29 May 2022 - Author and mental health advocate Jazz Thornton has been crowned the winner of Dancing with the Stars NZ on Three and ThreeNow’s dazzling grand finale of the hugely popular show. Tonight’s live episode saw reality star Alex Vaz, broadcaster Brodie Kane, former professional boxer David Letele and Jazz Thornton dance their hearts out for a chance at the glitterball trophy, but it was Jazz who impressed New Zealand’s public most.
Jazz and her dance partner Brad Coleman danced a contemporary ballroom style dance, securing themselves a spot in the final two alongside Brodie and Enrique Johns. They then danced the quickstep, before being awarded the coveted Mirrorball trophy based solely on the public vote. The
final text vote between Brodie and Jazz was one of the closest on Dancing with the Stars NZ record.
Jazz says her journey on Dancing with the Stars NZ was “one of the most life-changing” experiences she’s ever had: “Being on this show has been phenomenal. I’ve truly had
the time of my life learning how to dance and meeting everyone. The support I’ve received has been incredible, and it
fills my heart to have danced for Youthline. The work they do is outstanding, so to be able to help shine a light on
them makes me so happy.”
Judge Elektra Shock added: “From start to finish Jazz has been absolutely exquisite. Each week she has demonstrated fantastic dance quality
and phenomenal commitment. She gave it her all every time, emotionally and physically, and she deserved to win this
competition. I couldn't be happier with this result.”
MasterChef NZ judge and previous Dancing with the Stars NZ contestant Nadia Lim also made a special appearance on tonight’s show, ahead of MasterChef NZ’s highly anticipated premiere on Three and ThreeNow.
The nine celebrities that competed in this year’s competition were reality TV star Alex Vaz, award-winning broadcaster Brodie Kane, former professional boxer David Letele, and comedian and The Edge Breakfast co-host Eli Matthewson. They were joined by two-time Olympic medallist Eric Murray, Jazz Thornton, TV personality and actor Sonia Gray, accomplished broadcaster and journalist Kerre Woodham, and stand-up comedian Rhys Mathewson.
Ahead of the semi-finals, both Eric Murray and Rhys Mathewson unfortunately tested positive for Covid-19. This led to
Kerre Woodham and Alex Vaz, the two most recently eliminated contestants, re-joining the competition, per BBC format
guidelines. Head judge Camilla Sacre-Dallerup also tested positive for Covid-19, resulting in champion dancer Karen
Hardy stepping in as judge for tonight’s grand finale.
Dancing with the Stars is a BBC Studios format produced by Warner Bros. Discovery. The smash-hit BBC format is licensed to 60 countries, with
over 350 series aired around the world to date.