Wounded army war veteran/”All My Children” television actor/motivational speaker J.R. Martinez claimed victory on the 13th season of the hit TV show “Dancing With the Stars” on Tuesday, winning with a jive and a samba that thrilled audiences.
Martinez, dancing with partner Karina Smirnoff, wowed the judges throughout the 10-week competition and overcame an injured ankle in the final weeks of the popular dance contest to claim its coveted mirror ball trophy. His grit and determination proved an inspiration to viewers.
Rob Kardashian, brother of the Kardashian sisters of reality TV fame, was runner-up. He outscored Martinez by a razor thin margin of 113 to 112 total judges’ points over the two-night finale, but audience voting counts for half the final result and viewers pushed Martinez into the winner’s circle.
Talk show host and actress Ricki Lake came in third, despite executing a tango to the theme from “Psycho” that scored a perfect single dance score of 30 from the judges.
Highlights of Tuesday’s finale included appearances by this season’s eliminated contestants.
The season received much attention for the casting and the participation of Chaz Bono, the transgender son of superstar Cher, who had a sex change operation last year.
