'Dancing With the Stars' Season 16 results recap: And the winner is...

By Allyssa Lee

May 22, 2013 12 AM PT

Wonder Twin powers: Activate! It was a close race to the finish, but in the end, country singer Kellie Pickler and her pro partner Derek Hough pulled out a one-two punch to knock out the rest of the competition and emerged as the “Dancing With the Stars” Season 16 champions.

Well, the “American Idol” also-ran wanted to “end with a bang,” and that she did. “This is amazing, oh my God!” Kellie said. Head judge Len Goodman called her the “bee’s knees” and “my uncle’s carbuncle.” Bruno Tonioli compared her to Derek’s little sister, Julianne Hough. And four-time champion Derek, who’s now got a “family” of Mirrorball trophies, called her a dancer.

Kellie and her similarly-coiffed partner edged out the performance prowess of the one-named Zendaya and her pro partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy for Season 16’s highest honor. The two couples had been neck-and-neck with judges’ scores, but methinks it was Kellie and Derek’s low-production value, high-emotional impact, supersize freestyle that put them over the top and earned them that coveted Mirrorball trophy. In fact it was that emotional dance that the voters tweeted as the encore performance they most wanted to see during Tuesday night’s two-hour results show.

PHOTOS: ‘Dancing With the Stars’: Meet season 16’s contestants

And 16-year-old Zendaya took her second place finish like a champ. “I’m very proud and very happy and I get to leave here with an amazing experience,” the Disney Channel star told Brooke Burke-Charvet. Val already told her during their final rehearsal that she had carried herself like a champion the entire season. “She makes me dream a little bigger again,” the pro dancer said. And now he’s got the 14 stitches and an inevitable scar to remind him of this experience forever.

In third place were Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff. “Out of all my training, I have never had a woman push me” like Karina did, the NFL star said. Can’t wait to see this “man of many faces” catch a ball with his arm extended next Baltimore Ravens season. And incorporate all his new moves into his touchdown dance!

Alexandra Raisman and Mark Ballas came in fourth, announced early on so that the Olympic gymnast and her tattooed partner were saved from having to do the Instant Dance.

Though the final Instant Dances did little to sway the rankings as both Kellie and Zendaya’s Instant Jives and Jacoby’s Instant Salsa received perfect 30 scores.

The finale went a little bit differently this season, in that all the season’s contestants didn’t come out to perform, and the DanceCenter segment was notably absent (hope they didn’t get rid of it altogether!). Instead of hoofing it, country singer Wynonna chose to belt a cover of “I Want to Know What Love Is” in front of the mike, leaving her pro partner Tony Dovolani to dance it out with Peta Murgatroyd down on the ballroom floor.

PHOTOS: Hollywood stars on stage

Bachelor Sean Lowe, boxer Victor Ortiz and comedian Andy Dick did a horsey prance alongside Psy, who came to the party to perform his latest Internet smash, “Gentleman.” And the K-pop sensation fit right into the “DWTS” glitterverse with his shiny fabrics, high energy, hip swivels and buckets of unabashed nacho cheesiness. The hip swivels continued when Pitbull returned to the ballroom to perform the network TV debut of “Manos Pa’rriba” featuring Papayo, surrounded by a bevy of women and white hot beats and moves. Then fellow “American Idol” contestant and “Glee” guest star Jessica Sanchez belted out her version of Pitbull’s “Feel This Moment.”

Our Pros and the Troupe got a lot of face time. First, the whole gang came back to celebrate in a great rousing introductory performance choreographed by Lacey Schwimmer (who sat on the sidelines). Then, the ladies came out to show they “Run the World” in that Beyoncé-tinged routine that they reworked to feature female finalists Zendaya, Kellie and Aly. Finally, the Pros and the Troupe slinked out in a fun cabaret-like number choreographed by Jason Gilkison.

Andy dried his many tears and emerged from his mountain of tissues to return to the competition, performing his Alice in Wonderland jazz routine with Sharna Burgess set to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” that featured his own gaggle of monsters, a.k.a. the Troupe.

Lisa Vanderpump made good on her earlier confession that she fancied Len Goodman and wanted to put the moves on him. “He is quite cute,” she admitted. So it was only age appropriate that during her classic Hollywood-style fox trot with Gleb Savchenko that Len, dressed nattily in his bow tie, stepped in for a spell to relieve Gleb of his partnering duties. Bruno gave it a 10.

And my ice-skating-loving heart just about exploded when Dorothy Hamill came on the dance floor to do a Viennese waltz with Henry Byalikov — and then fellow skater, Season 6 champ and Dorothy’s “DWTS” inspiration, Kristi Yamaguchi, came on the floor (with Sasha Farber) to step alongside her! The only thing missing from that sweet, gold-medal winning routine was Dorothy’s partner and yummy Irish lad Tristan MacManus, who was injured and could not perform. “It’s an honor to join my idol on the dance floor,” Kristi said. Hugs all around!

What do you think, ballroom fans? Happy with who won the coveted Mirrorball trophy? Did you miss DanceCenter? Think there would have been a different outcome had the ABC.com votes been counted?

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