J.R. Martinez on 'Dancing With the Stars' 2011

J.R Martinez, who was crowned the new champion of "Dancing With the Stars" Tuesday night, in one of the closest and most thrilling finales ever, admits that the suspense before the show unveiled the winner was killing him.
Asked how a victory for former soldier J.R. Martinez would affect the soldiers at the the Warrior Transition Battalion here, Lt. Col. Daniel Sengstacke shot back immediately: “J.R. has already won this thing.”

In fact, Martinez did win, taking home the mirror ball trophy as the Season 13 champion.The all-male finale was set up halfway through the final show when talk show host Ricki Lake was voted off, finishing third. Judges' scores combined with viewer votes determined the winner.

Judges didn't provide much extra guidance during the final competition, a samba that the dancers had to perform with little preparation time. The three judges gave both teams perfect 30 scores for their final dances.

"For one of you, that was your victory dance, but I think both of you are winners," judge Carrie Ann Inaba said. "That was a great way to end this season."