'Dancing with the Stars' crowns Alfonso Ribeiro and partner Witney Carson new champions

Dancing with the Stars has crowned a superfan the newest winner of its mirror-ball trophy. 


Actor and former The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro, who admitted he had tried to get on the show for 10 years, and his professional partner Witney Carson were declared Dancing with the Stars' nineteenth-season ballroom champions during Tuesday night's live finale results show on ABC.

"Wow! I cannot believe this! I've wanted it forever, oh my God. I don't even know what to say. These are happy tears; These are happy tears!" Alfonso said after his victory announcement.

"He deserves this so much," added Witney. "He's one of the most hardworking people I've ever met, and you deserve this! I'm so proud of you."

Alfonso and Witney -- who claimed her first Dancing with the Stars win after only serving as a pro for the last two seasons -- hugged each other and cried. Their fellow contestants then gathered onstage amidst all the hype and chaos, hoisting both dancers up on their shoulders.


Alfonso and Witney were revealed to be Dancing with the Stars champions based on the combination of the judges' scores they had received over the course of Monday and Tuesday night's three rounds of competition and their share of the home viewer votes that were cast immediately following Monday night's finals performance show. 

Duck Dynasty star Sadie Robertson and her pro partner Mark Ballas finished in second place. Mark hasn't won a title since Season 8, so he seemed pretty upset. He has landed in the runner-up spot and third place multiple times since receiving his last mirror-ball trophy.

"This has just been an amazing experience and I just want to say I'm so thankful to God, who has brought me this far in the competition. I feel like I really accomplished what I wanted to accomplish on this show, and I'm so glad it was Alfonso. He deserves it," Sadie explained.

Janel Parrish, an actress and Pretty Little Liars star, and partner Val Chmerkovskiy claimed third place. Val also looked disappointed about their placement because he has yet to win a season. Since his debut as a pro in Season 13, Val has landed in second place once and third place twice.

"I honestly am just so lucky to be standing here next to [Val]," Janel said after learning the results. "You were my trophy the entire season, so I'm happy."


Alfonso and Witney topped the combined two-night judges' leaderboard in first place after receiving a perfect total score of 120 out of 120 possible points for their three routines from Dancing with the Stars judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough and Bruno Tonioli.

Sadie and Mark finished in second place on the combined leaderboard with 118 total points. Janel and Val came in third place with 117 total points.

Tuesday night's finale featured the Top 3 couples each performing one last quickly-rehearsed "24-hour Fusion" routine, which combined two different styles of ballroom dance into one complicated number. The challenge completed each couple's scores from the judges for the finals.

Alfonso and Witney danced a cha cha and Argentine tango fusion which received a perfect 40 out of 40 possible points from the judges. Janel and Val earned a perfect score as well, as did Sadie and Mark. Janel and Val danced a foxtrot and paso doble fusion. Sadie and Mark took the stage with a quickstep and samba fusion.

During Monday night's broadcast, the Top 4 finalists -- which had also included Bethany Mota and her pro partner Derek Hough -- and their respective partners danced in two rounds of competition -- a previously-performed routine the judges wanted each celebrity to improve upon and the fan-favorite freestyle.


Alfonso and Witney finished in first place on Monday night's judging leaderboard after earning 80 out of 80 total points. Sadie and Mark followed closely behind them with a total score of 78 points. Janel and Val landed in third place on the leaderboard with 77 points. Bethany and Derek, who had finished the night in fourth place with 76 total points, were eliminated at the end of Monday night's broadcast. 

For a more detailed description of each couple's scores and routines from Monday night's performance show, click here.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski