‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 29 Winner Crowned

Season 29 of Dancing With the Stars officially came to an end on Monday night. The final four contestants — rapper Nelly, Bachelorette alum Kaitlyn Bristowe, Catfish star Nev Schulman, and One Day at a Time actor Justina Machado — gave it their all in one last attempt to secure the Mirrorball Trophy. So, who ended up coming out on top? Banks announced that the two finalists were Bristowe and Schulman and, in the end, the former Bachelorette star and her partner, Artem Chigvintsev, emerged victorious.

Throughout the competition, numerous celebrities tried their hand at dance styles such as the Cha-Cha and the Rumba. Over several weeks, celebrities such as Tiger King star Carole Baskin, John Tucker Must Die actor Jesse Metcalfe, Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause, and former professional football player Vernon Davis all attempted to take home the Mirrorball Trophy. This season also marked the first for Tyra Banks, who took over hosting duties from longtime host Tom Bergeron and his co-host Erin Andrews.

While Bristowe ended up winning it all in the end, the finale line-up came as quite a surprise to DWTS viewers. During the semi-finals week, the ABC competition had to say goodbye to two couples before the finale. Host Banks revealed that figure skater Johnny Weir and his partner, Britt Stewart, received the lowest combined total of viewers’ votes and judges’ scores. As a result, they were immediately sent home. Banks then shared that Machado and Disney star Skai Jackson were in the bottom two for the night. After the judges weighed in with their own thoughts, Jackson, and her partner, Alan Bersten, were subsequently sent home.

The double-elimination came as a major shock to viewers and the contestants, as well. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Weir admitted that he was quite emotional over his elimination. But, despite the fact that he did not make it to the finale, he has “no regrets at all about the performances that we gave.” The figure skater added that “at the end of the day, it does come down to your scores from the judges as well as how the public sees you and if they choose to vote for you” and he would “100 times choose to be myself over being popular, and I think that that is a strong message that we have shown this whole competition.”