ET Online: Nelly Might Not Have Taken Part in DWTS If He Had Known Who His Competitors Were

Nelly was one of the most formidable competitors in “Dancing with the Stars” season 29, but he confessed he might not have participated if he’d known who his competitors were.

The season finale of “Dancing with the Stars” was broadcast on November 23, and it was filled with emotions and outstanding performances.

All four finalists – Nelly and Daniella Karagach, Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev, Justina Machado and Sasha Farber, and Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson – gave their all to take home the Mirrorball trophy.

NELLY WANTED TO WIN

However, Bristowe and Chigvintsev ended up winning the competition. Schulman and Johnson came in second, and Nelly and Karagach placed third.

Shortly after the finale, the rapper and his professional dancer partner told ET how they felt about the experience, and Nelly said it was “bittersweet.”

He pointed out that, since he’d been dancing, rehearsing, and competing for three months, “of course you want to win.”

Nelly also said that he put himself through a kind of training he had never had before as he was trying to go against “people who basically studied this in college.”

[Nelly] ended up with a “sour taste.”

The rapper was then asked that if he still would have agreed to participate if he had known beforehand that he would compete with performers with prior dancing experience, and he said, “probably not,” adding:

“Why would I get in a boxing match with someone who’s been boxing since they were 12? […] There are certain things that you're basically setting yourself up for.”

NO HARD FEELINGS

Nelly pointed out, though, that he didn’t blame Bristowe or Schulman for their dancing backgrounds as it is a competition, and they had to use “whatever” they have to win.

Before saying that he and Karagach did their best, Nelly admitted to being happy for Bristowe as she “really wanted” to win, danced “beautifully,” and deserved it.

Earlier this month, Nelly paid a touching tribute to his late sister, Jackie Donahue, with a stunning performance on “DWTS.” He and Karagach danced the rumba to “Nobody Knows” by the Tony Rich Project, one of Donahue’s favorite songs.

In a different interview, Nelly admitted that he didn’t know if he would participate in another season of “DWTS” as he ended up with a “sour taste.”