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Zendaya Makes a Confession About Her "Very Stressful Experience" on 'Dancing With the Stars'
Danica McKellar is glad to have her dance shoes off.
A decade after The Wonder Years alum took the stage on Dancing with the Stars season 18, she shared insight into why competing on the series wasn't all that glamorous.
"It's much harder than they show in the packages because it would bum people out to see how stressful it is," Danica explained to Cheryl Burke on the Nov. 17 episode of her podcast Sex, Lies and Spray Tans. "It just wouldn't be as fun anymore for people."
"That kind of intense training, I had never had before ever, nothing even close to that," she continued. "You're feeling completely unprepared. Now you're going to go dance in front of 20 million people. Now you're wearing a dress and everything feels different."
For the Winter Palace star—who was eliminated in week eight with her partner Val Chmerkovskiy—the transition from different dances was jarring, like going from the foxtrot to samba.
"I didn't know what I was doing," she admitted. "Failure was not an option. I put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to try to fulfill it, and it broke me. I was in tears because I didn't know how to handle that kind of pressure."
Despite her hardships in the competition, she is grateful for the strength it gave her.
"He was hard on me," Danica said of Val. "But it made me stronger. I'm grateful to Val because I like challenges. I like being pushed beyond my comfort zone. So, I welcome that kind of thing."
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However, she added, "I just worked really hard trying to do my best and felt completely unqualified."
It was an especially difficult experience to grapple with because she had always loved dance.
"I remember telling somebody it was like if you love chocolate and somebody puts you in a vat of chocolate and then holds your head under it," the 49-year-old shared. "That's what Dancing with the Stars is like. And every now and then, you get a breath. It's unrelenting."
But Danica isn’t the only former contestant to reveal they associate the show with a stressful period in their life. Zendaya previously revealed that she hasn’t watched Dancing With the Stars since finishing as the runner-up with Val in 2013.
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"I have not watched Dancing With the Stars since I was on," she admitted on The Awardist podcast last month. "I didn't really watch Dancing With the Stars before I was on Dancing With the Stars."
But being on the series didn't inspire a newfound love for the show either.
"It was a very stressful experience," she added. "I was like, 'I don't think I'm gonna be watching this anymore.'"
While some stars have been happy to shimmy off the show, others have been thrilled to make their way onto the dancefloor. Keep reading to see who laced up their shows for season 33.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Anna Delvey
The inspriation behind Inventing Anna traded her ankle bracelet for dancing shoes alongside partner Ezra Sosa. However, the fake heiress was eliminated during the season's Sept. 24 episode, with her saying that she learned "nothing" in her now-infamous, one-word farewell speech.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Ilona Maher
The Olympic rugby player is ready to ruck up the dance floor with pro Alan Bersten.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Chandler Kinney
The Disney Channel star will try to dance her way to the top with partner Brandon Armstrong.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Brooks Nader
The model and her partner Gleb Savchenko were ready to strut along the ballroom, but took their final bow on Oct. 15.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Reginald VelJohnson
All that mattered for the Family Matters alum and partner Emma Slater was taking home the Mirrorball Trophy. However, their journey was cut short during the second week of competition on Oct. 8.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Eric Roberts
The Dark Knight star was partnered with Britt Stewart. They were eliminated in the second week alongside Reginald and Emma.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Joey Graziadei
The Bachelor alum has found his rose between thorns in partner Jenna Johnson.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Tori Spelling
The alum of Beverly Hills, 90210 was oh so ready to dance alongside Pasha Pashkov. Unfortunately, the two last only one week and was cut from competition in a double elimination alongside Anna and Ezra.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Danny Amendola
The NFL pro and partner Witney Carson are sure to score a touchdown on the dance floor.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Dwight Howard
The NBA star is hoping to stand head and shoulders above the competition with partner Daniella Karagach.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Stephen Nedoroscik
The Olympian has his sights set on another medal—or should we say, Mirrorball Trophy—with partner Rylee Arnold.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Phaedra Parks
The Traitors alum was sure to weed out the competition with partner Val Chmerkovskiy, but ended up getting cut from the lineup Oct. 22.
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Jenn Tran
Though Bachelorette star and partner Sasha Farber were full bloom in the ballroom, they were eliminated from the competition on Oct. 29.
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