Overview
- Final placements: Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy finished second, Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa third, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach fourth, and Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten fifth.
- The three-hour finale required a Judges' Choice routine, an Instant Dance challenge, and a Freestyle, with every finalist earning a perfect 30 in the Freestyle round.
- Earle and Chmerkovskiy scored a perfect 90 from the judges across the night but were edged once the audience vote was factored in.
- Witney Carson said Irwin competed through rib pain disclosed just before the finale, prompting last-minute choreography adjustments.
- The win extended the Irwin family’s DWTS legacy 10 years after Bindi’s 2015 title and drew both celebration and online pushback from some Earle fans.