Zendaya admits she's ‘still harboring a little animosity’ over one ‘DWTS’ ruling: ‘I was only 16...’
It's been almost a decade, but Zendaya still holds a grudge over her performance on 'Dancing with the Stars'. The 'Euphoria' star lost the mirror ball trophy and the show's $345,000 prize to country music singer Kellie Pickler in 2013. “Listen, I’m still harboring a little animosity about that. I felt that loss,” she exclusively told W Magazine in January. “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.” Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy ended up as runners-up in season 16.
"I'm going to try to become a ballroom dancer," the then 16-year-old confessed during her behind-the-scenes footage. "I'm like the youngest ever. Of course! It's scary, but I feel like I'm just going to go out there and work as hard as I can and do my very best," the Disney alum admitted. She called her Ukrainian-American dancing partner "a perfect balance between tough and nice." Chmerkovskiy had the professional experience to lead since he had been the World Latin Dance Champion twice and won the U.S. National Latin Dance Championship 14 times. Zendaya challenged that despite her youth, she could show everyone that she was on par, "My biggest fear about being the youngest is proving to everyone that I could be just as good as them."
Before the finale week, Chmerkovskiy confessed that initially, he had inhibitions about conquering the dance floor with a novice teen. "I thought I was going to be dealing with tantrums all season," he told Extra TV in an exclusive interview right before the finale. But he admitted to being surprised by Zendaya's commitment and dedication, "No offense. But I'm working with a professional, a sincerely professional way beyond her years. And I was dealt a full house this season, obviously." Despite giving the competition her best, Zendaya lost in the final round, however, she didn't display any sore feelings then.
In an interview right after losing it out, she expressed her gratitude toward the opportunity, "I feel like you never look at it as the end or something that's negative," she said. "Whatever it is in life you're going for, things happen for a reason and I truly believe that," she acknowledged. She also continued to be appreciative that her performance may motivate the young people. The same year, in an exclusive with HuffPostLive, the 'Dune' star admitted that Chmerkovskiy was the perfect partner for her. "He definitely pushed me to be better. And he saw something in me. He wasn't going to let me just stop at 'OK,' which I think is awesome," she gushed.
However, in October last year, the Emmy winner shockingly confessed to Entertainment Weekly's The Awardist podcast that she hadn't tuned into the reality show after competing in season 16. "I have not watched Dancing With the Stars since I was on," she admitted. "I don't think I was the target demographic." She recalled it as a nerve-racking time of her life and concluded, "I was like, I don't think I'm gonna be watching this anymore.”