Yahoo Lifestyle Zendaya Says She’s “Still Harboring A Little Animosity” For Losing On ‘Dancing With The Stars’: “I Really Went Through It On That”
Zendaya is still not OK about her loss on Dancing with the Stars in 2013.
The Challengers star was the runner-up in Season 16 of the ABC ballroom dancing competition, and she lost the Mirror Ball Trophy to Kellie Pickler and her dance partner Derek Hough.
More from Deadline
“Listen, I’m still harboring a little animosity about that. I felt that loss,” Zendaya told W after the interviewer said she should’ve won that season. “I was only 16 years old, and it was highly stressful. Being on live television every week? It’s so scary.”
She continued, “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 said that she has not watched Dancing with the Stars since being part of the show, something she has said in the past.
“I didn’t really watch Dancing With the Stars before I was on Dancing With the Stars. I don’t think I was the target demographic,” she told EW’s The Awardist podcast in an interview from October 2024. “My grandma loves Dancing with the Stars, that’s her bag. But yeah, I also think it was a very stressful experience. I was like, I don’t think I’m gonna be watching this anymore.”
Zendaya was partnered with Valentin Chmerkovskiy and took second place in the competition, besting NFL wide receiver Jacoby Jones and their partner Karina Smirnoff.
Best of Deadline
TV Cancellations Photo Gallery: Series Ending In 2025 & Beyond
2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
