RECAP: 'Dancing with the Stars' finale bubbles with surprises

The “Dancing with the Stars” competition had all those special moments that made it must-see television: guest stars, a season recap and an appearance by last year’s winners.

Before the night started, it looked like Xochitl Gomez was the hands-down winner. She had the most finishes atop the leaderboard and a consistency that played well all season.

Charity Lawson and Ariana Madix were in second and third place; Jason Mraz in fourth and Alyson Hannigan in fifth.

But the “redemption” dance switched things up – Mraz got a perfect score for his foxtrot and moved to the top, sharing the lead with Gomez, who also netted a 30 for hers.

Then, the “freestyle” dances let everyone have a shot at a perfect score. Charity did a cheer routine; Ariana did a showgirl strut, Jason did a Lindy-riffic dance and Xochitl offered up a mash-up of Latin moves. While Alyson did what amounted to a bunch of lifts, she still got a 28 and “the people’s champion” moniker. ("Freestyle" obviously means "group routine." All of the finalists had entourages helping hide some of the imperfections.)

Dancing with the Stars - Judges

The "Dancing with the Stars" finale was filled with 10 scores. The judges, from left, Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.

The results:

Fifth place: Alyson Hannigan

Fourth place: Charity Lawson

Third place: Ariana Madix

Second place: Jason Mraz

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Winner: Xochitl Gomez (who's also going on tour)

As a consolation prize, Mraz got to sing "I Feel Like Dancing" with Derek Hough and the pros. 

Dancing with the Stars - Last season's winners

Charli D'Amelio and Mark Ballas, last season's winners, danced on the finale of "Dancing with the Stars."

Also worth noting:

THE GOOD:

• Bringing back the reigning champs, Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas, was a great move. It provided a connection between seasons (and showed last year’s vote was warranted). The show leaned into that “history” with a “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” that featured lots of past champs.
• Moving the series back to broadcast television. “Dancing with the Stars” is a show that appeals to a broad audience. It needs to be in that kind of atmosphere.
• Replacing Tyra Banks with Julianne Hough. More playful (less “America’s Top Model”), Hough also had the dancing cred that made her questions more empathetic and motivated. Host Alfonso Ribeiro had that old Tom Bergeron style that played well.
• Harry Jowsey crying for Alyson Hannigan. The two were good pals and examples of the friendships that grew on the show.

THE BAD:

• Too much “perfection” from the judges. Carrie Ann Inaba was right to call out Ariana Madix and Charity Lawson. Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli were a little too forgiving.
• Derek’s lapel pins. They’re like “fetch.” Not going to happen.
• Barry Williams’ chest-baring encore; Val Chmerkovskiy's perm. 
• Talk of growth. If you looked closely, there were plenty of things an amateur judge could call out. Either the excessive smoke was blinding, or the final show makes everyone generous.