The comedienne and awards show emcee characterized her season 27 elimination as “a rejection from America,” and claims she never got a finale invite.

Nikki Glaser says being eliminated first on DWTS was ‘one of the most humiliating moments of my life’

The comedienne and awards show emcee characterized her season 27 elimination as "a rejection from America," and claims she never got a finale invite.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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April 6, 2026 7:48 p.m. ET

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Nikki Glaser and Gleb Savchenko on 'Dancing With the Stars' in 2018. Credit:

Eric McCandless via Getty

- Nikki Glaser is looking back ruefully on being eliminated first from *Dancing With the Stars *season 27.

- Though she said she would do the show again, Glaser called her elimination "one of the most humiliating moments of my life."

- To add insult to injury, Glaser claimed she was never invited back to the finale, and had to ask to be another contestant's plus one.

Was Nikki Glaser's *Dancing With the Stars** *elimination "one of the most humiliating moments" of her life? Yes. Would she do it again? Also yes.

The comedienne and ascendant queen of awards show hosting recently looked back on her memorable but short-lived stint as a contestant on *DWTS*' 27th season, which aired in 2018.

"I was voted off *Dancing with the Stars* first when I did that show. I knew I couldn't dance when I signed up for it, but I didn't really know. It was almost like I'd never danced. So I was like, 'Maybe I'm great and I'll find out!'" Glaser shared on Monday's episode of the *Armchair Expert *podcast. Hopes were high, her pro partner, Gleb Savchenko, was "so great," but ultimately, Glaser says, "one of the most humiliating moments of my life is getting voted off that show first."

Nikki Glaser and Gleb Savchenko face the judges on 'Dancing With the Stars' season 27 in 2018.

Eric McCandless via Getty

Glaser joined the stacked season 27 cast in 2018. She vied for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy against the likes of Olympian Mary Lou Retton, *Harry Potter *star Evanna Lynch, NFL linebacker DeMarcus Ware, and radio personality Bobby Bones, who was eventually (and controversially) crowned the winner.

*Armchair Expert *co-host Dax Shepard asked Glaser why she had such a strong reaction to her elimination if, as she implied, she didn't care about winning.

The truth? "I did care, and they kind of warp your mind in there, because you don't do anything except dance. Your whole life clears out... I got love bombed on that show aggressively, and then when I got voted off, I was crying to my friends like, 'I just like miss dancing. I'm a dancer.' And they're like, 'What the hell?'"

Glaser explained that she had only just realized she could "get good" when she was told to pack her bags. But as her mind spiraled around the implications of her elimination, even more difficult thoughts began to creep in.

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"The other thing that hurt about it was that it wasn't about just getting voted off because you're a bad dancer," Glaser explained. "It's about, ABC is developing talent, and they're like, 'Do we want to work with you? Does our audience like you?' And they didn't."

The *Someday You'll Die *star characterized her elimination as "kind of like a rejection from America. Because America votes," and in a way, so do "ABC as a corporation" and "the dancing community." To add insult to injury, Glaser claimed ABC "forgot to invite me to the finale," which she only returned to because she asked to be the plus one of a friend still in competition on the show.

Still, Glaser said she "would love to get back in there," and she has the perfect pitch for a spinoff: "If they did a *Dancing with the Stars *losers season, where it was all people who got voted off first or second. I would definitely do it again."

* *has reached out to representatives for ABC for comment.

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There isn't any public indication that there will be a *DWTS *"all-losers" season any time soon, but a new spinoff is coming.

In February, it was revealed that season 34 winner Robert Irwin will host *Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro*, a competition to find the long-running reality series' next ballroom ace. The show will feature longtime pro Mark Ballas and his mother, "Queen of Latin" Shirley Ballas, as judges.

You can watch Glaser's full interview on the *Armchair Expert *podcast above.

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Source: “EW Dancing”