'Dancing With the Stars' Frontrunner JoJo Siwa Reacts to Losing Mirrorball Trophy

11/23/2021 02:27 pm EST

JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson might not have taken home the Mirrorball Trophy during Monday's Dancing With the Stars finale, but the pair couldn't be more proud of how they performed in Season 30. Coming in second to NBA star Iman Shumpert and his partner Daniella Karagach in a surprise upset, Siwa and Johnson earned two perfect scores during the finale, as well as the most combined points of any duo throughout the season. 

"I will take second every single day if that means that I got to make it to the finale. If it means I got to make the friend that I did in Jenna," Siwa told Entertainment Tonight after the finale. "It if means that I got to have the experiences and life changes that I've had in the last 10 weeks. ...It's worth so much to me and I'm so grateful forever."

The YouTuber and her pro partner first tore up the dance floor to a fusion tango and cha-cha set to "I Love It" by Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX, earning them a perfect score from the judges. Their second dance, a freestyle set to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," earned them another perfect score and emotional responses from the judges, who praised Siwa and Johnson as the first same-sex dance partners on the show.

"Whether Gaga sees it or a little kid at home sees it, who thinks they might love someone who is the same gender as them, as long as someone in the world is seeing this and smiling, that's all I want," Siwa said of the passion behind the dance. The Dance Moms alum continued, "Honestly, I just am so grateful that, with the younger generation, that I have a platform to be a voice for them and to be a person for them to look to, and to see, 'She's a girl, she was in a relationship with a girl, she's not weird.' It's as simple as that."

At the end of the night, once scores were combined with audience votes, Siwa and Johnson took second place to Shumpert and Karagach, who made history as the first NBA player pair to ever win the Mirrorball. "Iman, for some reason, has been like our big brother in this whole competition, so if there was anyone who we wanted to win, it was Iman and Daniella," Johnson shared. 

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