On September 16, the first results show of the new season of hit reality TV series Dancing With The Stars saw its first elimination. Olympic athlete Lolo Jones and partner Keo Motsepe were dropped because of what the judges deemed a stiff performance of the cha cha.
Jones and Motsepe were one out of two dancing couples threatened with elimination from the show, with designer Betsey Johnson and professional partner Tony Dovolani sharing the stage due to a wardrobe malfunction with a feather boa. However, the way Jones quickly defended herself after her performance might have tipped the scales, since she interrupted the judges and came off as a little rude. Jones and Motsepe ended up being the first pair to be sent home.
Watch Lolo Jones’ performance on DWTS
She made a guest appearance on Good Morning America the following morning and explained what happened in her performance. Jones claimed that she missed certain cues, which affected her entire dance routine. “I was waiting for three text message cues, and [Motsepe] was trying to train me saying, ‘Things could happen; you may not have the cue,’ but I felt so rushed. You already have so much anxiety, and it killed me,” she said.
Interview with Lolo Jones and dance partner Keo Motsepe on GMA
Jones added that she tried to learn from the experience, even if it was short-lived. “Whenever I go do something tough, I try to take away something. Three Olympics—you have to take away something if you’re not taking away a medal. A lot of people didn’t understand my frustration, but I feel like I let Keo down. He came all the way from South Africa, and I killed our dance,” she said.
She further explained her ordeal on the show in a Facebook status she posted after the elimination, saying she had flashbacks of “the three Olympics that people constantly tease [her] about.” Jones revealed that she had joined Dancing With the Stars because she wanted to perform well so that haters would stop teasing her, but realized that she didn’t need to work so hard for public validation after she was eliminated.