Former Bachelor Joey Graziadei took home the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy on the Tuesday, November 26 finale of Dancing with the Stars. The 29-year-old and his dance partner Jenna Johnson beat out Olympian Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten, who came in second place.
Joey gave props to his dance partner and runner-up Ilona in his acceptance speech.
“I feel like Jenna deserves this fully and this is all for her,” he said. “It means everything. This whole experience has been unbelievable. Ilona, you have been amazing this season, I love you.”
Bachelor Nation was impressed with Joey’s talent in the season premiere. Fans were not expecting the Tennis Pro to be so light on his feet. Viewers shouldn’t have been too surprised by his chops given the success rate of Bachelor stars on the show. Joey is actually the fourth Bachelor Nation star to take home the coveted first prize.
In honor of his win, let’s revisit some Bachelor Nation stars who crushed it on Dancing with the Stars.
Melissa Rycroft – Season 8 and Season 13 of Dancing with the Stars
Melissa Rycroft competed on Season 8 of Dancing with the Stars after having her heart crushed by Jason Mesnick on Season 13 of The Bachelor. The former cheerleader impressed fans and the judges, but it wasn’t enough to take home the Mirrorball. She came in third place alongside pro Tony Dovolani. She returned for Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars in 2012 with Tony, who helped her cross the finish line and take home the first-place prize.
Hannah Brown – Season 28 of Dancing with the Stars
Hannah Brown took home the Mirrorball trophy on Season 28 of DWTS. The Bachelorette delivered beautiful performances week after week, proving her success wasn’t just because of her dedicated fanbase voting at home.
She came out victorious but the journey to get there was far from pleasant. She spoke about her DWTS journey in a November 2021 interview with Us Weekly, describing the experience as “brutal.”
“Alan [Bersten] kept saying, ‘You have to trust me if we’re going to do this.’ But trust was the last thing I was prepared to give a man I’d just met,” she shared. “As a dance partner, standing strong, I came to trust Alan more and more every week. I think that showed in our performances. Our chemistry on the stage led to the press speculating that we had something more going on between us, but we didn’t. Off the dance floor, we were not compatible people.”
Kaitlyn Bristowe – Season 29 of Dancing with the Stars
Kaitlyn Bristowe followed in Hannah’s footsteps the next season and became the third Bachelor Nation star to take home the Mirrorball. Unlike previous Bachelor/Bachelorette contestants like Hannah, Matt James, and Nick Viall, Kaitlyn did not get the DWTS offer after her season. It seemed odd considering her background as a dancer. Some fans speculated she didn’t get the offer because she spoiled her season of The Bachelorette by sharing a photo of her former fiance Shawn Booth on Snapchat. However, that is unconfirmed.
She was offered the chance to compete five years later and jumped at the chance.
“I thought it was long gone,” she told Variety after her win. “When you come off a show like ‘The Bachelorette,’ it’s so relevant and people are so invested in what you’re doing, so to be five years removed and having the opportunity and then it not happening, I thought it was something that was never going to happen, which just makes everything so much sweeter.”
Gabby Windey – Season 31 of Dancing with the Stars
Gabby Windey competed on Season 31 of DWTS and came close to the Mirrorball. The Bachelorette star came in second place, scoring behind social media star Charli D’Amelio and her partner Mark Ballas.
She opened up about her DWTS experience in an interview on the Click Bait podcast in December 2022, calling her time on the show “one of the best experiences ever.” She also showed some love to her fellow competitor Charli, saying she was “happy to lose” to the TikTok Star.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m happy to lose to Charli D’Amelio. I don’t think anyone could have beat her,” she said.
Charity Lawson – Season 32 of Dancing with the Stars
Charity Lawson made Bachelor Nation proud when she competed on Season 32 of DWTS. The Georgia native was known for her clean routines, rarely missing a beat. She came in fourth place alongside dance partner Artem Chigvintsev.
Charity got candid about the negative parts of the show in an interview on the Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast, telling host Cheryl Burke that the experience affected her mental health.
“I literally went through hell and back with my mental health on that show,” she said. The former Bachelorette shared that she suffered from online bullying during the show’s run.
“I was getting death threats for existing,” she said.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT JOEY’S WIN? ARE YOU HAPPY WITH HIS WIN?
