Dancing With the Stars revealed its Season 22 winner on May 24, and it was America’s Next Top Model alum Nyle DiMarco who took the coveted Mirror Ball trophy for 2016.
The contestant, who is deaf, was a fan-favorite for much of the show. He and partner Peta Murgatroyd faced off against “Good Morning America” weather anchor Ginger Zee and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy, and UFC figher Paige VanZant and her partner Mark Ballas.
Zee ended up in third place for her Argentine Tango/Foxtrot fusion with Chmerkovskiy, having suffered a pelvic injury during last week’s rehearsals. The duo earned a score of 27/30. VanZant and Ballas earned a 30/30 score for their Jive/Salsa fusion, and seemed like the frontrunners going into the finale having earned the top scores of the night on Monday. But DiMarco and Murgatroyd ultimately pulled off the win with their Cha Cha/Tango fusion, which earned them another perfect 30/30.
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba used sign language to praise DiMarco for his final performance, which brought tears to the contestant’s eyes. “Thank you for showing us your beautiful heart when you dance,” she signed.
“I owe everything to him, he is just incredible,” Murgatroyd said of her partner after she and DiMarco were crowned the champions.
The finale also featured performances from Pitbull, Fifth Harmony and Aloe Blacc
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