'Dancing With the Stars' Season 23: Why Ryan Lochte Is Happy Despite Being Eliminated [VIDEO]
Ryan Lochte has been eliminated from Dancing With the Stars, but he seems to be keeping his head held high.
Lochte and Cheryl Burke, his pro dancing partner, were eliminated Monday night from this season of Dancing With the Stars, coming in seventh place overall.
His final night featured Lochte and Burke engaged in a dance-off with Marilu Henner and Derek Hough, which they won with the combined votes of the audience and the judges. Despite his elimination at the end of the night, this victory left him feeling happy.
"If we would have lost, I would've been like, 'Crap, I really let Cheryl down.' But, we went out on top and I guess that's all you can ask for," Lochte told E! News after Monday night's show. "There's so much I learned on this show and just being part of this great group of people, I'm going to remember this forever."
It wasn't always easy for Lochte, who had to deal with protestors who stormed the stage shortly after he performed on premiere night. News of Lochte's gas station vandalism in Rio had still been fresh in people's minds during this time, but the swimmer's efforts to prove himself made him an unlikely underdog, carrying him all the way to Week 8.
Burke took note that Lochte went into this with no previous ballroom experience, and the fact that they made it halfway through the season was big.
"Honestly, he came out on this show on top regardless because he has zero dance experience," she told the publication. "Every dance and step was hard to do for him. We made it through and he did awesome."
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
Watch Lochte's final two dances on Dancing With the Stars below:
