"ATE THAT CHA CHA UP" — Dancing with the Stars fans divided by Joey's redemption dance in the finale

Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars aired its finale on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, featuring the five remaining couples returning to the ballroom to compete for the coveted mirrorball trophy. Each had to perform a redemption dance assigned by the judges, in addition to a freestyle routine. Joey and his dance partner, Jenna, had to dance the Cha Cha for their redemption performance.

The dancing duo paired the routine with Justin Timberlake's CAN'T STOP THE FEELING!, hoping to impress the judges and the audience. Joey's performance earned him a perfect score and compliments from the judges. They praised his growth as a performer and congratulated him for setting the benchmark for the other contenders.

Dancing with the Stars fans took to X to compliment his routine, applauding his execution and stage presence. While many acknowledged his improvement, others were unimpressed. Many claimed that his act was not finale-worthy.

A fan reacts to Joey's performance (Image via X/@cloclobeans)

"JOEY. MY BACHELOR. HOT DAYUMMM. I ATE THAT CHA CHA UP," a fan wrote.

"love joey but I was NOT feeling this dance maybe I'm just a hater of the cha cha," another fan commented.

"He crushed that Cha Cha!!! Wow insane great Choreo Jenna," a netizen tweeted.

Many Dancing with the Stars fans praised Joey and Jenna's redemption dance.

"CAN'T STOP THE FEELING OF THAT CHA CHA !!!! THAT ROUTINE WAS A WHOLE VIBE. I FULLY ENJOYED EVERY SINGLE PART OF IT. THAT WAS AN AMAZING !!!!!" a user reacted.

"This dance is why I like Joey. Not only is he leading, but he’s having a heck of a good time. . Actually leading her that is so rare on the show. That’s a ten dance," a person commented.

"That was Joey’s best dance & Cha Cha… that was his smoothest & most confident dance & he made it look easy! Very well deserving of being Top 2," another fan wrote.

In contrast, many Dancing with the Stars fans felt Joey's Cha Cha was not up to the mark.

"No people am I blind ??? Like this cha cha got three 10 ??? Like am I lost ??? Are they using the show to boost Joey career or something cause I was so bored watching it," a user posted.

"Joeys cha cha wasn’t that good. Not 10 worthy," a person reacted.

"stephen was better than joey and it isn’t even close, no way did joey deserve to get all tens for his cha cha cha. he was very stiff the entirely dance. OKAY GUYS WATCH HIM WIN," another netizen commented.

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"Polished to perfection" — Dancing with the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli on Joey's performance

Joey made history by becoming the first participant from the Bachelor franchise to make it to the Dancing with the Stars finale. Although he was happy about the feat, he knew he had to leave a lasting impression on the judges with his first act of the night.

Judge Derek Hough assigned them the Cha Cha paired with CAN'T STOP THE FEELING! by Justin Timberlake. Joey confessed before the cameras that he was nervous about redoing a routine and worried that the judges might not see any improvement. However, despite the nerves, he was determined to take the risk and put in his all for his final act.

"I am going to leave that dance floor and know I did everything I could and I left it all out there," he said.

Eventually, the Dancing with the Stars participant dove into his performance and delivered a noteworthy routine. His act caught the attention of the judges and the viewers. While the audience cheered and applauded, the judges acknowledged his improvement.

Derek congratulated Joey and said that his performance was not a redemption dance but a "punctuation mark" which let everybody know that he was a top contender for the trophy. Bruno Tonioli agreed and said:

"It was really like a sparkling jewel of a cha cha cha polished to perfection!"

Joey got 10s from all three judges, bringing his total to 30 out of 30.

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Dancing with the Stars Season 33 is available to stream on Disney+.