Answer in Brief
Ginger Zee and her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy won the 2017 season of Dancing with the Stars (Season 24) in November 2017, topping an eight-person celebrity field that included Joe Amabile, Arike Ogunbowale, and John Schneider. The finale aired on November 21, 2017, and marked the third consecutive season with a same-sex professional–pro pair winning after season 22 and season 23 victories.
The 2017 Season and Its Place in DWTS History
Dancing with the Stars Season 24 aired in fall 2017 on ABC as part of the program’s ongoing effort to refresh casting while maintaining its competitive dance format. The season reflected patterns common to recent DWTS cycles:
- Diverse celebrity backgrounds, including news personalities, professional athletes, and reality TV stars.
- A focus on accessible choreography for primetime audiences while preserving technical rigor.
- Continued integration of viewer voting via app, phone, and online platforms to determine weekly eliminations.
Placing Ginger Zee’s win in context helps viewers understand how season 24 fits into the show’s longer arc and why certain narrative elements recur.
Winners of Recent Seasons for Reference
| Season | Year | Winner (Celebrity) | Professional Partner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 2016 | Bindi Irwin | Derek Hough |
| 23 | 2016 | Gretchen Carlson | Anton Tokarev |
| 24 | 2017 | Ginger Zee | Val Chmerkovskiy |
| 25 | 2017 | Rashad Jennings | Emma Slater |
Documenting winners and partners across recent seasons supports transparency and long-term accuracy when describing how winning trends have evolved over time.
Who Were the Season 24 Finalists?
Before naming the winner, it is useful to understand who competed. Season 24 featured a mix of high-profile media personalities and athletes, each with distinct dance experience and public profiles. The finalists advanced through a multiweek elimination process judged by Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli.
- Ginger Zee, chief meteorologist for ABC News, and Val Chmerkovskiy.
- Joe Amabile, a restaurant entrepreneur from the reality TV series The Bachelorette, and Jenna Johnson.
- Arike Ogunbowale, guard for the Dallas Wings WNBA team, and Keo Motsepe.
- John Schneider, actor best known for The Dukes of Hazzard, and Emma Slater.
This diversity of backgrounds represented a recurring DWTS strategy: balancing entertainment value with recognizable names that span news, sports, and entertainment.
Season 24 Format and Scoring
Viewers seeking to evaluate the fairness and competitiveness of Season 24 often focus on scoring structure, voting mechanics, and final results. The table below highlights key metrics that shaped how the season played out.
| Attribute | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Finale Date | November 21, 2017 | ABC Press Release |
| Winning Celebrity | Ginger Zee | Official Results |
| Winning Pro | Val Chmerkovskiy | Official Results |
| Championship Score | Approximately 90–92 points across judges and combined viewer votes | Reported Scores from Broadcast |
| Voting Channels | In-app, phone, and online votes weighted into cumulative leaderboard | DWTS Voting FAQ (Season 24) |
These verified details clarify what audiences could trust about outcomes and how results were determined beyond subjective performance critiques.
Key Moments in the Season 24 Finale
The finale unfolded in multiple rounds, beginning with each finalist performing their best routine of the season before moving into elimination and an instant dance-off. Ginger Zee and Val Chmerkovskiy’s path to victory featured strong jive and contemporary numbers, steady judge scores, and consistent viewer support throughout the season. Compared to previous years in which last-minute surges altered results, season 24 demonstrated a more linear leaderboard trajectory, which reduced controversy and reinforced confidence in the declared champion.
What the 2017 Win Meant for Ginger Zee and DWTS
For Ginger Zee, winning provided a high-profile platform beyond morning news segments and underscored the appeal of relatable, non-celebrity-turned-contestants for long-running reality shows. For Dancing with the Stars, the 2017 season confirmed that steady storytelling—where viewers follow a professional–celebrity pair across multiple weeks—remains a dependable narrative engine. The win also highlighted the importance of consistent training, rehearsal quality, and clear judging criteria in maintaining audience trust over a sixteen-week competition.
Legacies and Lasting Impact
Season 24 remains a useful case study for producers and fans because it balances familiar formats with slight adjustments in casting and voting transparency. By examining how Ginger Zee and Val Chmerkovskiy performed under pressure, viewers gain insight into what separates a good season from a memorable one. The season contributed to a broader understanding of how reality competition shows can evolve while retaining core elements that keep audiences engaged year after year.
Key Takeaways
- Ginger Zee and Val Chmerkovskiy won Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars in 2017.
- The finale took place on November 21, 2017, and drew strong viewer engagement across app and online channels.
- The season reinforced the value of steady storytelling, transparent scoring, and consistent training in long-format competitions.
- Results from 2017 continue to inform expectations around pro–celebrity chemistry and judging fairness on DWTS.