A ‘DWTS’ contestant looked like they wanted to be anywhere but on that stage — and it showed
It appears that Lolo Jones struggled and finally fumbled once on 'DWTS'! During an episode of 'Dancing With The Stars' Season 19, Jones and her professional partner, Keo Motsepe, were seen delivering a cha-cha-cha performance set to 'Tell Her' by Rizzle Kicks in front of the esteemed judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. However, the athlete nearly crumbled during her performance. However, the athlete nearly crumbled during her performance. Reflecting on the moment afterward, Jones didn’t hold back, admitting, "It was awful. I'm surprised I even was able to get back with it. That was literally... I've had practices. Every practice was better than what just happened. I'm honestly really mad."
When the two-time world champion stepped onto the stage with her partner, Motsepe, her movements appeared noticeably stiff. Jones struggled to keep in sync with Motsepe, often missing steps and looking visibly uncomfortable throughout the performance. The routine quickly turned into a nightmare, and by the end, the pair received a disappointing score of 22 out of 40.
However, Jones stated that the whole mishap occurred due to a technical difficulty involving a miscued text that was an introductory part of the dance. “I just felt everything swirling inside, and for me, obviously, I have two past Olympics, or three now, where I’ve come so close to a medal. Every time those things happen, people tease me. They’re like, ‘You’re such a failure in the spotlight.' And so literally, when that dance happened, I had that moment. I was like, here it goes again. Now, everybody is going to say I have a bad attitude. How is me being competitive bad? It was definitely just disgust at myself because I knew that dance," Jones shared at that time, as per Hollywood Reporter.
Unfortunately, Jones and her partner Motsepe were eliminated from the show during the same episode. When Jones learned that her journey on 'Dancing With The Stars' had come to an end in the very first week itself, she just smiled and hugged Motsepe. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I’m glad that (Johnson’s) staying. She deserves to stay, and everybody here did a great job," Jones said, according to ABC News.
While appearing on an episode of 'Good Morning America', Jones shed light on her cha-cha-cha performance and explained, "We had no clue what was going on. I didn't have the cues everyone saw on TV. I was waiting for three text message cues, and he [Motsepe] was trying to train me, saying, 'Things could happen; you may not have the cue,' but I felt so rushed. You already have so much anxiety, and it killed me. I finished the dance, and that was very tough for me to do. I was having a hard time breathing backstage and trying not to cry. I don't even remember anybody dancing that night, and I really regret that. I wish I could just smile."
Despite getting eliminated from the show super early, Jones stated that she tried her best to learn from her experience. Jones further elaborated, "Whenever I go do something tough, I try to take away something. Three Olympics -- you have to take away something if you’re not taking away a medal. A lot of people didn’t understand my frustration, but I feel like I let Keo down. He came all the way from South Africa, and I killed our dance."
