Xochitl Gomez's Reaction to Winning 'DWTS' Season 32 With Val Chmerkovskiy: A Mind-Blowing Experience (Exclusive)
Xochitl Gomez shares her disbelief and excitement after winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy alongside partner Val Chmerkovskiy on 'DWTS' season 32
Winning the latest Dancing With the Stars champion title is still hard to believe for Xochitl Gomez. The 17-year-old Marvel star shared exclusively with We that it feels surreal to have taken home the first-ever Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy with partner Val Chmerkovskiy on December 5. "It feels crazy," she admitted. "I think it’s going to take me a minute to fully register. I mean, even when I found out I was a superhero, I was like, ‘What? Are you for real?’ It took me, like, a week."
Gomez and Chmerkovskiy, 37, received perfect scores from the judges for their foxtrot and freestyle finale routines. They emerged victorious in the top two alongside Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach. Ariana Madix and Pasha Pashkov finished in third place, followed by Charity Lawson and Artem Chigvintsev in fourth and Alyson Hannigan and Sasha Farber in fifth.
“I can’t believe we did that,” Gomez told Us of her and Chmerkovskiy’s victory. “I was like, ‘[We’ll make it to] week five, maybe. Yeah!’ And then by the time we got [to week five], I was like, ‘OK, oop, we’re here, and maybe, we might stay, question mark?’”
Chmerkovskiy explained, "There are countless elements and variables beyond our control. So, we focused on making sure to enjoy every moment to the fullest."
Gomez admitted to having a game plan for the season after unintentional clues were revealed by producers about the weekly themes and dance styles. "I mapped out my songs, styles, and had a plan in place," she said. "It's amazing to see that from all that time ago, the plan I made in a PDF, we were able to make it happen."
Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy Disney/Eric McCandless
She had also thoroughly researched Chmerkovskiy, joking that she knew everything about him, including all the packages from each season, which allowed her to make plenty of jokes.
Chmerkovskiy attributed their win to his partner's humor and laughter. He credited Alyson's presence in the finals and Xochitl taking home the mirror ball to the fun they had together. He emphasized the importance of fun, chemistry, and camaraderie, and expressed that their time together was bittersweet because it was officially over.
Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy Disney/Eric McCandless
In 2024, Gomez will be making a special appearance on the DWTS Live Tour alongside Lawson, 27, and fellow season 32 competitor Harry Jowsey. As of now, she and Chmerkovskiy are looking forward to celebrating their win with some delectable food.
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"The day after our Good Morning America [cast reveal], we went to New York and spent the day roaming around. We decided to grab some bagels and made a promise to ourselves that if we won at GMA, we would celebrate with bagels in New York." Gomez shared.
With reporting by Hannah Kahn
