John O'Hurley lost to Kelly Monaco on 'DWTS' — 20 years later, he's still in shock: 'It’s very funny...'
It's still hard for 'Seinfeld' actor John O'Hurley to believe he lost to 'General Hospital' actress Kelly Monaco on 'Dancing With The Stars' despite it being 20 years. The first season of the ABC dance competition premiered on June 1, 2005. By the end of the season, Monaco and O'Hurley were the last two vying for the prestigious mirrorball trophy. Ultimately, Monaco was crowned the first-ever 'Dancing With The Stars' winner alongside her partner Alex Mazo. While having a conversation with Entertainment Weekly earlier this month, O'Hurley took a trip down memory lane and admitted that it was a 'shock' to lose to Monaco in the finale.
Reflecting on the finale performance, Hurley said, “She got three 10s and she fell several times during the final piece. I was scratching my head as to how this all happened. So, obviously, there were some issues. I’ll leave it at that." On the other hand, Tom Bergeron, who hosted the first season of the fan-favorite series, said, "Ultimately, I think John took it a little too seriously." 'DWTS' judge Carrie Ann Inaba, meanwhile, opined, "I’m often surprised by results on 'Dancing With the Stars'. Not in a bad way. I like that we do it together with the audience. We make it happen together. So, I was surprised, but at that point, anything goes."
When Bergeron announced that Monaco had won the season, she murmured a few words to Bergeron that didn't make it to the broadcast. In the same interview, when Monaco was asked about her final words after the results, she explained, “They bleeped it, but [when they said I won], I looked at Tom Bergeron and I said, ‘Are you f**king kidding me?’ It was mind-blowing. It was one of the best feelings in the world." For the unversed, a special rematch dance-off between Monaco and O’Hurley also took place and aired on September 20, 2005. O'Hurley was named the winner this time.
Commenting on the rematch, O'Hurley explained, “[When I won the dance-off], all was right with the world. It’s very funny that great moments in your life are always quiet things. When I won that, all of a sudden, it just became very personal and very quiet. It wasn’t something you could run around and jump in the air. I just went, ‘Wow.’ And I remember saying that to Tom. I said, ‘You know me as never being shy of words. It’s a quiet moment right now.'”
Monaco, meanwhile, didn't stress much about the rematch special. Or so she claimed. She shared, “It didn't phase me at all. I was like, 'Of course, apples or oranges, there's going to be one over the other.' And yeah, there was some controversy over it, which made me doubtful, like, 'Well, should I have won?' I don't think I was the best dancer, but I was the most supported. So, I was like, 'Okay, let's go.' It was one day, and it was a different situation. The dance-off happened, and it went down how it went down. I don’t think anyone really remembers that."