Whitney Leavitt believes her sudden exit from Dancing with the Stars was influenced by the release of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, according to a source close to the situation.
The third season of the Hulu series dropped just before the semifinals of DWTS, sparking backlash over comments Leavitt made during the show.
Viewers labeled her a “mean girl” and criticized her for stirring up conflict.
Leavitt, 32, had previously stated that her main reason for joining Mormon Wives was to earn a spot on DWTS.
“She expressed on the set after the show last night, off camera of course, that she feels that her being voted out was 100% a direct result of backlash from Mormon Wives,” the insider told The Sun.
Viewers weren’t the only ones referencing the controversy. During the DWTS broadcast, host Julianne Hough brought up Leavitt’s earlier remarks.
“Let’s just talk about the elephant in the room,” Hough said.
“You said on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives that the only reason you wanted to do that show is so you could do this show. Why do you want to be here so much?”
The question came immediately after Leavitt and her pro partner Mark Ballas danced the Cha-Cha to Prince’s 1999 and received positive feedback from the judges.
Leavitt, caught off guard, responded politely and emphasised how much being on the show meant to her.
“She didn’t appreciate Julianne calling her out on live TV, that was so awkward,” the insider said.
“She handled it as gracefully as she could, but she knows she deserved to be in the finale talent-wise.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
