dancing with the stars

American Sweetheart Laurie Hernandez Won Dancing With the Stars

Laurie Hernandez. Photo: Kelsey McNeal/ABC via Getty Images

One of America’s reigning sweethearts and Olympic-winning medalists has added another title to her name: “ballroom dancer extraordinaire.” At least that’s what Laurie Hernandez has earned the right to call herself, should she so choose, after winning the 27th season of Dancing With the Stars. The pint-sized and powerful Olympic gymnast won the judges’ favor on Tuesday’s season finale to claim the top prize along with her dancing partner, Val Chmerkovskiy.

They were joined in the top three spots by former NFL player Calvin Johnson and his partner, Lindsay Arnold, and race car driver James Hinchcliffe and his partner, Sharna Burgess. It’s the first time the top three dancing duos were made up of professional athletes (and, you know, not just your run-of-the-mill celebs). All three pairs of dancers scored 40/40 on their performances, but it was 16-year-old-Hernandez and Chmerkovskiy who get to go home with the mirror-ball trophy.

Given that Hernandez wooed everyone at the Olympics with a magnificent wink (and, in the process, gifted us with possibly the best GIF of the Games this summer), it’s little surprise she nabbed the top prize on DWTS. Congratulations to one of America’s favorite Olympians who, in addition to being a talented ballroom dancer, also doubles (triples?) as a “human emoji.”

American Sweetheart Laurie Hernandez Wins DWTS