Dancing With The Stars NZ took a new turn this season, shining the spotlight on mental health.
Advocate Jazz Thornton says the show has helped to destigmatise and normalise the conversation.
It wasn't just a win for Thornton, it was a win for mental health.
Sleep-deprived but still smiling, Thornton said the platform has helped raise awareness of depression and suicide, allowing her to share her own story on a mainstream entertainment show.
"Ten years ago that would have never happened. We weren't talking about mental health, we weren't talking about mental illness, we wouldn't touch the word suicide," Thornton said.
Now her winning work on the show has helped raise what is expected to be hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity, to assist others.
Thornton said TikTok helped her a lot with transforming from a mental health advocate to a ballroom star.
And second place didn't wipe the smile off contestant Brodie Kane's face. But she admits the dancing was as much a mental challenge as a physical challenge.
"It was like nothing I've ever experienced and it was tough. Like it was hard, it was really, really hard," Kane said.
Brown Butterbean Motivation founder Dave Letele fought for a well-deserved third place.
"Yeah, I don't think it was because of my footwork, I think it was just that we connected with the audience," he said.
He unashamedly used the show to promote the work he does in the community, offering free boot camps and food parcels to improve health and wellbeing.
"It just opens more doors for us, it's a mainstream show, mainstream people see it and hopefully support us," Letele said. "We started our class today, our From the Couch, our brand new programme and the house, it's packed."
And all money raised by text voting will be split evenly among the nine nominated charities.
Making money for charity and making friends - Thornton and Kane said they have seen each other every day for the past two weeks and are now going on a trip to Rarotonga together.
A well-earned break after some healthy competition.
