Ryan Lochte definitely has his eye on his new Dancing With the Stars partner—literally.
After Good Morning America revealed the controversial Olympic swimmer had officially joined on as one of the competition's new contestants, they also announced that longtime ballroom pro Cheryl Burke would be at his side the whole way through.
"I miss my family. It's been three seasons. It feels like it's been a decade since I've been back on Dancing With the Stars," Burke said during the show Tuesday morning. "I'm so excited to be able to be back and dancing with Ryan and just put that spray tan and glitter back on. You know I just can't get rid of it."
While she was talking, Lochte had locked in on Cheryl's face with an intense gaze we just couldn't look away from. Was he just that excited to start this new project? Had he suddenly been shot by Cupid's arrow? Was he smirking to hide his fear of spray tans and glitter?
While we—and the Internet—mull over all of the possibilities behind the standout stare, Ryan is busy cleaning up the controversy that has preceded him since he returned home from the Rio Olympics. If anyone hasn't already heard the Spark Notes version of his robbery scandal, the professional swimmer falsely reported that he and his teammates had been pulled over in their cab by armed men posing as police and robbed while one held a gun to Lochte's head. Security footage from a Shell gas station later proved they had not been on the side of a road, but pulled over at a gas station when the event in question took place.
While variations of the story were subsequently reported—including that the four athletes had damaged a gas station bathroom—the 32-year-old is trying to put some of the inaccuracies to rest.
"I'm not one to make excuses, but I was still intoxicated. I was still going through the emotions of having a gun pulled on me. I'm just...I'm human. I made a mistake, and that's something I'm going to have to live with." Lochte told Amy Robach during the broadcast.
"USA Today and other people have been finding out, investigating it, and there was no damage to the bathroom. I never even entered the bathroom. It was locked, so we couldn't go in there at all. So the story about me vandalizing the bathroom is absurd. It never happened."
While the aftermath of the ordeal—including a formal indictment from the Brazilian police—has been trying for Lochte, he's putting his best face and foot forward.
"The past two weeks have been the lowest point of my life. It's been really hard. But the fans, my family, my friends, they've all been really positive, keeping me going. And that's what I wanna do. And this is perfect with the show because I want to put that behind me. I'm never one to dwell on the past," he concluded. "I just want to move forward and I want the whole world to move forward. Everyone's got to be sick and tired of hearing about this. I know I am."