Alix Earle will be dancing on air for quite some time. After she and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy finished in second place in Dancing With the Stars’ season 34 finale on November 25, the influencer was visibly emotional about how grateful she was for the experience. "I just can't believe it's over," Alix exclusively told Will Marfuggi of E! News. "It all went by so fast, with so much adrenaline coursing through me tonight. When it's all done, it feels like a rush of emotion has hit me like a drug right now."
Despite Robert Irwin and Witney Carson taking home the Mirrorball Trophy, Alix didn't have any hard feelings, adding, "It was the best night ever, and it couldn't have gone any better." The social media star, who also competed against Jordan Chiles, Ezra Sosa, Dylan Efron, Daniella Karagach, Elaine Hendrix, and Alan Bersten in the finale, made sure to give a shoutout to her dancing partner. "Being able to dance every day has been so amazing, so fulfilling, and therapeutic," she shared. "And then having such a good best friend along the way, who constantly uplifts and supports me every day, is just so nice."
Moreover, Alix feels that she truly grew as a person throughout the two months she spent filming in L.A. "I got to spend a lot more time with myself being out here alone, even going to bed at night and just being in my own thoughts for the first time in a while," she explained. "So, as crazy and busy as this was, it was nice for me to be able to slow down, in a sense, and do something for myself that I really wanted to go for."
Throughout the season, judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli praised Alix as one of the most improved dancers, with her and Val consistently earning among the highest scores. But for Alix, this journey has gone far beyond the scores she sees on the screen. "This Dancing With the Stars journey really just has changed my life," she said in a TikTok posted on November 19 after the season's semifinals. "I am going to come out of this such a different person than I was going in. I think it's been the best thing for me that I could have ever done."
She added, "And after week one, I just didn't know how far I would make it in this, but I knew I was going to give it my all and try my hardest and just dedicate this time to dance and see if we somehow got to the finale. And the hard work is not stopping now." Despite knowing she and Val had an intense week preparing for the season finale—needing to prepare six dances—the 24-year-old was happy for the challenge to continue. "I'm so excited, taking in every last minute of this," she said. "I was tearing up at the judges' comments tonight, them saying I'm the most improved just because I've worked so hard—Val has pushed me so much. And we're not done yet."
Furthermore, that hard work paid off, with Alix and Val earning a perfect 30 on all their dances during the finale. And the TikToker knows she couldn't have done it without her pro partner. After their second-to-last episode together, Alix wrote in a TikTok message to Val, "Thank you for pushing me day in and day out, the long days, the laughs, the tears, and the best memories I could have ever asked for."
