The glitter of the Dancing with the Stars Season 34 finale has barely settled, but the ballroom is already a battlefield.
Fresh off Robert Irwin and Witney Carson’s emotional victory lap with the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, Olympic icon Simone Biles dropped a bombshell that has social media in meltdown mode.
Just hours after her teammate Jordan Chiles and partner Ezra Sosa delivered what many are calling the performance of the decade—only to land in shocking third place—Biles went live on Instagram, her voice raw with frustration: “This competition is unfair to Black people like us.” The 28-year-old gymnastics GOAT, who herself placed fourth on DWTS Season 24, didn’t hold back, turning a night of sequins and spins into a raw reckoning on race, reality TV, and rigged redemption arcs.
For those still reeling from the November 25 broadcast, the finale was a showcase of sweat, splits, and simmering injustice. Irwin, the 21-year-old Australian heartthrob and son of the late Steve Irwin, powered through a cracked rib to claim the crown.
His freestyle homage to his father—set to a montage of Crocodile Hunter clips—drew tears and perfect 30s from the judges, blending vulnerability with virtuosic footwork in a quickstep to Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” TikTok sensation Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy locked second with a sultry samba and freestyle totaling 90/90, their chemistry crackling like wildfire.
But Chiles? Her night was pure fire—until the votes doused it.
Paired with the magnetic Sosa, the 24-year-old UCLA Bruin and Paris 2024 bronze medalist (later stripped in controversy) owned the floor.
Their paso doble to Rihanna’s “Breakin’ Dishes,” handpicked by head judge Carrie Ann Inaba, was a bullfight of fury: Chiles executed razor-sharp splits, cape flourishes, and a death drop that had Bruno Tonioli leaping from his seat, proclaiming her “the fiercest matador in history.” Inaba, who rehearsed with the pair, awarded a 29/30, nitpicking the opener’s “overpowering energy” amid audible audience groans.
The instant tango to Cardi B’s “I Like It”? Flawless—unanimous 30s for spotting that sliced the air like a vault dismount.
The freestyle, though? It was legendary. To Beyoncé’s “Bow Down” morphing into Normani’s “Motivation”—the anthem Chiles flipped to in Paris—Normani joined onstage for a Beyhive-meets-HBCU explosion of hip-hop isolations, aerial flips, and unfiltered Black excellence.
Derek Hough dubbed it “revolutionary”; Tonioli called it a “tsunami of talent.” Inaba, sealing the hype, declared: “This is the best freestyle in 20 seasons—period!” Total: 89/90, tying Irwin but ultimately crushed by viewer votes (over 72 million cast, skewed toward Irwin’s wholesome Down Under appeal).
As confetti rained on the winners, Chiles hugged Sosa and Normani, whispering, “We showed up,” but her eyes betrayed the bruise.
By 2 a.m. ET, Chiles’ own 47-second Story had gone nuclear: “I don’t accept third. This isn’t skill—it’s race and gender.” It racked up 10 million views, spawning #JusticeForJordan and accusations of a “viewer vote cartel” favoring white stars.
Enter Biles, Chiles’ Olympic sister and fiercest defender during the medal fiasco she likened to “erasing three Black women from history.” In a 3-minute IG Live from her Texas home—flanked by gold medals and her husband Jonathan Owens—Biles unloaded: “I watched Jordan pour her soul out there tonight.
That freestyle? Untouchable. Best I’ve seen, and I’ve danced on that floor. But third? Come on. This show loves us for the clicks, the flips, but when it’s time to crown queens, it’s the same old story. DWTS is unfair to Black people like us—full stop. Jordan deserved that trophy.
We all do.” Her words, laced with the quiet rage of someone who’s vaulted over racism before, hit like a Yurchenko double pike.
The internet imploded. #DWTSRacism surged to global top trends, with fans dredging up ghosts: Normani’s third-place “robbery” in Season 28 despite perfect scores; Zendaya’s early exit in Season 16; even Biles’ own fourth-place snub amid health battles.
“Simone said what we’ve been screaming for years—misogynoir in sequins,” tweeted activist @BlackGirlMagic, her post garnering 50K likes.
X lit up with parallels: “Jordan’s ‘Motivation’ was Black girl summer; Alix’s was just summer school,” quipped one user, while another raged, “72M votes? That’s code for ‘not her.'” Backlash bred counterfire: DWTS diehards cried “sore losers,” pointing to Irwin’s “universal” story, but Biles’ clapback in replies—”Heart’s great, but talent doesn’t lie”—silenced many.
This isn’t Biles’ first rodeo calling out inequities. From her Tokyo mental health exit to slamming the medal mishap as “a pattern,” she’s the voice that vaults barriers. Chiles, fresh from clapping back at Week 1 “harsh” scores and Inaba’s interruptions, echoed in a follow-up tweet: “Simone gets it.
Grateful for sisters who see the full routine.” Sosa added: “We danced truth. Votes can’t erase that.” Even Normani chimed in: “Y’all tried it with me too. Jordan, you’re gold—always.”
Inaba, still smarting from her own tearful defense (“I loved Jordan from day one!”), issued a statement via ABC: “We celebrate all journeys.
Simone’s passion is valid; our votes reflect the audience’s heart.” But critics aren’t buying it, citing Inaba’s history of docking WOC harder—from Chandler Kinney’s “angry” trope to Chiles’ “too strong” notes.
Season 34’s ratings soared—up 25% thanks to Chiles’ crossover buzz and Irwin’s legacy pull—but at what cost? As Biles signed off her Live, “Fix the floor, or we’ll flip the script,” it felt like a manifesto.
Chiles heads back to UCLA mats, eyeing tours and advocacy, while Biles preps for her memoir sequel. DWTS teases Season 35, but whispers of “vote reform” swirl.
Was it robbery? Bias? Or just ballroom blues? One thing’s undeniable: In a world watching, Black excellence demands more than applause—it demands the crown. Biles and Chiles didn’t just compete; they exposed the cracks in the mirrorball.
