Much to the surprise of viewers, the Dancing With the Stars judges decided that John Tucker must die go home at the end of ‘80s night on Monday, October 12.
“Tonight wasn’t one of my best dances,” Jesse Metcalfe exclusively told Us Weekly after Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba voted to save Vernon Davis and Peta Murgatroyd over him and Sharna Burgess. “I’m proud of what I accomplished, but at the same time, I don’t necessarily think the right choice was made. I gotta be honest with you.”
The Desperate Housewives alum, 41, and Burgess, 35, tangoed to Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” on Monday’s episode. They received a 19 out of 30 for what ended up being their final dance of the season. (Davis, 36, and Murgatroyd, 34, got a score of 21.)
“I loved the challenge. I mean, I really did,” Metcalfe told Us while reflecting on season 29. “I knew dance was gonna be difficult for me with zero experience, and the state of my body at 41 years of age, I knew there was gonna be some challenges. I’m happy I mad it as far as I did, but I think I had a lot more to give as far as potential is concerned.”
His pro partner agreed, telling Us, “We were improving every week, and we didn’t have our best version of our dance tonight. … And unfortunately, it just happened that way for us. And there were so many good things coming up! And I’m sad.”
That said, the actor acknowledged that he was “proud” of himself for remaining “very authentic and real” throughout his journey on the ABC competition.
“I had a lot of fun with it,” he told Us. “The journey comes to an end tonight, and I’m OK with that, but I’ll miss this experience definitely. I said to Sharna one day, there’s gotta be, like, a Dancing With the Stars comedown. It’s just such a wild, emotional ride. I mean, it really is, and it’s all-consuming. When you’re on Dancing With the Stars, you’re not doing anything else but Dancing With the Stars. With the rehearsals and the physical recovery and the interviews and the extra video packages that they shoot, it’s a full-time job. But it was an incredible experience. It really was. And it was surprisingly rewarding.”
Metcalfe and Burgess, whose chemistry on the dance floor had many viewers shipping them as a couple, have made a vow to stay in touch after their time on the show.
“I’ll be cheering Jesse on with anything and everything that he has going on,” the choreographer told Us. “Hopefully he does get a role on Broadway, which is something that he’s been hoping and talking about. And if that happens, you best believe I will be sitting in that audience cheering him on.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Kayley Stumpe
Listen to Watch With Us to hear more about your favorite shows and for the latest TV news!