Alabama's Noah Galloway ended his run tonight on "Dancing with the Stars," leaving in third place.
Galloway, 33, and his partner, Sharna Burgess, made a strong showing on the ABC reality series, performing from start to finish during Season 20.
"Everyone I've met on this show has been incredible, motivating me to do more," Galloway said.
Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy emerged victorious at the end of the two-hour finale, claiming the gold Mirrorball Trophy. Riker Lynch and Allison Holker took second place. Both had been front-runners throughout the competition, praised for their ever-increasing dance skills.
Galloway and Burgess, in contrast, made their fame as fan favorites, earning massive support from viewers for their creative routines and can-do spirit.
Galloway, an Army veteran and double amputee, quickly became one of the most popular contestants this season, admired for his muscular athleticism and hardcore work ethic.
Over the past 10 weeks, his partnership with Burgess, an Austalian dance pro, resulted in some skillful performances, choreographed to make the most of Galloway's strengths.
Although the couple stayed away from the jive and quickstep -- both of which would be too painful for Galloway on a prosthetic leg -- they presented foxtrot, tango, cha-cha, samba, rumba, salsa, jazz, paso doble, Viennese waltz, freestyle and contemporary routines.
(Which performance was your favorite? Take our poll at the bottom of this post.)
For the last five weeks, Galloway danced twice each Monday -- in three group numbers, in a dance-off against Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson, and in a trio with Burgess and Emma Slater.
On the finale, Galloway performed a tango with Burgess, dance pro Derek Hough and Amy Purdy, the Season 18 runner-up. He also danced a fusion routine with Burgess, combining cha-cha and Argentine tango for extra judges' points. (For the record, #TeamShway earned 36 points out of 40.)
"You have changed people's lives forever," said Carrie Ann Inaba, "and for that I thank you, for being so incredible."
Bruno Tonioli was equally effusive in his farewell, saying Galloway had exceded expectations throughout the season. "You are legend," Tonioli said.
Galloway clearly inspired viewers with his appearances on "Dancing," revealing his past -- a bomb blast in Iraq took part of his two left limbs in 2005 -- and meeting new challenges with grace and gumption.
Galloway's romance with girlfriend Jamie Boyd also tugged at viewers' heartstrings. The two were reunited earlier in the season after Boyd completed training in the Army Reserves, and she's remained at his side ever since.
Galloway proposed to Boyd on camera during the semi-finals, prompting her to say, "Heck, yes!"
Tonight's splashy finale featured appearances by all 12 couples from Season 20, which marked the series' 10th anniversary.
Performers included Charlotte McKinney and Keo Motsepe, Suzanne Somers and Tony Dovolani, Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson, Chris Soules and Witney Carson, Willow Shields and Mark Ballas, Nastia Liukin and Derek Hough, Patti LaBelle and Artem Chigvintsev, and Redfoo and Emma Slater.
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