Hannah Brown took her final steps tonight on “Dancing with the Stars," sparkling on the dance floor and winning the show’s coveted Mirrorball trophy.
The Alabama native and former “Bachelorette" was one of four celebrity contestants competing in the finals, vying against country singer Lauren Alaina, pop singer Ally Brooke and comedian Kel Mitchell.
Brown emerged victorious at the end of Monday’s two-hour episode, capping an emotional season on the ABC reality series.
“Whoo!” Brown said. “Thank you, everyone!”
Brown and her pro partner, Alan Bersten, performed two routines on the finale: a Viennese waltz to “Lover” by Taylor Swift -- reprising a dance they’d offered earlier in the season -- and a freestyle to “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys.
“This has been the most exceptional experience," Bersten said. “I’m so honored I could take you on this journey.”
Judges for the show -- Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli -- gave Brown and Bersten scores of 28 out of 30 for the waltz and 30 out of 30 for the freestyle. Their total score from the judges was combined with viewer votes to determine the winner. (Viewer vote totals weren’t announced during the program.)
“You just have a lightness and an ease of movement that I haven’t seen before,” Inaba said of Brown’s performance in the waltz. She gave Brown and Bersten a perfect score of 10 for that routine, while Goodman and Tonioli opted for scores of 9. “What a lovely, sweeping movement across the floor,” Goodman said.
Brown’s freestyle was a change of pace, and earned even more effusive kudos, plus three perfect scores of 10. “You came out sharp, crisp,” Goodman said. “You really threw me, and it was great.” From Inaba: “Hannah Brown, you are living your best life. That was a victorious freestyle.”
After their win was announced, Brown hugged Bersten, who picked her up and twirled her around in celebration. As glittering confetti covered the couple, they lifted the Mirrorball high in celebration. As is customary for the victors, Brown and Bersten will appear on Tuesday’s edition of “Good Morning America.”
Brown, 25, is the most recent star of “The Bachelorette.” She’s also a former Miss Alabama USA. She graduated in 2017 from the University of Alabama and previously worked as an interior decorator in Northport. She moved to California earlier this year, and recently won a 2019 People’s Choice Award.
Brown is the second contestant from Alabama to win the Mirrorball, following in the footsteps of Birmingham native Jordan Fisher, who took the Season 25 title in 2017 with his partner, Lindsay Arnold. Noah Galloway, an Army veteran and double amputee from Shelby County, took third place in 2015 with his partner, Sharna Burgess, during Season 20.
Monday’s episode of “Dancing” was broadcast live and featured real-time voting throughout the program. The agenda included several production numbers, cameo appearances by the original 12 celebrities and lots of reminiscing about the season. Cher, Pitbull and Ne-Yo performed as special guests.
Brown’s parents, Robert and Susanne Brown, were in the studio audience, cheering their daughter’s every move. “We love you. We’re so proud of you,” Brown’s father said during a video package.
A few previous winners of the show could be seen in the crowd, as well, including Fisher.
Producers made viewers wait until the final minutes for the big reveal -- of course -- and the result was far from certain. All four of the couples earned high praise from the judges during the episode. And although each celebrity contestant has a substantial fan base, none of the four was consistently pegged as the front-runner this season. (Until a shocking elimination in the semifinals, actor James Van Der Beek was a dominant force on the show.)
Over the course of 10 previous episodes, Brown had polished her dance skills with Bersten’s help, displaying grace and versatility as the couple (known as #TeamAlanBamaHanna) performed the tango, salsa, cha-cha, rumba, paso doble, quickstep, samba and more.
But Brown’s time on “Dancing with the Stars” was far from a blithe sail to the finals. Although she was never up for elimination -- declared safe each week when the results were announced -- Brown has been on an emotional roller-coaster. Her rehearsals and performances often were accompanied by tears, confessions of vulnerability, sparks of frustration and other expressions of raw feeling.
Brown hasn’t been shy about airing her thoughts on social media -- or in a weekly blog for Bustle.com -- and it’s clear that she’s been stung by any less-than-favorable commentary from judge Inaba.
“I am busting my ass,” Brown said in an Instagram post, one day after she received some frank criticism from Inaba during a Halloween episode. “I am giving this my all. It’s my focus and passion right now. But each week I fall flat. I’ve gotten to the point of being so anxious before I perform that I can’t completely enjoy it like I wish and know I could.”
Brown rebounded with strength, however. And as the credits rolled on Monday, she was all smiles, radiantly celebrating her victory.
“I’m honestly grateful for the journey not being easy,” Brown said, "because I’ve learned a lot about myself.”
One thing viewers learned during the finale: Brown isn’t finished looking for love. A teaser video for “The Bachelor” showed Brown chatting intimately with the new series lead, Peter Weber, who asked her to return to the show. Will she say yes? Stay tuned.
Final note: Brown will be one of the celebrities performing on the “Dancing with the Stars” tour. It comes to Huntsville March 3 at the Von Braun Center Concert Hall, and to Birmingham March 4 at the BJCC Concert Hall.