A Look Back on Dancing with the Stars

design: Gianna Castagliuolo

Let’s cha-cha our way through this season.

by LEILA YANG ★ DECEMBER 07, 2023

After an incredible and intense 10 weeks of competition, we have wrapped up on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars - now that is crazy. 

I feel like this show has gotten more popular throughout the last two seasons because of celebrities like Charli D’Amelio. However, if you’ve been watching this show since you were five years old (like me) then you know every little detail about it. Season 32 of Dancing with the Stars was huge and after the finale aired on Tuesday night, we have new champions. Here is a recap of the season.

14 couples competed this year and that includes fan favorites like Harry Jowsey, Barry Williams and Lele Pons. These were the people that had a major impact on the show. Especially Harry and his partner, Rylee Arnold, who has been rumored to be dating in real life ever since week one but still to this day, no one knows. Rylee is the newest and freshest pro of the season and people know her to be Lindsay Arnold’s sister who was a well known name in the Dancing with the Stars community. 

Whether or not Harry and Rylee are a real couple or if it was just for PR and the votes, let’s talk about week one which was the premiere. All couples competed and scores ranged from 4-8 which seemed pretty fair. As each week went on, one couple would be eliminated and there would be many shocking eliminations. After a spectacular group dance to Gangnam Style that received the first perfect score of the season, Lele Pons was eliminated. Her elimination was totally unexpected as fans thought she’d make it to at least the semi-finals. After her elimination in week seven, Barry Williams was sent home the week directly after and let me tell you, this one really hurt. The Brady Bunch actor was our precious dancer that every single fan was rooting for. People were angry as it was unfair to send him home over “tree trunks” like Harry Jowsey who consistently received low scores week after week. Barry was incredible and if there’s another all-star season, we will be demanding him back.

The finale aired on Tuesday and for the first time ever in Dancing with the Stars history, it consisted of five finalists, a married pro couple, and a three hour long episode (yes I was in the library watching this instead of studying for my finals which is what I told myself I would do). The show shocked the viewers as they announced in the semi-final elimination that no one was going home and that each of the five couples would be moving on to the finale which was a first. The finalists were Charity Lawson, Jason Mraz, Ariana Madix, Alyson Hannigan, and Xochitl Gomez.

The finale is my favorite part of the season as each couple has the opportunity to dance a freestyle which sounds exactly what it sounds like, they can dance whatever they want. Charity danced a wild cheerleading inspired dance, Jason did an intense, fast paced freestyle, Ariana shocked the nation with an empowering hip hop piece, Alyson danced to a Taylor Swift mashup and Xochitl embraced her culture with a powerful number. My personal favorite was Jason’s freestyle and you can watch it here This is also a good time to say that I was rooting for Jason to win that mirrorball.

I was really rooting for Jason, he was just so awesome and I made all my friends vote for him. Xochitl was such a strong competitor and I am so happy that Val has another win because he truly deserves it. I had a strong feeling she would take home the “Len Goodman Mirrorball” trophy which was honored for former head judge, Len Goodman, who recently passed away. 

What another great season! I have always loved this show and would sit in front of my TV when I was younger and would never miss an episode. I’m going to be watching until the end. A new season would premiere twice a year but they changed it to once a year so now I’m going to have to wait a whole year for the next season but I already can’t wait. 

As the night wrapped up, they started to announce which place each couple landed in.  Fifth, fourth and third place were awarded to Alyson and Sasha, Charity and Artem and Ariana and Pasha which meant that the final two were Jason and Dnaiella and Xochitl and Val. 

The winners and new champions of Dancing with the Stars are…Xochitl and Val!