J.R. Martinez, the soap opera actor and Iraq war veteran, pulled off a major upset over reality TV star Rob Kardashian when he clinched the coveted mirrorball trophy on “Dancing with the Stars” last night. But when the season began, many fans of the dancing competition show found themselves scratching their heads and asking: who is Martinez?
Jose Rene Martinez, a Louisiana native and high school football star, enlisted in the US army at 19. In 2003, he was deployed to Iraq as an infantrymen. A few months into his service, the truck he was driving hit a land mine and the explosion burned over 40 percent of Martinez’s body, including his face. He was evacuated to Germany for treatment and spent a year and a half in hospital care, undergoing more than 30 surgeries. Martinez had to relearn many basic tasks, including walking.
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In the hospital, Martinez began speaking to other burn victims about his experience and, upon returning to the US, started a career as a motivational speaker.
In 2008, he was cast on the soap opera “All My Children,” playing Brot Monroe, a character whose story echoed his life. On screen, Monroe had also served in Iraq and was injured in the line of duty. But the similarities ended there. In the storyline, Monroe allowed his lover, Lt. Taylor Thompson, to believe he was dead rather than go through the pain of helping him recover from his injuries. He later reveals to her that he isn’t really dead after all.
Martinez started out the 13th season of “Dancing with the Stars” in the middle of the pack. But by week six, he established himself as a major contender, alongside partner Karina Smirnoff, earning two 10s from the judges for his quickstep inspired by the musical “Chicago.”
Two weeks later, Martinez had a perfect night on the show — receiving across the board 10s for both his dances. “It was like a musical Valentine card,” said judge Bruno Tonioli of his waltz to “What the World Needs Now.” “It was divine.”
But Martinez soon faltered in the competition, disappointing in week nine because of a twisted ankle.
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On Monday night, Martinez put in one perfect performance with his freestyle. But his cha cha was subpar, earning only 24 points, and leaving him tied for second with talk show host Ricki Lake, far behind leader Rob Kardashian.
In last night’s grand finale, the three finalists were charged with reprising their favorite dance of the season. While Lake and Kardashian chose to rehash performances that had worked well for them, Martinez sought to prove himself by doing over his worst dance of the season, his jive from week two inspired by the movie “Newsies.” During the performance, Martinez held a fake newspaper called “The DWTS Times” that boasted the headline, “EXTRA! EXTRA! J.R. JIVES FOR TROPHY!”
Lake was eliminated midway through the episode, and it became a battle between Kardashian and Martinez as the two men performed an “instant samba” to Ricky Martin’s 1999 hit “Shake Your Bon Bon.” Both received top marks for their performance, but the judges implied that Martinez was better.
“You are such a catalyst for joy,” judge Carrie Ann Inaba gushed.
While Martinez had a score of 112, Kardashian was slightly ahead with 113 points. But the “Dancing with the Stars” winner is determined not just by points, but also by viewer votes. In the end, Martinez and Smirnoff were declared the victors.
“First and foremost, I want to thank everybody who voted for us for 10 weeks. Thank you, America, for believing in us,” Martinez said as confetti rained down on him. He also thanked Smirnoff, who won her first trophy on the show. ”You are amazing, and I’m so grateful I could be a part of your first mirrorball trophy.”
After the win, Martinez hopped on a plane for New York, where he appeared on “Good Morning America” today, doing a cha cha in studio with Smirnoff. He also appeared on “The View.”
Tomorrow, Martinez will take a short break to spend Thanksgiving with girlfriend Diana Jones and her family in Queens, his rep said. Martinez and Jones met in 2008, when he auditioned for “All My Children” and she was the executive producer’s assistant. The two have been dating for a year, and Jones says that she doesn’t mind Martinez’s scars.
“The minute I met him I didn’t see them,” Jones told ABC. “I saw them on the audition tape, and then when we met it was like, I didn’t see them. I see a hot sexy guy … I see the man that I love.”