Country singer Kellie Pickler may have gone into Tuesday night's show in second place, but by the night's end, she finished ahead of frontrunner Zendaya Coleman.
Pickler, 26, and her professional dance partner, Derek Hough, received 94 of 95 points for their combined performances on Monday and Tuesday. Judges' scores combined with viewer votes determine the winner.
Pickler also beat out Football pro Jacoby Jones, who finished in third place, and Olympian Aly Raisman, who was eliminated at the start of Tuesday's show.
In the end, Pickler and Hough triumphantly held up the mirror ball trophy as winners of Season 16.
The two-hour finale also featured performances by rapper Pitbull and South Korean pop star Psy, along with "American Idol" alum Jessica Sanchez.
Contestants eliminated this season - comedians Andy Dick and D.L. Hughley, Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill, boxer Victor Ortiz, actor Ingo Rademacher, "The Bachelor's" Sean Lowe and reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump - returned to do a dance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
