Not taking it personally. Jason Lewis and Peta Murgatroyd were the first duo eliminated on season 31 of Dancing With the Stars, but they’re not letting it get to them.
“They haven’t done a first week elimination for so long, but we have a lot of couples this season,” the ballroom pro, 36, told Us Weekly after the Monday, September 19, premiere of season 31. “I think they kind of had to start chipping away at the block, you know?”
For the past several seasons, no couples have gone home until week 2 of the competition, but on Monday, Peta and the Sex and the City alum, 51, were eliminated after scoring 18 on their cha cha. The pair finished in the bottom two alongside Teresa Giudice and Pasha Pashkov, but all four judges decided to save the Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 50, and her partner, 37, over Peta and Jason.
Despite his short run on DWTS, the former model wasn’t bothered by his surprisingly early elimination. “We’re all facing the same swords,” he told Us. “So, I don’t think it’s unfair. Everybody had the same options.”
While his time on the reality competition show is over, Jason plans to keep cheering on his fellow contestants from home. “That’s one of the things that’s so nice about this, is nobody’s against anybody,” he told reporters on Monday. “It’s been really lovely.”
The California native also wants to keep dancing in his free time. “My fiancée and I have been talking about that,” the Mr. Brooks actor explained. “This was a fear space that I was apprehensive about, obviously. So, why not keep going from here and let it bloom into something better?”
The Midnight, Texas alum got engaged to Liz Godwin in February 2020. The duo celebrated their sixth anniversary together in November 2021, marking the occasion with sweet social media posts about their romance.
“You make my soul burn hotter than it ever has before,” the producer, 31, wrote via Instagram at the time alongside a photo of herself with Jason. “Grateful to celebrate 6 years with you and a lifetime to come.”
The Running Wild actor, for his part, shared several photos from the couple’s anniversary trip to Italy, adding in his caption: “Every time I come to this city with you it feels like the very first time. Grateful to have been able to celebrate 6 years together while in Rome. You’re the air I breathe, my love!”
Dancing With the Stars airs on Disney+ Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
