Warning! The following contains spoilers for Dancing with the Stars’ Season 30 finale. Read at your own risk!
Dancing with the Stars Season 30 had unforgettable show-stopping moments all along, and the finale was no exception. The performances were phenomenal, the voting margins were tight, and once again, the finale concluded with an unexpected winner. In what seemed like a history-making night where JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson would be the first same-sex couple to win, Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach pulled off a massive upset and also made history in the process. Shumpert is officially the first basketball player to win the competition.
Perhaps the writing was on the wall when Iman Shumpert earned his first perfect score of the season on finale night. Shumpert and Daniella Karagach quickly followed up that performance with another perfect score later in the night, matching the same score as JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson. The major difference is that perfect scores were typical for Siwa and Johnson before tonight, whereas Shumpert hovered closer to the bottom of the pack throughout all of Season 30.
Perhaps the decising factor, though, was that Iman Shumpert showed such a level of progression under Daniella Karagach in Dancing with the Stars Season 30, that it was nearly impossible not to fall in love with his journey. That’s not to take away anything from JoJo Siwa, but at the end of the day, she’s been a professional dancer since she was a small child. Fans expected to see her dominate week in and week out, even if she did nearly get sent home on a weird week.
Still, it’s hard not to feel a little upset for JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson, who had the highest overall score in Dancing with the Stars Season 30 all season long. This will mark the second consecutive season in which Johnson finished with a competitor who had the highest overall average score but still came in second. Thankfully, she and Siwa made history in another way and will likely go down as one of the more memorable couples in show history even though they didn’t win.
As far as how the rest of the results shook out, Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten came in fourth, and Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke handily secured third. Host Tyra Banks did comment that the votes were incredibly tight throughout the night, so one can’t help but wonder if just a few hundred votes could’ve drastically shaken up the results for the finale.
Overall, Dancing with the Stars’ Season 30 finale summed up the tone of the season. Dancing isn’t everything when it comes to the voters, and they proved that time and time again with surprising eliminations. Still, it’s kind of incredible that Iman Shumpert, of all people, ended up winning it all, as I don’t think anyone would’ve believed that had someone arrived from the future after Week 1. I’m certainly not mad about it, though I do wonder if performances should be weighted just a little heavier if one of the lowest-scoring competitors headed into the finale can ultimately win it all.
That’s a wrap on Dancing with the Stars Season 30! Fans will undoubtedly have their thoughts on the winner and the other competitors who fell short, so be sure to check in for any fallout that could happen and news on next season on ABC.
