Jordan Chiles’ final night on Dancing With the Stars delivered a surprise moment no one saw coming when Normani suddenly joined her on the dance floor. The Olympic gymnast competed in the finale, which aired Tuesday, November 25, 2025, ultimately finishing in third place alongside professional partner Ezra Sosa.
Chiles has now revealed that Normani didn’t wait for an invitation. The former DWTS contestant proactively volunteered for the freestyle routine, turning what appeared to be a last-minute surprise into a meticulously planned moment that had been in the works for weeks ahead of the finale.
DWTS Finale Surprise: Normani Personally Invited To Join Jordan Chiles’ Routine
Speaking exclusively to E! News after the finale, Jordan Chiles revealed that Normani first suggested the idea after attending a taping of the show as an audience member in late September.
According to Chiles, the singer was direct about her intentions. “She’s the one that actually said, ‘I think I should be in your freestyle,’” Chiles said.
At first, Chiles assumed Normani was joking, but that changed when her team confirmed the request was serious. “I didn’t know she was serious until her manager called me and was like, ‘No, she’s being serious. She wants to be in it,” Chiles added.
Normani, who previously competed on Dancing With the Stars in season 24 in 2017 with pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy, made a surprise return during the season 34 finale on November 25. She joined finalist Jordan Chiles and professional dancer Ezra Sosa for their freestyle routine, which featured her hit “Motivation” blended with Beyoncé’s “Bow Down.”
Once the green light was given, Chiles said she immediately brought Ezra Sosa into the plan. “I was like, ‘OK Ezra, we’re gonna do this,’” she recalled. “‘We’re gonna make it one of the most iconic freestyles.’”
The performance quickly drew rave reactions from the judges, with Carrie Ann Inaba calling it “the best freestyle routine” she had seen in the show’s twenty-year history.
Thanks to Normani’s self-pitched cameo and the judges’ glowing feedback, the finale routine became a defining moment in Chiles’ Dancing With the Stars journey, while also marking a high-profile return for Normani to the ballroom where she first showcased her dance skills years earlier.
Jordan Chiles On Life Between College, Gymnastics, And The DWTS Stage
Chiles opened up about balancing college responsibilities, elite gymnastics training, and her appearance on Dancing With the Stars following her run on the show’s 34th season. Earlier in the season, she delivered one of her strongest performances, earning a perfect score during the semifinal round on Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
All the while, she continued attending college and training with UCLA gymnastics, maintaining the same academic and athletic workload as other student-athletes while also rehearsing for live television.
In an interview on Good Morning America, Chiles said her ability to juggle multiple commitments came down to her mindset as an athlete. She described the ballroom as a rare space where she could step outside her usual routine without neglecting her core responsibilities.
“Honestly, that’s where the athlete mindset come in the play. I believe…the happiest place was being able to walk into the ballroom, and I was like ‘Okay, I get to do something outside the UCLA gymnastics, outside the school, but yes, we are still doing that a 100 percent,’” Chiles said.
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She went on to explain how her daily life extends beyond sports and academics. “I’m a full-time college student, full-time college athlete. I represent, you know, being a businesswoman as well, but I think it’s really just the dedication. Once I put my mind and grit to something, that’s really where everything shifts,” she added.
Chiles’ remarks came amid another standout year in competition. At the 2025 NCAA Championships, she captured her second uneven bars title, adding yet another milestone to an already decorated gymnastics career.
