Johnson (pictured below with Rippon) echoed his sentiments. “I couldn’t have had a better partner to win this with,” she said. “I owe a lot to Adam. I wouldn’t be standing here without him.”
Rippon’s avant-garde freestyle to “Scooby Doo Pa Pa” by DJ Kass wasn’t well received by the judges, yet he still emerged at top of the leader board for the night. “It was definitely scary,” he admitted of the reaction to his dance. “I think the whole time that we’ve been in the competition we weren’t focused on winning, but it was the last dance of the competition and you want to come away the champion. Jenna and I knew we were taking a risk but no matter the comments it was worth it.”
Rippon beat out fellow skater Tonya Harding (pictured above with partner Sasha Farber), who received her first perfect score last night, and Redskins cornerback Josh Norman. “We absolutely feel like winners -- and we got tens,” Harding beamed after the announcement. Just having the opportunity to show another side of her persona along with personal satisfaction also proved a win. “I found myself knowing I can achieve such greatness doing something I love to do,” she said.