Live From Hollywood: Dancing With The Stars Has New Mirror Ball Champs!

Gianna Franzese '28

16 couples started the journey of Dancing With The Stars, but only ONE can be the Mirror Ball Champ. After 11 weeks, our Len Goodman Mirror Ball champion has finally been crowned!! Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten placed 5th, while Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach placed 4th. Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa came in third place. It came down to two couples, Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Robert Irwin and Witney Carson. Both couples had amazing performances, and were at the top of their game the whole season. Fans had trouble deciding which couple they felt should win since both couples’ performances were stunning and perfect; however, there could only be one winner. After all the votes from fans and the judges scores, the winner of the 2025 Len Goodman Mirror Ball trophy was given to Robert Irwin and Witney Carson!

This finale was one of the best finales yet! Robert and Witney earned a well deserved win after their perfected performances all season long. Robert and Witney’s finale freestyle performances were “Black and Gold” by Sam Sparrow and “The Nights” by Avicii. The dance received a perfect score of 30/30.

In total there were 72 million votes for the finale, which was a record breaking amount of votes for the show. In the previous year, the show had reached over 32 million votes, and this number increased by over 31% this year.

It seems that the Irwin family is beginning to dominate DWTS! On season 21 of DWTS, Robert Irwin's sister, Bindi Irwin, won her own Mirror Ball with her partner Derek Hough who is now a judge on the show! Robert sure followed in his sister's footsteps! Bindi’s trophy and finale outfit are currently displayed in the Australia Zoo, but it looks like they will have to make some room for Robert’s too!

Overall, this season of Dancing With The Stars was one of the best seasons yet! The stars were at the top of their game this year with magnificent dances and high-quality performances. Each year the pros choreography continually gets even better than the year before! If you haven't watched Dancing With The Stars yet, it's not too late! Add it to your watchlist, and catch up on the seasons on Disney+! Can’t wait to cha cha our way into Season 35 in 2026!