Former “Bachelor” Joey Graziadei has been named “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom champion.

Reality star and pro partner Jenna Johnson beat US Olympian Ilona Maher and pro Alan Bersten, who took second place, in the final minutes of the eight-week ABC competition.

“I feel like Jenna totally deserves this and this is everything for her,” Graziadei said after winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy. “It means everything, this whole experience has been incredible, honestly. Ilona, ​​​​you were great this season. I love you. All finalists and jurors thank you for your understanding. I did my best, I promise!”

Five pairs of semi-finalists reached the final. The other three were: Disney Channel alum Chandler Kinney and partner Brandon Armstrong, who placed third; Olympic gymnasts (aka “Pommel Horse Guy”) Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold, who placed fourth; and former NFL star Danny Amendola and Witney Carson, who finished fifth.

In a package reflecting on his time on the series, Graziadei said he felt “completely overwhelmed” at the start of training and wasn’t sure if he deserved to take part in the competition. The Season 28 star of “The Bachelor,” who became the first contestant to win “DWTS,” said he went from being nervous in Week 1 to “confident and excited” by the final dance.

As is typical with “Dancing With the Stars” contestants, he said the competition was “the hardest thing” he’s ever had to do.

“The mental side of this competition was undoubtedly the most challenging thing I have ever done,” he said. “I have to learn routines and execute them well in front of people within a week. The actual stress of it is crazy.”

Graziadei told Us Weekly that he “blacked out” after the win and only remembers Johnson “screaming really, really loudly” and hugging her. He also remembered last season’s winning pro, Val Chmerkovskiy, Johnson’s husband, coming on stage to present them with the mirror ball.

“I remember that (trophy) was heavier than I thought and that was about it. Here we are now. And now we are here,” he said.

Maher – who became a social media sensation with her behind-the-scenes posts at the Paris Olympics – accepted the loss with grace, hugging her partner as confetti fell in the ballroom and later thanking fans on Instagram for it they had taken part.

“Thanks for everything, guys. “Your vote is the reason we achieved second place,” she and Bersten wrote in a joint statement. “Of course it’s not the first time, but to be honest we’ve won in many other ways too. It is very fortunate that we entered into a partnership and experienced this amazing journey together. We will remember this forever.”

For the finale, each couple performed a free dance, accompanied by other dancers, as well as a “Judges’ Redemption” dance. Graziadei, a tennis instructor before his “Bachelor” days, performed a tennis dance set to “Canned Heat” and a cathartic cha-cha set to “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” making up for his lackluster performance in Week 1.

Judge Derek Hough called the cha-cha “a punctuation mark that lets everyone know you’re one of the top contenders on this show.” The cha-cha earned the pair three perfect tens from Hough and fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli one. Although her tennis freestyle didn’t “hit the jackpot” for Inaba, giving them a 9, it did earn them two perfect 10s from Hough and Tonioli.

“We put in so much work … everyone did it, but it meant that the world obviously got it and ended it with an exclamation point,” Graziadei said Wednesday during his victory lap on ABC’s “Good Morning.” America”. ”

Graziadei also said he would be “taking a bit of a break from reality TV” after two consecutive stints on the two ABC series.

Graziadei said “The Bachelor” and “DWTS” were both “amazing.” “I obviously have a great fiancée and now a mirror ball, so it’s been a great year for me,” he added, referring to his engagement to Kelsey Anderson.

Maher was tasked by Tonioli to perform a jive as a release dance – the same type of dance that had made her cry during the judging last week. The rugby player, who also performed a famous jazz number as Luisa from “Encanto” during the competition’s Disney night, delivered an upbeat jive set to “Shake a Tail Feather” that earned her and Bersten a 9 from every judge.

In her free skate, the bronze medalist showed off her femininity with a high-octane performance set to “Femininomenon” that Inaba said blew her away and earned her three perfect 10 points.

Meanwhile, Live Nation announced Wednesday that Nedoroscik will be appearing on Dancing With the Stars: Live! will be there. 2025 Tour as co-host, with Maher and other fan favorites joining the traveling dance show on select dates. The show will make several stops in California this spring.

The cast will perform in Redding, Santa Rosa, San Jose and Temecula on March 22nd, 23rd, 25th and 30th. Between April 3rd and 5th, the tour will make stops in Santa Barbara, Indio and Los Angeles.