home in third place. Alaina and partner Gleb Savchenko earned a 57/60 — a total from their 27/30 on their Foxtrot and 30/30 on their Freestyle.

The Season 28 finale was packed to the brim with action; not only did each couple perform two routines, but music guests Pitbull, Ne-Yo and Cher also performed.

After Brown and Bersten’s names were called as the champions, Brown told Entertainment Tonight that she was in “complete shock.”

“I’m in complete shock. When they said our names, I thought it was for the runner-ups, so I don’t think I even know how to process how I feel right now,” she said. “But I’m super thankful for the experience. Even the hard times, the fans just stuck it out with us. I cried a bit earlier today, but I just felt a sense of peace come over me because I knew that I gave it my all … I’ll probably cry later when it actually sinks in.”

It’s unclear when Dancing With the Stars will return for Season 29; the show typically returns for a spring cycle, even if abbreviated, although spring 2019 was the first year the series skipped over it.