'Dancing With The Stars' Was Mischa Barton's Own Personal 'Hunger Games'

The odds were definitely not in her favor.
Can you feel the excitement?
Can you feel the excitement?
Craig Sjodin via Getty Images

It’s been a while since we checked in on Mischa Barton (apparently she’s a host on a road trip series called “Joyride” now?), but there’s still one TV show experience that haunts her till this day.

No, not that.

Not that one, either ...

Ding, ding, ding!

Apparently, Barton only volunteered as tribute for “Dancing with the Stars” because of the “design aspect” of the series (that’s the “I only read Playboy for the articles” equivalent of reality TV) after years of ABC pursuing her.

“Ugh ... I had no idea it would be so bad,” she told The Ringer about “DWTS” in an interview. “I got told off by my dancer. I was supposed to control the costumes, I was told that I could do the design aspect of it, that’s kind of the reason why I agreed to do it.”

Barton starred on the Season 22 of the long-running series with pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev as her partner, but was eliminated second for a memorably dreadful samba to “Party in the USA.”

“It wasn’t collaborative like a choreographer on a film set. … I was so confused by it. It was like ‘The Hunger Games.’ It was all a popularity contest. It was awful. I was so glad to get kicked off.”

Watch her performance with one eye closed below:

Before You Go

Marilu Henner

"Dancing with the Stars" Season 23 Cast

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