Jennings has plans for his ‘DWTS’ mirror ball
Ross hangs up his shoes; Kordei loses with grace
The magic word at Tuesday’s Dancing With the Stars finale? Shocked.
In the moments after Season 24 of the ABC dance competition ended, NFL running back Rashad Jennings said he was shocked to win; retired World Series champ David Ross said he was shocked to make the finals, let alone finish as runner-up; and the studio audience was shocked — and quite upset, as evident from some hoot- ing — that Fifth Harmony’s Normani Kordei didn’t finish higher than third.
“I don’t know if you caught my face or not, but I literally could not believe it at all,” Jennings said of the moment he and pro partner Emma Slater heard host Tom Bergeron announce them as winners. “It solidified all the hard work we put in. It was well worth it.”
For a guy who was so surprised to win, Jennings has some pretty impressive plans for his mirror ball trophy.
“I’ve already figured this out. Over the fireplace. There’s going to be some light shining on it. It’s going to rotate and it’s going to play every single song, in the background, that we danced to,” he told reporters on the dance floor just moments after he and Slater triumphed.
Ross, who partnered with Lindsay Arnold, said he never expected to get this far in the dance competition.
“I’ve said this a billion times, but I didn’t plan on being here past Week 3. (Lindsay) has brought me to this level and I’ve enjoyed it so much and grown as a person,” he said. “She’s pushed me to the limit. … We got to the finals and we got to second place. I could not be prouder.”
Ross said it was “almost uncomfortable” watching good dancers get eliminated, including third-place finishers Kordei and Valentin Chmerkovskiy. “You’re like, ‘What the heck’s going on?’ But I appreciate the fact people are voting for me and (Lindsay). It makes me so thankful that people enjoyed watching us. It’s probably the biggest compliment you can get.”
Kordei, who handled her thirdplace finish with grace during and after the show, was asked about the studio audience’s displeasure with her elimination. “It’s really nice that they cared. It’s great to see the support I’ve gained.”
As for post- Dancing plans, Ross — who retired as the Chicago Cubs’ catcher following the team’s championship 2016 season — says his dancing performance days are over. “Now, it’s going to be in private with my wife,” he said. Jennings, a football free agent who last played for the New York Giants, will join the Dancing With
the Stars summer tour while preparing to go back to the gridiron.
“I get to continue to dance, I get to continue to train for football,” he says. “When a team calls, I’m ready. Until then, I’m training and dancing. They know I’m going to be in shape.”