November 25, 2024
Eric McCandless/Disney
Montgomery County's Joey Graziadei is the first 'Bachelor' lead to make it to the 'Dancing with the Stars' finale. He'll perform Tuesday with his pro partner Jenna Johnson to try to win the Mirrorball Trophy.
Joey Graziadei will dance for a shot at the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy during the "Dancing with the Stars" Season 33 finale, becoming the first former "Bachelor" lead to make it that far in the competition.
The Montgomery County native — who was a standout on "The Bachelorette" Season 20 before getting engaged as "The Bachelor" Season 28 lead — has shown off his talents in a variety of ballroom dancing styles throughout this season of "DWTS" alongside his pro partner Jenna Johnson. During last week's semifinals episode, Graziadei earned his first perfect score from the judges and was one of five celebrities to move on to the finale, which airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC.
MORE: 'Dancing with the Stars Live' tour to stop in Philly, Atlantic City in January
"We cannot believe that we made it to the Finale," Graziadei wrote on Instagram. "Thank you everyone for the continued love and support. We are going to put our all into this week and do what we can to try and bring this thing home."
So far this season, Graziadei has formed a close friendship with Johnson — who will reportedly choreograph his first dance with fiancee Kelsey Anderson at their future wedding. He's also gone viral for some of his saucy dance moves and notched high scores that have kept him near the top of the leaderboard all season.
In the finale, Graziadei's tightest competition when it comes to technique is probably actress Chandler Kinney, who has also excelled in nearly every ballroom style. Then there are the two Olympians — rugby player Ilona Maher and gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik — who have each made huge improvements and captured viewers' hearts. Finally, Graziadei faces a fellow "DWTS" heartthrob in former NFL player Danny Amendola, an underdog in the competition who's become known for awe-inspiring lifts and tricks.
On Tuesday's show, Graziadei and Johnson will perform a cha cha to Justin Timberlake’s "Can’t Stop the Feeling!" and a freestyle dance to "Canned Heat" by District 78 featuring Jake Simpson.
The "DWTS" winner will be determined through a combination of fan voting and judges' scores. Graziadei has some of the highest scores as well as passionate fan support, so he's definitely being counted among the front-runners to nab the Mirrorball. Voting can be done during Tuesday's live show online or by texting the competitor's first name (example: "JOEY") to 21523. Whether Graziadei wins or not, he will most likely be asked to join the "Dancing with the Stars Live" 2025 tour, which has stops in Philly and Atlantic City planned for January.
All "DWTS" episodes that have aired so far can be streamed on Disney+ and Hulu. If you don't have time to cram before Tuesday's finale, though, here is a rundown of some of Graziadei's best dances this season:
In the premiere episode, Graziadei and Johnson danced an upbeat cha cha to "Dancin' in the County" by Tyler Hubbard.
Graziadei and Johnson danced a fast-paced jive to "Shout" by the Isley Brothers during Episode 3, which paid homage to the musical variety show "Soul Train."
During an episode when the stars were supposed to dedicate a dance to important people in their lives, Graziadei paid tribute to his fiancee with a sweet Viennese waltz to "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims.
During Episode 6, "Disney Night," Graziadei and Johnson performed a samba to "Trashin' the Camp" from "Tarzan." The dance included a moment in which Graziadei appeared to play the drums on Johnson, which went viral with fans and fellow dancers trying to re-create it.
For a spooky-themed episode during Halloween week, Graziadei and Johnson performed a creepy Argentine tango to "Ramalama (Bang Bang)" by Róisín Murphy.
During Episode 8, which celebrated 500 episodes of "DWTS," Graziadei and Johnson performed an emotional contemporary dance to "Work Song" by Hozier.
During last week's semifinals episode, Graziadei and Johnson earned their first perfect score from the judges with a Foxtrot to "I Won’t Dance" by Erin Boheme featuring District 78. They also performed a powerful Paso Doble to "Come Together" by the Beatles that night.
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