‘Dancing With The Stars: Juniors’ Favorite ‘Devastated’ After Shocking Elimination
At the halfway point of Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, a fan favorite was sent home but not before breaking down in tears upon learning of their elimination.
Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, who was partnered with Tristan Ianiero and mentored by Artem Chigvintsev, danced a Jazz routine to the Ghostbusters theme during the show’s October 28 episode, and her efforts earned sevens across the board from all three judges for a total of 21 total points.
She immediately broke down after finding out she was being sent home.
Thompson, whose TV career began at age 5 on the hit TLC series Toddlers & Tiaras and then continued with a show she starred in alongside her family Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, improved every week in her scoring on DWTS: Juniors.
Although she seemed to have fun while on the series and was reportedly getting along great with her fellow competitors, she was sad to be let go.
Fans were divided over Thompson’s appearance on the spinoff ABC competition series.
While many believed she was trying her hardest on the series, many could not let go of the contempt they felt for her infamous reality television series family.
? "Who you gonna call? @Ghostbusters!" ? | Great job, Honey Boo Boo and Tristan for that awesome jive dance! ????????????????????????? ? #DWTS #DWTSJuniors #HalloweenNight #HalloweenWeek #Halloween #TeamArtem #Ghostbusters @DWTSJuniors @DancingABC
— Sam Traspe (@djsammyt0917) October 29, 2018
Omg Honey Boo Boo is going ro ruin Ghost Busters forever! #Dwtsjunior
— Stephanie (@Stephan00304650) October 29, 2018
Hollywood Life reported that Thompson scored a sweet deal for agreeing to compete on the show.
Just for signing up, she was allegedly promised $50,000 and the longer she stayed in the competition, the more money she would receive. For making it to Episode 3, she got another $10,000 added to her paycheck.
If she would have made it to Episode 5, she would have received another $15,000 and if she made it to the finale, she would have received another $20,000.
The payout formula was the same for all the underage competitors of the series.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and its subsequent spinoff, WeTV’s Mama June: From Not to Hot, detailed the lives of a family from Georgia who found unlikely fame after Thompson was a standout performer at child beauty pageants due to her adorable face and bubbly personality.
The series ran on TLC for four seasons and was a moderate hit for the network until it was revealed that Shannon was dating a registered sex offender that had allegedly abused her eldest daughter Anna.
Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon, Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon, and Anna “Chickadee” Shannon (now Anna Cardwell) as well as Thompson and her father Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson starred on the TLC hit series.
