EXCLUSIVE: Sharna Burgess Comforts 'Bummed' Bonner Bolton After Disappointing 'DWTS' Week 3 Performance
Bonner Bolton had a rough night on Monday's Dancing With the Stars, but his partner, Sharna Burgess, isn't going to let it get him down.
The pair were slammed by the judges for their Charleston -- set to "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody" by Fergie, Q-Tip & GoonRock -- which was especially challenging for Bolton, given his physical limitations following a near-paralyzing bull riding accident he suffered a little over a year ago.
For their efforts, Burgess and Bolton were awarded a score of 24 out of 40, putting them at the bottom of the pack alongside Mr. T and Charo -- who was eliminated at the end of Monday's episode.
Burgess and Bolton stopped to talk with ET's Nischelle Turner backstage after the show, and the pro dancer opened up about how impressed she was with her partner, regardless of their scores.
"When we got off stage, the first thing I said to Bonner was, 'I love that you're bummed, but I'm frustrated that you're bummed,'"' Burgess recounted. "I love that you're bummed because you care and I love seeing how much he cares about this competition, but at the same time, I want him to acknowledge the difficulty of that routine, the difficulty for someone like Bonner, with the injuries that he's had, to have the coordination to do a Charleston, [which is] so intense."
"I feel like he did a fantastic job considering all of those things," she added.
Burgess has acquired a reputation for getting paired up with stars who have suffered major injuries, and helping them make it shockingly far in the competition.
In season 20, she was partnered with former Army soldier and double-amputee Noah Galloway, who ended up making it all the way to the finals and came in third.
Last season, Burgess was teamed up with race car driver James Hinchcliffe, who was nearly killed in a crash while driving over 230 miles an hour and had to undergo extensive physical therapy and rehab. However, just 18 months after nearly dying, Hinchcliffe made it to the DWTS finals with Burgess, and the death-defying driver came in second.
"I love telling stories and I think that's why Dancing With the Stars gives me these guys, because they have these incredible stories with so much depth and tragedy and truth," Burgess explained. "I love telling those things through dance, so I'm happy."
However, Bolton says he still feels "sorry" for his partner for having to work around his unfortunate physical challenges.
"She gets the extra work, I feel like," Bolton said. "But she's great at what she does."
While the pair might not have won over the judges with their Charleston, their obvious chemistry and instant connection have won over fans, and rumors of an off-screen relationship between the two have been swirling since the show debuted in March.
Recently, the twosome fanned the flames when they hung out together at the Daily Front Row's Third Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards on Sunday, for what they both emphatically stressed was "not really a date night."
"It was getting to know each other! You know? It's uh, it's all a part of this competition," Burgess said, addressing their recent red carpet rendezvous. "The more we know each other, the more we have trust and chemistry, the better it's going to be on that dance floor."
The pair even had a chance to meet Fergie at the star-studded event, and told her that they'd be performing to her song!
"She was so cool, awesome to meet," Bolton gushed. "Sorry I didn't do [the song] justice tonight, but I had fun. It was a great song."
Burgess went on to explain that, despite the fact that many people want to see her connection with Bolton blossom into something romantic, their relationship is, for now, simply platonic.
"He's a great guy, and we have a lot of fun out there on the dance floor, but this is coach and student," she shared.
"She is very beautiful, and not only is she beautiful, she's just as good of an instructor," Bolton added.
ET caught up with the pair at the fashion awards show on Sunday, where they dished on their on-screen chemistry and their intense rehearsal schedule. "She's working me hard in that practice room, day in and day out, so it's nice to come here and have a little socialization," Bolton said. Check out the video below to hear more.
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