New 'DWTS' Champ Melissa Rycroft Shocked At Victory
Melissa Rycroft, the new champion of "Dancing with the Stars," told reporters after her victory that she did not expect to win.
Rycroft defeated gymnast Shawn Johnson and actress Kelly Monaco in the DWTS All-Stars finale Tuesday night. The former "Bachelor" winner came in third on her original season behind Johnson.
"To be honest, when it was the two of us there I assumed [Shawn] won. I thought, 'Keep your smile on,'" Melissa told E! Online after the show.
Indeed, Rycroft and her partner, Tony Dovolani, were visibly shocked when they were announced the new DWTS winners on Tuesday night. The two jumped around and (likely) cursed so much that the camera had to cut away to a reaction shot of the other former all-star contestants.
You can watch footage of the winning moment here, courtesy of ABC News.
"When it was our name called, I just went, oh, my gosh, how did this just happen," Rycroft told Entertainment Weekly on Tuesday night. "The support behind us the entire season it feels good. I felt the cast was genuinely happy for us. It feels good to have fought hard all season and proven ourselves!"
The win was especially sweet for Dovolani, who had never won DWTS despite appearing on the show for 14 seasons.
"You know what, I've paid my dues but it was worth the entire 14 seasons to get somebody like Melissa," he told EW. "It was worth this unbelievable moment, this incredible ride-all the stars have to align sometimes and tonight, they all did. It's my wife's and my anniversary tonight, and the 100 year of independence for Albanians, so this is an incredible moment. Melissa didn't just affect me. She affected an entire nation. This moment I share with all our fans."