Hines Ward and his dancing partner Kym Johnson emerged from a hotly contested three-team race with Kirstie Alley and Chelsea Kane to capture the mirror ball trophy on the season's final episode of Dancing with the Stars. The final decision was as close as any prior season of DWTS, with Ward edging Kirstie Alley by a slim margin among the judges. And while the voting public was likely behind Kirstie Alley, based largely on her physical transformation throughout the show,
fendi peekaboo bag, Ward and Johnson overcame adversity to capture the title.
During training in the week before the semi-finals, Johnson was rather seriously injured when Ward fell on top of her after a fall. Her neck was sprained and the threat of more serious injury was present. She returned from the injury to lead her partner into the final elimination rounds and eventually to victory.
Chelsea Kane and partner Mark Ballas took third place and were eliminated after the first two rounds of the three-team finals. It was the second consecutive deep run for Mark Ballas, who took Bristol Palin to a losing appearance in the finals of last season's DWTS.
And while Hines Ward took home the mirror ball trophy, it was Kirstie Alley who captured the hearts of most viewers. Alley managed to drop a significant amount of weight during the season, including having 38 inches taken out of the dress she wore on the first episode, when she brought the same dress back for her appearance in the finals. For someone who has battled weight issues publicly for years, seeing her lose the weight through the course of the competition was inspiring for many.