The new Dancing With The Stars champion has been revealed.
Jennifer Grey, who consistently achieved high scores from judges Bruno Tonioli, Len Goodman and Carrie Ann Inaba, took the title after outscoring fellow finalists Kyle Massey and Bristol Palin, who was buoyed for weeks by passionate voters and online efforts to support the single mum.
Kyle finished second while Bristol was third.
Jennifer, who overcame painful neck, back and knee injuries to earn three perfect scores in the run-up to Tuesday’s finale, said her mind went blank in the moments before she was named the winner.
“I was in a surrender moment of whatever happens will be great,” the 50-year-old actress said after the show, an ice pack tucked into the back of her fringe-covered costume as she spoke with reporters. “The absolute destination for me was the journey. The journey was the gift.”
Jennifer turned her professional partner, Derek Hough, into the show’s first three-time winner, and gave a nod to her breakthrough film role in Dirty Dancing. The couple performed a waltz that recalled the 1987 film starring Patrick Swayze.
“It’s a great gift to be part of a show that gives people so much joy,” Jennifer said. “And that’s really what I think dancing does.”
Bristol said she didn’t have any expectations when she decided to do Dancing With The Stars, but on the final episode, she said that winning the dance contest “would be like a big middle finger to all the people out there that hate my mom and hate me”.
:: The final of Dancing With The Stars will be shown in the UK on Watch on Friday at 9pm.
