Zendaya Looks Back on Competing on the 'DWTS' in 2013: 'Very Stressful'

Despite competing on Dancing With the Stars, Zendaya isn’t a superfan of the ABC competition series.

“I have not watched Dancing With the Stars since I was on [it],” Zendaya, 28, admitted on the Thursday, October 3, episode of “The Awardist” podcast. “I didn’t really watch Dancing With the Stars before I was on Dancing With the Stars. I don’t think I was the target demographic. My grandma, like, loves Dancing With the Stars. That’s her bag.”

Zendaya competed with partner Val Chmerkovskiy on the show’s 16th season in 2013. Despite earning some of the highest scores of the season, the pair came in second place behind Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough.

“I also think it was a very stressful experience,” Zendaya said on Thursday of her time on the series. “I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m gonna be watching this anymore.’”

Zendaya Through the Years: From Disney Teen to Euphoric Leading Lady

Chmerkovskiy, 38, previously called losing with Zendaya his “biggest heartbreak” on DWTS. “That was a huge heartbreak for me because she was 16,” he told Entertainment Tonight in March 2018. “I wanted this to be such a huge moment for her. She worked so hard, and I really wanted her to lift that trophy and jump-start her career. And she didn’t lift the trophy and I felt heartbroken about that.”

As he went on to note, Zendaya’s career “jump-started” regardless of coming in second place. “That’s when you learn that it’s not necessarily always about winning or losing, it’s really about learning through the process and then using those tools to further yourself down the road,” he shared.”

When she was on DWTS, Zendaya was best known for her role on Disney Channel’s Shake It Up. She followed up the series by starring in and producing her Disney Channel series K.C. Undercover, which ran for three seasons from 2015 to 2018.

She has gone on to be one of the most successful former Disney stars, taking over Hollywood by booking roles in projects such as The Greatest Showman, Smallfoot, Malcolm & Marie, the Dune franchise and Challengers. She also met her boyfriend, Tom Holland, while playing love interests in his Spider-Man movie trilogy from 2017 to 2021.

Zendaya cemented her status as one of the industry’s biggest stars by scoring two Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmys wins for her role as Rue on HBO’s Euphoria in 2020 and 2022. She made history with her 2020 Emmys win by becoming the youngest actress to win in that category.

Chmerkovskiy congratulated his former dance partner on her accomplishment in September 2020 by sharing one of their DWTS performances via Instagram. “Nearly 8 years ago I got the pleasure to teach a brilliant young woman how to ballroom dance on @dancingabc,” he captioned the clip. “After giving it every ounce of our effort we came in second. Devastated by the loss I remember telling her that one day you’ll be winning an Oscar and part of the reason why will be this feeling of defeat you feel right now.”

Former ‘DWTS’ Partners That Stayed Good Friends After the Show

He continued: “A few L’s will teach you lifelong lessons you’ll turn into dubs real soon. It was definitely not said this eloquently nor sound remotely as cool, and it isn’t an Oscar yet, but I always knew you were special. Our season on DWTS, and now your continued success since has brought me [a] ridiculous amount of joy. I’m so proud of you Z! Youngest ever winner of an Emmy for a leading role. You’re a superstar, and always have been! Love you fam to many more wins in your life.”

Dancing With the Stars season 33 returns on ABC and Disney+ with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, October 8, and Wednesday, October 9 at 8 p.m. ET.