Bonner Bolton is fine with coming in fifth on Dancing With the Stars. In fact, he and professional dance partner Sharna Burgess knew they weren't going to win.
"I'm just so thankful I lasted this long…I came here because I could," Bolton told E! News' Sibley Scoles after he was eliminated. "They asked me if my body was moving well enough and it does. I wanted to discover how much it could move and I got to do that and I got to inspire some people hopefully."
The pair had two dances: the Argentine tango to "Believer" by Imagine Dragons, they received a 30 from the judges, and a jazz dance to Bruno Mars' "That's What I Like," which netted them at 28.
"It's sad, yes, but knowing that he feels happy with his journey, that at the end of this, even though we weren't going for a win, we were going for Bonner to discover what he's capable of. If he feels like he did that then my job is done and that makes me a very, very happy woman, a very happy coach and a very proud friend," Burgess told us.
Bolton suffered a broken neck that occurred during his day job, professional bull riding. Burgess said she watched him struggle this season and push himself time and time again.
"I couldn't be more proud of him and I couldn't be more inspired by him and learned one more time how resilient as human beings we can be and that we're capable of anything," Burgess said. "So, thank you to Bonner for that."
The partners ignited romance rumors when they hit the dance floor for the first time, but they're just great friends now. Did coming clean about their chemistry help Bolton in the lady department? Click play on the video above to hear about his direct messages.
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays, 8 p.m. on ABC.