Nelly Says Potentially Returning to ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Gives Him a ‘Sour Taste’

The Dancing with the Stars finale left fans with mixed emotions. After another Bachelorette took home the Mirrorball Trophy with Kaitlyn Bristowe going all the way, Nelly, who came in at third place, admits he isn’t sure he would give the competition another go. Having already made it further than some expected, Nelly shined as he proved to viewers he was willing to put in the work to be a better ballroom dancer, but the thought of coming back leaves a “sour taste” in his mouth.

“I don’t know. I got a sour taste on that one,” he said according to Us Weekly following the final episode. He also admitted that the process of being a professional dancer is a lot more challenging than he expected and he’s “exhausted” in about every shape, form and fashion. “I don’t think I have the experience to be up against people who study this. That’s a lot of hard work. This is mentally draining. [I’m] mentally drained, physically drained. This is tough.”

The “Country Grammer” rapper isn’t the only one to confess it was a little more than they expected. In fact, several celebrities have detailed how hard of a process it is, paying their respects to dancers who compete on a professional level. Some people have even lost weight on the show because they were in the studio that much rehearsing each week. Nelly stressed that “people don’t understand” the full extent of the challenges both the celebrity and their partners face to help make the show a success, especially for those who don’t have a history of dancing.

“You’re learning something new on the fly, you’re on national television. You’re putting yourself out there,” the Texas native described. “This is tough. Unless you know what you’re going through, it’s a hell of an experience, man. I’m just lucky to have [Daniella] beside me to hold my hand, but for a lot of people, this is tough.”

During Nelly’s first dance, the judges noticed he was wearing sneakers instead of dance shoes. That was one of the first things Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli pointed out, recommending he change up his footwear if he wants to make it past the first couple rounds at least. So he did but instead had custom-made dance shoes that looked like sneakers still. Nelly said that he was planning to auction off all of his shoes for charity to raise awareness and funds for sex-trafficking.