Carlton's still got it! Alfonso Ribeiro joined the ranks of ballroom royalty on Tuesday, Nov. 25, when he became the 19th winner in Dancing With the Stars history. After tearing up the floor with three perfect-scoring routines during the show's two-night, four-hour finale, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum triumphed over fellow finalists Sadie Robertson and Janel Parrish.
Speaking with Us Weekly after the presentation of the coveted Mirrorball trophy, Ribeiro gushed about what an "absolutely amazing" feeling it was to win. "I was kind of in shock!" he admitted of the big reveal. "I almost fell to my knees right there because it was so amazing. And what a happy moment. We so did not expect that. I said to [partner] Witney [Carson] right before, 'Be prepared to hear Mark [Ballas] and Sadie."
Asked what gave him an edge over the competition, the actor replied, "I have no idea! But we stayed our course the entire time. We said, 'Let's get out there, do the best we can that week, and not worry about what's coming next and what happened before. And that just kept us in the moment...We were in it, and it was a great experience."
A lot of that was thanks to Carson, who became a DWTS pro in season 18. "I was so lucky to have Witney," Ribeiro told Us. "I waited 10 years [to do this], but if I had done it before this season, I wouldn't have had her, so it was the right time and it worked out perfectly."
Perfect is an apt description. Ribeiro and Carson earned five perfect scores throughout the season, including one for their week four jazz routine, which featured the actor's signature dance move from Fresh Prince, "The Carlton." The judges loved them together — and so did fans, whose votes helped propel the pair to victory. Those fans will have a chance to see the actor perform live when he sets out on the DWTS tour later this year.
"We'll see where this takes me! I'm excited that it'll take me out on the road to cities all across America," he told Us. "It'll be fun to hang out with all the dancers."
First, though, he's setting aside some time for his family. "We're going to Hawaii!" he shared of his plans with pregnant wife Angela Unkrich. "We're going to lay on the beach. It's our next babymoon. We went to Hawaii last time for a babymoon and we loved it." (The couple have a son, Alfonso Jr.; Ribeiro is also dad to daughter Sienna from his first marriage.)
As for the Mirrorball trophy? "It's going right in the living room!" he revealed to Us. "I've got a spot for it. It'll be displayed front and center!"
