Mauricio Umansky wasn’t expecting for his Dancing With the Stars run to end just yet.
“I was definitely shocked. I was definitely surprised,” Umansky, 53, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, October 31, after performing an Argentine tango to Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” track with partner Emma Slater.
The pair received a 31 out of 40 from the judges — with 2 bonus points from the group dance later in the show — which brought them to a total of 33. Umansky and Slater, 34, who ended up at the bottom with Harry Jowsey and Lindsay Arnold, were ultimately sent home.
“I’m not sure why [and] how. But I was definitely shocked. I mean, it is what it is,” the Buying Beverly Hills star added.
During the joint interview, Slater noted that she was thrilled by how far she and Umansky have come on the dancing competition show.
“Mauricio is a great, great inspirational person. [He’s] such a good supportive friend for me. So it’s been a blessing getting to know him,” she gushed to Us. “And now we can be friends forever. So I really very much cherish the fact that you are my dance partner.”
Umansky teased that he has plans to keep collaborating with Slater, saying, “And this is not our last night on a dance floor.”
The DWTS partners formed a close bond while working together on season 24. Earlier this month, Umansky and Slater sparked romance speculation when they were spotted holding hands while out to dinner in Beverly Hills. The duo later insisted that the outing was not a date amid the reality star’s separation from wife Kyle Richards.
“For full clarity we are not dating,” Umansky said in an Instagram Story video on Thursday, October 26. “We’ve been dancing together now for six weeks, four hours a day every single day.”
Slater added, “We [share] similar personalities. We’ve got a super supportive relationship. Last week was extremely emotional, so super supportive relationship. We’re definitely there for each other and it’s beautiful. That’s a great thing.”
Richards, 54, meanwhile, fueled the rumors about Umansky and Slater when she was asked about the pics.
“That was very hard to see. That hurt my feelings,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live on October 25. “I just don’t think you hold hands like that with somebody. … I don’t know if anything’s happened yet, but obviously, there’s something there. Listen, I love him very much and we are amicable. That really did hurt me.”
According to Umansky, his family has continued to show their support during his time on DWTS.
“It’s been awesome. They’ve been great. My kids have been here. Everybody’s been here,” Umansky, who shares three daughters with Richards and is a stepfather to her eldest daughter, Farrah, shared with Us on Tuesday. “My mom, everybody. That’s been great to feel all the support. I love it.”
With reporting by Hannah Kahn
