Lamar Odom is walking away with a valuable lesson and a lifelong friend after he and pro partner Peta Murgatroyd were eliminated during Monday’s live Dancing With the Stars episode. After the pair’s Viennese Waltz to Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose” earned them a 20/40 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and guest judge Leah Remini, Odom told PEOPLE he wasn’t counting his loss as an overall failure.
“I’m a fighter. I never quit,” he told the outlet after the heartbreaking elimination. “And I tried something new. I failed but … I learned something new about myself. It was humbling. It was humbling.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
His bond with Murgatroyd will be one of the greatest parts of the experience he will walk away with, the former NBA player noted.
“She’s an amazing teacher,” Odom, 39, said of his pro partner. “She’s like the Kobe Bryant of ballroom dances. She has two championships.”
It goes far deeper than dance between the two, however. “I made a family member,” Odom said of his relationship with the two-time Mirrorball winner. “So, I have a sister. I never had a sister before.”
Odom and Murgatroyd, 33, were the third couple to go home on Dancing With the Stars Season 28 and the second to be eliminated. The Supremes’ Mary Wilson and pro dancer Brandon Armstrong were sent home during the first elimination, and former athlete Ray Lewis and Cheryl Burke dropped out in the second week due to a foot injury on the part of the NFL player.
Odom isn’t taking the low scores and being sent home after his Viennese Waltz to heart, however.
“It’s funny because I think this was my best dance,” he said. “No hard feelings. I’ll keep keeping on.”
There’s no end to the possibilities for Odom as he prepares for life post-DWTS.
“Maybe just go celebrate my book, focus on my children, maybe vacation,” he said, only shooting down a return to the NBA. “I have some free time on my hands; maybe I can focus on my public speaking? Change some lives with my story.”
Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Photo credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin
Most Viewed
-
A ring of vibrant marigold flowers with glowing candles at the center, set against a dark background. (Credit: Eduardo Monroy Husillos / Getty Images) -
ALL IN THE FAMILY. Rob Reiner as Mike Stivic and Sally Struthers as Gloria Bunker Stivic. Image dated 1979. Copyright ©1979 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Credit: CBS Photo Archive. -
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. ET and features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Tuesday, June 10 included Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes ("SmartLess"), Bella Ramsey ("The Last of Us"), and musical guest HARDY. (Disney/Randy Holmes) SEAN HAYES, JASON BATEMAN, WILL ARNETT (Photo by Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images) -
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 16: Greg Biffle, driver of the #44 Grambling State University Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) -
Official promotional artwork for <em>The Voice</em> -
L-R: Todd Lasance as AFP Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim 'JD' Dempsey, Olivia Swann as NCIS Special Agent Captain Michelle Mackey, Sean Sagar as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, Tuuli Narkle as AFP Liaison Officer Constable Evie Cooper and William McInnes as Forensic Pathologist Dr. Roy Penrose in NCIS: Sydney episode 9, season 3 streaming on Paramount+, 2025. Photo Credit: Daniel Asher Smith/Paramount+
