Eliminated “Dancing With the Stars” contestant Corey Feldman admits that his pro partner, Jenna Johnson, “deserved better.”
Feldman and Johnson — who won the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy last season with “Bachelor” alum Joey Graziadei — were sent home during Tuesday’s “One-Hit Wonders Night” in a double elimination alongside Baron Davis and Britt Stewart.
“Jenna’s amazing. I really enjoyed her,” Feldman, 54, said after learning his fate.
“I feel really terrible because she deserved better, personally speaking,” he added, prompting Johnson to lean in affectionately.
The duo received a total score of 15/30 for Tuesday’s cha-cha to “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot and a 9/20 during last week’s Season 34 premiere for their tango to Billy Joel’s “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me.” (Judge Carrie Ann Inaba could not attend the premiere, leaving just Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough to judge with 10 points each.)
“I knew as soon as we got those low scores the first week that there was no hope … because there’s too many good dancers,” Feldman lamented during the “GMA” interview alongside Johnson, 31.
“Everybody — I mean, everybody — on this show was, like, exceptional. This wasn’t just a bunch of maybes or mediocres. Like, everybody was on point. So, you know, at least I was amongst greatness.”
Following Tuesday’s performance, the former child star confessed to co-host Julianne Hough that the show’s intense rehearsal schedule had been the biggest challenge for him, which seemed to corroborate some recent reports.
“They chose a few stars — and I use that term loosely — who just don’t want to put in the work. Some just don’t seem as committed as others have in the past,” a source recently told the Daily Mail.
“Yes, Corey is one of them. It takes work to win ‘Dancing With the Stars’ — rehearsals, practice, really immersing yourself — and a few people don’t seem to want to do that.”
Former “DWTS” pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy — who is also Johnson’s brother-in-law — echoed those sentiments, telling the outlet, “Obviously, Jenna has a bit of an uphill climb with Corey, which is easy for everybody to say from [outside], but I know that she’s having a much more difficult time with this entire thing.”
And when asked whether he thought the actor’s age was a factor, Chmerkovskiy replied, “I think that it’s a combination [of technique and work ethic]. Maybe [learning choreography is] not such a comfort zone for him.”
Though a source claimed to the Daily Mail that the dancers are “warned by producers” to not “complain” about their celebrity partners, Johnson previously hinted at tension behind the scenes.
“So many people have been like, ‘Where are your TikToks with Corey? What’s happening?’” Johnson told her Instagram followers earlier this month. “To be completely honest, I actually haven’t seen him since [the cast announcement on] ‘Good Morning America.’”
Season 34 of “Dancing With the Stars” — which also features Robert Irwin, Hilaria Baldwin, Danielle Fishel and more — returns next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, with new episodes airing on Hulu the following day.
