Donald Driver takes home winner’s trophy on 'Dancing With The Stars'

NFL star Donald Driver has been declared the winner of the most competitive season of “Dancing with the Stars”. He dazzled on stage with his partner, pro Peta Murgatroyd, and became really excited when his name was announced and he was given the champion’s trophy. This is the first victory for Murgatroyd, who joined "Dancing with the Stars" as a featured pro last season.

Upon hearing his name called as the season 14 winner of ABC's hit show, Driver stopped, dropped and rolled.

"Amazing. This is awesome!" he said, his fist punching the sky in excitement.

The night promised pure entertainment as all twelve of the stars were called for a final dance in front of a live audience. Singer Kelly Clarkson gave an amazing performance, which was followed by the talented Gladys Knight's performance of "The Way We Were".

The winner accredited his win to his incredible freestyle dancing routine on Monday evening. Freestyle dance proved to be quite challenging for the competitors. Donald Driver, with his partner, wowed the viewers with their perfect routine. Opera singer Katherine Jenkins, the early frontrunner in the competition, took second place with her partner, Mark Ballas. William Levy, together with his partner, Cheryl Burke, came in third after a weak freestyle performance.

Aside from the winner's announcement, the main events of the night were the final performances by the finalists. The top three contestants gave their best performances and scored perfectly. Levy really impressed the judges with a mesmerizing salsa, a dance that the star had perfected. Judge Goodman remarked, "If this were the Olympics for salsa and rhythm, then you would get a gold metal.” Levy scored a perfect 30 for his final dance.

Jenkins also earned praise with her unmatchable jive. It was fast, lively and perfectly showed Jenkins’s skilled footwork. Goodman called her the "complete package." The opera singer also got a 30 from the judges.

As for Driver, the NFL wide receiver wowed the audience and judges with a shirtless cha-cha-cha. Throughout the competition, Driver greatly depended on his strength and athleticism, and that was evident in his last performance. Judge Bruno Tonioli lauded Driver, saying that he "peaked at the right time."