Whitney Leavitt Addresses Dance Knowledge Before 'DWTS' Criticism

Whitney Leavitt says she's "used to the hate" following the end of her time on "Dancing With The Stars."

The reality TV star was eliminated in the semi-finals of the dance competition alongside her professional dance partner, Mark Ballas. Although they had high scores from the judges for their performances, their fan votes were too low to maintain their spot on the show.

Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas addressed the end of their "DWTS" journey in a newly released interview, especially the criticisms they received from Leavitt's past dance knowledge and the unjustified hatred for Ballas.

Leavitt and Ballas sat down for a joint interview on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy "podcast, using the platform to address their controversial time on "DWTS" and to showcase the freestyle routine they never got to perform.

On the November 26 episode, Leavitt noted that the criticisms she mainly received stemmed from her previous dance experience as a graduate of Modern Dance. However, she explained that her experiences at Brigham Young University could not compare to dancing on the show.

"Of course, that background helped in learning different techniques, but this was still very new to me," Leavitt explained. She stressed that she rarely practiced dancing after welcoming three children with her husband, Conner Leavitt, making the past dance experience argument inapplicable in her case.

Leavitt confessed that she expected to be criticized on the dance show, given her "villain" status on "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives." Although she claimed she was "used to the hate," it was difficult watching Ballas get hateful comments.

"At times, I felt like it was my fault because I was like, 'Oh, maybe it's because of me. Maybe it's because he's partnered with me," Leavitt said. She added that it was "triggering" watching Ballas deal with unjustified hatred, such as comments telling him to "burn in hell."

The dance partners noted that the criticisms suddenly skyrocketed during Dedication Night, with Leavitt suspecting that her reality TV series played a role in their elimination. On the show's season 3, the entertainer declared that she only rejoined the show to audition for "DWTS."

The emotional interview had fans in their feelings as they applauded Leavitt and Ballas for sharing their side of the story. A YouTuber stressed that the pair did not deserve the hatred they received and hoped they would overcome the negativity.

"Actually, in tears. Mark is saying how he was putting his son to bed, and people are saying the most horrible things to him. Bullying is wrong NO MATTER WHO IT IS," a fan lamented. Another agreed, declaring, "Whitney hate is forced, and I will die on that hill!! Thank you for doing this!!!"

The love and support for Leavitt and Ballas continued with more YouTube users slamming critics for their hurtful comments. "The way people treated Whitney was absurd and honestly very disheartening," someone noted, with another fan arguing that Leavitt was never a villain.

The joint interview came days after Leavitt's tearful reaction to her "DWTS" elimination. She captured her emotional response to her exit on Instagram, dropping a video on Thursday, November 20, about feeling like she was going through a breakup.

According to Leavitt, the time she spent on the show was more than the few scenes fans got to witness on TV. She explained that she spent hours with the people on the show, getting to meet them daily and building friendships.

"Then it just stops. It genuinely feels like a breakup. It feels like I'm, like, going through withdrawals right now," Leavitt said. She added that she was saddened by her exit and losing the platform that gave her new friends; however, she remained grateful for the memories.

Before beginning her "DWTS" journey, Leavitt shared some exciting news with fans. The Blast reported that she dropped a "Get Ready with Me" video on TikTok, revealing that she was preparing to pitch a movie.

Leavitt explained that a writer had contacted her after learning about her interest in becoming an actress. She had raved about her acting dreams during the press week for her Hulu reality TV series when a journalist asked if she would consider transitioning to Hollywood.

After confirming the individual wasn't a scam, Leavitt noted that they had been working together to get the project greenlit. Thanks to their efforts, they scored an opportunity to pitch the movie to producers.