Willow Shields says 'Dancing with the Stars' ouster was "shocking," partner Mark Ballas agrees "it kicked me in the gut"

Willow Shields and Mark Ballas are taking their Dancing with the Stars elimination well, but that doesn't mean they were expecting it.


"It's a little shocking, yeah," Shields told E! News after Monday night's show. "It was a little scary to be up there and then hear who is safe and then to look down the line and know that I was going home. It was a shocker."

"It definitely kicked me in the gut," Ballas added in the interview.

Ballas and Shields had finished Monday night's Dancing with the Stars performance show at the very top of the judges' leaderboard after beating Riker Lynch and his pro partner Allison Holker in a dance-off. The week prior, they had tied for second place with another couple.

"I didn't see it coming at all. When I looked down the stage, it was us, Riker and [Rumer Willis] left. So I was like, 'Ugh!'" Ballas explained. 


"I thought she was the most improved -- zero dance experience. If you watch our first dance and the one we did tonight, the improvement is just ridiculous. Everything from technique to control to personality to confidence, she's an inspiration to younger people and the younger generation."

Ballas said The Hunger Games star is a "perfect role model" for teens "struggling with confidence issues" who are afraid to pursue things.

"[She'll inspire them to] go out there, do it and give it 100% -- be open-minded and don't care what anyone else thinks about you. And I'm really proud, you know? Would it be nice to be in the finals and win a mirrorball? Absolutely," the pro dancer continued.

"But I think at the end of the day, what lives on forever is the work, the dances, the pieces. People are going to remember us dressing up like rabbits and [Alice in Wonderland] and ninjas and all that stuff for a long time, so that's what means the most."

"Exactly," Shields chimed in.


The actress also told E! News that dancing for seven weeks on the show was the "most incredible experience" of her life.

"I'm 14, and I'm saying I know when I'm older, I'll still look back on this and [think about] how exciting and memorable it was," she insisted.

In a separate interview with Good Morning America, Ballas admitted Dancing with the Stars' twentieth season was one of his proudest seasons yet.

"To get this far is already such a huge accomplishment, as I've come a long way," Shields agreed.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski