ABC Edyta Śliwińska thinks she would have won a Mirrorball eventually.
Former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Edyta Śliwińska has opened up about her time on the show — and the fact that she never won a Mirrorball Trophy.
Śliwińska joined the program on season 1 and competed on 10 seasons before parting ways with the show. She returned for an 11th season in 2016 before leaving for good. On season 6, Śliwińska finished in second place with partner Jason Taylor, marking the closest she came to winning.
On the February 5, 2024, episode of the “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast, Śliwińska stated that she thinks she would have eventually finished in first place if she stuck around.
“To be honest with you, I don’t want to be cocky or anything, but I think if I stayed there long enough, you know, if I kept continue back to the show, I think I eventually would have won that Mirrorball Trophy,” she told podcast host Cheryl Burke. She went on to say that she felt that the producers were really trying to give her a partner that she could win with.
Here’s what you need to know:
Many Fans Wish That Edyta Śliwińska Stayed on the Show
Shortly after the podcast went live, some fans took to Reddit to discuss what the ballroom pro had to say. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many wished that Śliwińska had won a Mirrorball.
“I will say, my heart broke a little when she said she could have won the mirrorball had she stayed on a few more seasons. I think she’s actually very under appreciated for her time and contributions to the show,” one person wrote. Other fans expressed similar feelings.
“I wish she had stayed on for more seasons, she’s quite underrated! Would’ve loved to have seen her get a win,” someone else said.
“I like that Edyta isn’t sounding bitter about her experiences in hindsight, because she did get given a bit of a raw deal by the show. I do agree on how so many factors go into winning,” a third comment read.
Edyta Śliwińska Discussed Finishing Season 6 as a Runner Up
Despite Śliwińska nearly taking home the Mirrorball Trophy on season 6, she doesn’t have any hard feelings about the loss.
“I would never get… listen, I also don’t think it’s a true competition. There are too many things that are out of your control as a dancer to get upset about it. I mean, it’s about your partner, it’s about your popularity and it’s about the audience vote,” she said.
“It’s just the nature of the business,” she continued. “There are so many things in [the] entertainment business that are out of your control. Starting from the casting process. You have no say whether you’re going to be picked up or not,” she added.
“It’s not up to you or your abilities. You’re not going to get picked up because your eyes are brown and not blue or because you are too short,” she explained. She went on to say that some pros weren’t picked up on DWTS because they didn’t fit with a certain celeb to dance with on a given season.
Kristi Yamaguchi won season 6 alongside Mark Ballas — and Śliwińska called her “phenomenal.”
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