“Dancing With the Stars” kept delivering surprises throughout Season 24, and Tuesday’s finale was no exception, as Rashad Jennings nabbed the Mirror Ball Trophy over presumptive favorite Normani Kordei.
Kordei landed in third place behind NFL running back Jennings and runner-up David Ross, despite the fact that she and partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy were the only one of the three final pairs to earn a perfect score from the judges on Tuesday for the 24-hour fusion-challenge.
After the show, the singer told The Wrap she appreciated that fans in the crowd were booing when her ranking was announced.
“It’s really nice that they cared,” Kordei told TheWrap about the audience reaction. “Great to get the support that I’ve made, especially the people who didn’t recognize who I was, aside from being the girl from Fifth Harmony. I made a name for myself, and I feel really proud.”
She pointed out that Jennings “killed it” and added, “I’m proud of him — he worked his butt off!”
Despite the disappointing finish, Kordei is grateful for her stint on the ABC competition series.
“Honestly, I got the result that I wanted because I’m genuinely happy for this whole journey and experience,” she said. “I’m just very proud of the woman I’ve become.”
Meanwhile, Jennings told TheWrap that he was “super shocked” by the victory.
“I don’t know if you saw it on my face or not, but I literally could not believe it at all,” he said. “The whole entire journey, it just solidified the hard work that we put in.”