She accepted it! Former Bachelorette lead Kaitlyn Bristowe has become the latest winner of Dancing With the Stars with her partner, Artem Chigvintsev, who won the coveted Mirrorball Trophy for the first time in his career. The duo beat out Nev Schulman, Nelly, and Justina Machado to be crowned season 29’s winners, solidifying their win in the finale with perfect Argentine tango and freestyle scores. “I don’t even know how to put it into words,†Bristowe told ET after the win. “If you believe in something and if you have a passion or a dream, when you think of anyone who’s gotten somewhere, I guarantee they have a story about what it took to get there.†Bristowe’s win also furthers the strong legacy of Bachelorettes on the show: Hannah Brown won last year, y’all.
Bristowe infamously had a difficult time fulfilling her dream as a Dancing With the Stars contestant. She candidly spoke throughout the years of Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss allegedly blacklisting her from ever competing on the ABC show, as he “didn’t want people wanting fame after his show†and behaves like “a piece of shit†toward women. Fleiss has denied her claims, and Bristowe was finally given an offer to compete on Stars in June. “I feel like this is back to the moment where you told me I was the Bachelorette,†she told Chris Harrison at the time. “That is the last thing in the world I thought you were going to say. I thought you were going to ask me to take over your job. I’m so honored to say yes.†And now Bristowe wept, for there was no more roses or mirror balls to conquer on the network.