DWTS Alum Admits Feeling ‘Animosity’ After Not Winning Mirrorball

Season 16 “Dancing With the Stars” alum Zendaya is still a bit upset that she didn’t win the Mirrorball Trophy.

“Listen, I’m still harboring a little animosity about that,” she told W Magazine.

“I felt that loss. I was only 16 years old, and it was highly stressful. Being on live television every week? It’s so scary. I took it very seriously, which, in retrospect, I wish I didn’t. I wish I’d enjoyed it a little bit more and just was like, ‘Eh, whatever.’ You know what I mean? But I was stressing myself out. I really went through it on that,” she explained.

Zendaya and her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy finished the season in second place while Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough took home the coveted Mirrorball.

After W Magazine published its interview with Zendaya, some fans took to Reddit to react to what she had to say about her time on DWTS.

“People don’t understand that her big success doesn’t discard her previous experiences. It’s like people who had a glow up after being dismissed for years, those experiences stick with you. It doesn’t matter that it manifests in a reality dancing show for her. She was 16,” one person wrote.

“After she lost, I didn’t watch Dancing for 10 years,” someone else said.

“Val is a good pro, but I do think having him as a partner makes for a very intense experience. Tbh a lot of the male pros are like this where sometimes they can take it down a level— or 10, to make it a more enjoyable experience for the celebs. It’s why I enjoyed Gabby for Val, because she seemed to bring some lightheartedness to his serious nature,” a third Redditor weighed in.

Zendaya Doesn’t Watch ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Despite being a part of the show many moons ago, Zendaya admits that she doesn’t watch “Dancing With the Stars.” For some, that may not be surprising, given how she feels about not taking home that Mirrorball.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that Zendaya admitted to not watching the dance competition show that she was once a part of.

In October, she was on the “Awardist” podcast when she stated the same thing.

“I have not watched Dancing With the Stars since I was on. I didn’t really watch Dancing With the Stars before I was on Dancing With the Stars. I don’t think I was the target demographic. My grandma loves Dancing With the Stars, that’s her bag,” she said.

There is one reality show that Zendaya does watch, however.

“I love, unfortunately, Love Is Blind, and then I feel bad for watching it. So it’s a guilty pleasure, I suppose. It’s brutal. I’m like, ‘Dang, you guys know you’re on camera?'” she told W Magazine.