Viewers of the two-night season opener of “Dancing With the Stars” experienced a surprise twist when not one but two celebs were sent packing in a surprise double elimination.
Following their respective ousters, Conner Leavitt of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and “Love Thy Nader” star Sarah Jane Nader opened up about seeing their “DWTS” journeys end so abruptly.
Leavitt Is ‘Happy’ with His Performance
“I still feel like I’m feeling everything,” Leavitt told Steve Irwin while appearing on “DWTS Afterparty” the day after being voted off, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
“You know, you go out there, you leave it all on the dance floor, you put in all the work, you say I’m going to be vulnerable, and I’m going to dance our dance. Then sometimes you feel like you crush it, and then you start getting some feedback that can be hard to hear sometimes,” he continued.
However, now that he’d had time to “process it all,” he’d been able to “come to terms” with being eliminated, insisting he’s “really happy” with how it worked out.
“It was so unique to get to experience the support on the other end, to feel my wife cheering for me, to feel my children having shirts and my wife going all out,” he said of being on the opposite side of the experience after cheering on wife Whitney Leavitt when she competed on “DWTS” in Season 34.
“I’m not used to that,” he admitted. “It was very endearing, and I loved it so much.”
His dance partner, Adele Zaikman — recent winner of “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” — admitted that whatever the outcome, she was just thrilled to be a part of the show, even if it was just for the premiere.
“This is a win already. I feel like I belong here,” she said. “Would I want this journey to be longer? Of course. Do I feel sad? Yeah, I feel sad. I don’t want to hide it. I love dancing; I loved working with Conner.”
Nader Is ‘Sad We Got Eliminated’
Sarah Jane Nader and her dance partner, Hailey Bills (the second same-sex dance pairing in “DWTS” history) also shared their disappointment with Irwin on “DWTS Afterparty.”
“We’re obviously sad that we got eliminated,” Nader said, revealing there were a few tricks that she and Bills had up their collective sleeve that they wanted to unveil.
“I wanted us to go far because we had so many ideas and costumes and all the fun things, but we had so much fun out there, and this whole experience has been a month long, and it’s been one of the best experiences of my career, so I’m honored that we got to do it, and that I got to do it with Hailey and we got to do it on such a huge platform,” Nader added.
Despite the brevity of their tenure on the show, Nader is nevertheless grateful she could bring a message of representation and inclusion to television.
“As much as I am competitive, I was a huge fan of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ growing up, and I never ever saw queer people on my screen, whether it was scripted TV, unscripted, so being that for my younger self and young girls in Louisiana or young boys in whatever state, I think it’s just so important,” she continued. “And I was so honored and blown away that I got the opportunity to do this.”
“It’s been incredible. It’s been something I’ve been waiting for so long, and to get it and with a person like [Sarah Jane] was a dream come true,” said Bills, who’d been promoted from member of the troupe pro dancer this season. “Tonight didn’t go as we hoped, but I would not change a thing, and I am just so grateful I was able to experience this with Sarah Jane.”
