Witney Carson Calls Milo Manheim’s DWTS Loss a ‘Bitter Blow’
Dancing With the Stars professional Witney Carson is a two-time champion of the mirrorball trophy, yet she still vividly recalls when her partner from season 27, Milo Manheim, was denied his victory.
“That season felt like a real gut punch for me, as if to say, ‘That should have been his win,’” Carson, 32, shared exclusively with Us Weekly on Thursday, May 7, at the Vulture Reality Masterminds Celebration in New York City. “It felt like I let him down.”
Carson, who first clinched the DWTS title with Alfonso Ribeiro in 2014 and her second with partner Robert Irwin in 2025, told Us that her return to the winner’s circle in this recent season inadvertently brought back memories of her loss with Manheim, 25.
“It was really wild,” Carson noted about her and Manheim’s season 27 finale performance going viral last year. “I think the younger audience started to catch on to that. And of course, people adore Milo, which is well-deserved; he’s fantastic.”
She reminisced that when footage of their performances re-emerged, “people began saying, ‘Justice for Milo,’ and rallying around that. It brings me joy.”
For those not following, Carson and Manheim were the runners-up in the 2018 season, which saw Sharna Burgess win alongside Bobby Bones.
The victory of Burgess, 40, and Bones was controversial, as the latter duo consistently scored lower than their competitors throughout the season, which also included Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten and Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe.
Despite the controversy surrounding Bones’ victory, he admitted in November 2025 that he returned his trophy.
“What did I do? I maintained a positive attitude and worked hard, and here we are, six years later, and I’m still getting criticized,” Bones expressed on TikTok after former DWTS host Tom Bergeron mentioned to Parade that Bones’ win was his biggest “surprise” of the series, which hurt his feelings.
Bones continued, “So, I sent the trophy back. They clearly don’t want me involved in the show, hence, I don’t want to be anywhere I’m not wanted.”
Bergeron later apologized for his comments, stating in a social media post, “Bobby, it wasn’t my intention to hurt your feelings. My ‘ouch’ was based on my honest feeling that your win highlighted the need for balance between judge and viewer voting.”
In her conversation with Us, Carson noted that she felt Irwin’s win last year represented a form of redemption for both her and Manheim, who was present to witness it.
“Milo was in the crowd when I won with Robert, and it very much felt like people were rallying behind us, not just for Robert, but for Milo too,” she shared. “They wanted justice for him.”
Reflecting on her experiences with DWTS, Carson identified her freestyle performance with Manheim—a rain dance that became iconic—as one of her all-time favorites.
“I love that dance so much. I remember choreographing it and crying on camera blocking day because I thought I had made a mistake,” she admitted. “I worried Milo needed a more upbeat routine for the freestyle, instead of this sultry rain dance. Yet, it ended up being one of my favorite routines.”
While she feels Manheim was unjustly robbed, Carson is grateful for her second mirrorball win with Irwin, expressing that the new season feels less pressurized.
“Coming back as the champion, all I want now is to have fun,” she told Us. “I just want to dance—that’s it.”
