 -- NFL running back Rashad Jennings won the coveted mirror ball trophy Tuesday night in the season 24 finale of Dancing With the Stars.

In the 2 1/2 hour star-studded show, three finalists squared off: Jennings and his partner, Emma Slater; two-time World Series champion David Ross and his partner, Lindsay Arnold; and Fifth Harmony star Normani Kordei with her partner, Valentin Chmerkovskiy.

The night kicked off with a rousing number featuring all 12 of this season's couples and judges Len Goodman, Julianne Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, along with hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews.

Everyone from Charo to Mr. T, Heather Morris, Simone Biles and Bonner Bolton made appearances, dancing and reminiscing about the season.

It was a spirited evening punctuated by performances from Hailee Steinfeld, TLC, OneRepublic and Lady Antebellum, as well as a preview of ABC's new adaptation of the pop-culture phenomenon "Dirty Dancing," featuring Nicole Scherzinger and Colt Prattes dancing to "Do You Love Me."

After all the pomp and circumstance and glitz and glamour, the show got down to brass tacks when the finalists each performed a dance favorite, which was not scored, and then a fusion of two dance styles, which was scored.

Ross' dance was a fusion of the foxtrot and salsa and earned praise from Goodman, who said, "Watching you brings me joy." Tonioli summed up Ross' place in the finals by saying, "You already are the people's champion."

Kordei performed a bewitching fusion of an Argentine tango and foxtrot, which brought her another perfect score. Tonioli called her "a leading lady," and Inaba said, "You were born to win this competition."

Finally, Jennings' fusion of the cha cha and tango brought a score of 39, and in spite of the praise from the judges, it looked at that moment that Kordei was certain to win.

However, in a stunning turn, when the finalists took their place onstage in the last 15 minutes of the show and votes were tallied from last week and last night, Kordei took third place.

Gasps could be heard in the audience, and Inaba and Tonioli seemed truly shocked. Kordei was as gracious as ever and thanked the show, saying she was grateful for the experience.

In the end, it was down to Ross and Jennings, and Jennings won the season. It was announced that Jennings will be joining the "Dancing With the Stars" summer tour.

You can catch the winners on Wednesday on "Good Morning America" on ABC.