Season 20 Bachelor contestant Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson are officially the Season 33 winners of Dancing with the Stars! This win comes on the heels of Graziadei's very successful Bachelor season amid the 2024 TV schedule, meaning he had an established fanbase and new fiancee along for the ride. While that may have impacted his partner choice, it didn't affect the scores, and it was a long hard fight for the Mirrorball Trophy. Now, Graziadei is taking the time to thank Johnson, his fiancee and more.
Season 33 featured a tough competition, with all five couples from the semi-finals pushing through to finale night. Runner-ups Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten were favorites to win (certainly mine), mostly because of their viral bestie TikToks throughout the season and the rugby player’s consistent improvement week to week. Yet I can recognize Joey Graziadei’s effort and skill always produced high scores. Now, I also appreciate the Instagram post Graziadei shared and how he kicked off his caption:
After a few days it is finally starting to settle in that this season of [Dancing with the Stars] has come to an end and we are champions… Jenna, from the bottom of my heart I want to say THANK YOU. Thank you for crafting the experience of a lifetime. Thank you for pushing me to be better than I thought I could ever be. Thank you for believing in me and making me feel like I belonged in a room full of exceptionally talented people. I mean it when I say that you have changed my life for the better. No one can question your creative genius and talent. You truly deserve this and I couldn’t be happier for you.
It’s true, they had quite the season, and the So You Think You Can Dance alum's choreography never failed to amaze. Their Tarzan routine exploded online following Disney night, and their contemporary dance to Hozier’s “Work Song” truly was one of my favorites this season. Needless to say, they put their blood, sweat and tears into this win. The Bachelor alum's excitement when the winners were announced was priceless and will surely stick with me for a while.
Both Jenna Johnson and her husband also seemed pleased that the trophy would be staying in the house. Her hubby, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, partnered with Marvel star Xochitl Gomez to win Season 32 of DWTS, and it was a really sweet moment watching him hand his wife the trophy this year. Of course, the former winners didn’t miss the chance to remind everyone of why they landed on top last season, with an amazing routine to “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan.
I honestly can’t wait to see the winning duo return for their victory lap at the end of next season, and I wish Joey Graziadei had some other imminent TV appearances on the way. He has to be one of the sweetest and respectable Bachelors in recent TV history, and his DWTS run further proved that. Being the kind-hearted guy he truly is, he also did not pass up the opportunity to thank fiancee Kelsey Anderson and the fans, as he also wrote:
Last but not least, I want to thank my beautiful fiancée, my loving family, and friends. And thank you to all of YOU! This would have never been possible without the support and love of all of you each week. Thank you for believing in me, voting for me, and bringing so much joy to my life. I love you all. ❤️
The casting department at ABC truly didn’t miss with this newly minted reality TV star. I’m excited to see what he does next but, for now, check out what he's already accomplished by watching his IG video below:
I can admit that I wasn't really a DWTS before this season, but the show really hooked me. All in all, I was intrigued by every single duo in the dancing competition this year, both on and off-screen. Not only was there so much talent, but the entertainment factor pulled through this season with several close relationships forming between the pros and celebrities.
As for Joey Graziadei, I'm hopeful that I'll see him back on my TV screen very soon. He does, however, deserve some rest and quality time with Kelsey Anderson after his DWTS victory. Those of you who haven’t watched his and Jenna Johnson's show-stopping battle for the trophy yet can do so by watching the finale now with a Disney+ subscription.
