TV
“You killed it!”: Gabriel Kelly wins “Let’s Dance”
The favorite Gabriel Kelly, singer, is happy with his dance partner Malika Dzumaev about the victory and the title “Dancing Star 2024”. Photo
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
Gabriel Kelly, scion of the famous Kelly clan, confidently wins the dance show “Let’s Dance” – even though the competition even gets tips on how to use their bottom correctly. It is not Kelly’s first triumph.
The Kellys can do it: Musicians Gabriel Kelly has won the RTL dance show “Let’s Dance” by a clear margin. In the finale of the 17th season, the 22-year-old easily shook off his competitors and received all 10s from the jury – the maximum number of points.
In front of his family, known from the band The Kelly Family (“An Angel”), he finally lifted the winner’s trophy in the shape of a big disco ball. Afterwards, Kelly, hardly out of breath, summed up: “In the end, we are standing here now and we are just overjoyed.” He promised his dance partner Malika Dzumaev that he would take further private dance lessons with her.
The professional dancer will not find that the musician needs too much further training. The 22-year-old son of musician Angelo Kelly had already entered the final as the favorite and absolutely lived up to his role on the dance floor in Cologne. 13 years ago, a Kelly family member had already won “Let’s Dance” – in 2011, Gabriel Kelly’s aunt Maite Kelly won the show. It quickly became clear that his nephew would be able to follow suit.
Samba became a triumph
The couple’s very first dance, a samba to the song “Mas Que Nada”, was a triumph. The otherwise notoriously harsh judge Joachim Llambi raved about Kelly’s rhythm and body movement. “That was the best samba of all the candidates in 17 years,” he said. Colleague Motsi Mabuse shouted enthusiastically: “You killed it!” There had never been a better samba performance on the show.
Kelly’s competitors tried in vain to dance past the 22-year-old. Choreographer Detlef Soost began the show with a slow waltz to “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. Judge Llambi advised him in training to let the movement for the dance come “from the bottom” and demonstrated this straight away – including asking him to touch the judge’s bottom to make it clearer. “I got a bit of a shock,” said Soost later. “I thought: I can’t touch the king’s bottom here.” But all of this was not enough for the maximum score of 30 – the waltz was awarded 27 points.
Sports presenter Jana Wosnitza and her dance partner Vadim Garbuzov also came up short, coming in second – despite a pyrotechnic show in the last dance, which she dedicated to US superstar Beyoncé. Her quickstep wasn’t bad either – but Llambi spotted small mistakes. “You noticed it yourself,” he said in a pedagogical tone. “I think to myself: In this final, where it’s so close, everything has to be right.”
With shoe heel tangled in dress
Everything was perfect for Gabriel Kelly. “Nobody has managed to get such good final positions this season as you,” said Llambi. Kelly had to win. “Because he’s the best this year. Congratulations,” said Llambi – although the show wasn’t even over at that point. Kelly and Dzumaev weren’t even put off by a small faux pas during their tango. Dzumaev got her heel caught in her dress. But the couple just carried on dancing unperturbed.
In the studio, father Angelo Kelly encouraged his son. “I’ve told you many times in life: It’s not always important what you do, but rather how you do it,” he said. “We are so, so proud of you and love you so much. The whole family.” Other members of the extended musical family greeted him in a video clip. “You’re going to win tonight!” said Aunt Patricia Kelly. Uncle Jimmy Kelly danced through a garden (“You’ve even infected me now.”) Gabriel Kelly thanked him for the support. “Dad, I love you,” he said. “And you too, Mom, of course.”
“I came in here and thought that ‘Let’s Dance’ was just dancing. But it is so, so much more,” he said. “These three months have absolutely shaped me and I think they have challenged me as a human being and helped me progress a lot.” As a musician, Gabriel Kelly is dedicated to rap music. The show started in February.
Tony Bauer becomes a juror on “Das Supertalent”
In the finale, there was a reunion with many of the eliminated candidates. Comedian Tony Bauer, who had to drop out for health reasons, revealed that there would soon be a reunion on RTL – he would be the new juror in the talent show “Das Supertalent”. The “Bild” newspaper had previously reported on this.
Juror Motsi Mabuse also had a special wish for the format, which was first broadcast in Germany in 2006 and now enjoys a large fan base. “I hope lots of young people go to dance school, stop using Tiktok and social media,” she said. “And get moving!”