And the mirror ball trophy goes to.... Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy!
After appearing in 13 seasons and making it into four finals, the Ukrainian professional dancer is finally a "Dancing With the Stars" champion. Davis and Chmerkovskiy beat out actress Candace Cameron Bure and paralympian Amy Purdy in Tuesday night's finale.
"Oh man! It's just plastic but it means so much and when it's lasted a decade of running after it, it means that much more, and to do it with Meryl is a dream come true," Chmerkovskiy said, adding he believed he was meant to win with Davis.
In an interview with Access Hollywood backstage after the show, Davis said, "I think we're equally as happy. I think we've gone through such an amazing journey, but it's been a much longer journey for him."
Bure and her professional partner Mark Ballas were the first to be eliminated during the two hour finale, leaving the season's two top contestants - Davis and Purdy - competing against one another. Purdy and Derek Hough finished in the runner-up position.
The season 18 finale of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" included performances from the three remaining couples and the return of all of the season's couples. "Big Time Rush" star James Maslow was chosen by fans to give an encore of his hip-hop freestyle. Davis and her Olympic ice dancer Charlie White also performed a routine together.
The three remaining couples were all given a 24-hour fusion challenge, where they had to create a routine that blended two separate dance styles. Purdy and Hough, who fused the Argentine tango and the cha-cha, and Davis and Chmerkovskiy, who performed the foxtrot/cha-cha fusion, both received perfect scores of 30 for their routine. Bure and Ballas' quickstep/samba fusion was awarded a 27 out 30.
The show also included multiple performances from former contestant Cody Simpson, last year's reigning champion Amber Riley, Iggy Azalea and Ariana Grande, who sang her hit song, "Problems." Christina Perri performed her song "Human," while a montage featuring clips of the final three contestants played overhead.
Did you enjoy Tuesday Night's finale?
Thank you all for the incredible support.... I'm completely overwhelmed. @MaksimC and I have been so fortunate to share this journey w/ you!
— Meryl Davis (@Meryl_Davis) May 21, 2014
