Bobby Bones Thinks He ‘Cheated’ on ‘DWTS’ Season 27, Breaks Down Controversial Win

Bobby Bones still isn’t sure how he won Dancing With the Stars season 27 — but he might have “cheated.”

Bones — who took home the mirrorball trophy in 2018 with pro partner Sharna Burgess — looked back on his “weird” experience in the ballroom during the Monday, September 15, episode of Jason Tartick‘s “Trading Secrets” podcast.

“I never wanted to do the show,” Bones, 45, admitted. “I had never danced, not once. I was on American Idol … [and] they said, ‘Hey, go and do Dancing With the Stars to promote American Idol.’ I was like, ‘OK, but I’ve never danced.’ They were like, ‘It’s fine. Nobody wins that show that’s never danced and you’ll be off in four weeks.’”

Bones remembered committing to going “as hard as possible” despite not having any previous training. “I don’t do anything halfway. … And that show, they don’t tell you how you’re actually doing. All you know is you’re surviving,” he said. “I was a fish out of water. I had no idea what I was doing.”

The radio host went on to share insight into his rehearsal strategy, hinting not all of his preparation was above board.

“I cheated, in the way of, they give you a limited amount of time with your partner. Like, four hours a day, they say,” he explained. “So we would do our four, I would record the session and then go by myself and rent a studio myself and train myself. Like, illegally spent time over … because I was so far behind everybody else.”

Though he and Burgess, 40, earned lower scores than their fellow finalists from the judges during the 2018 season, the pair made it out on top thanks to votes from viewers. Disney Channel star Milo Manheim finished in second place, followed by Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch in third and influencer Alexis Ren in fourth.

“I wasn’t in any way polarizing on the show, other than I sucked,” Bones said on Monday. “I didn’t run out and [say], like, ‘I’m the best.’ I tried as hard as I could and I got sevens, a couple sixes. A couple eights.”

Along with his lack of experience, Bones faced another setback when he was injured after his first dance. “I fell hard [and] tore my shoulder,” he recalled. “I had to go to an NFL team doctor and he was like, ‘It’s going to hurt really bad, but you’re not going to make it worse. I’ll write you a note as long as you know you’re going to deal with pain every week.’”

According to Bones, doctors from outside of the DWTS production “shot me up every week” because “it hurt so bad.”

When he was ultimately crowned the champ, Bones was “just as surprised as anybody” else. His victory was controversial among “a small section of hardcore fans,” who he eventually realized would “never” have been on his side anyway.

“The fact that I was winning made it difficult on people who had always watched the show. … I was anxious as crap every week, nervous. Because again, I’m a fish out of water doing that,” Bones added.

Despite the negative response to his win, Bones “loved” his time in the ballroom dance competition. “I have friends that go on [DWTS] occasionally,” he said. “And I have friends that are still dancers on the show, the pros. … Sharna was excellent. She was really hard, but I needed that.”

Dancing With the Stars season 34 premieres on ABC and Disney+ Tuesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET and will stream the following day on Hulu.

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