'I Put My Best Out There': The Miz's Time On 'Dancing With The Stars' Explained

A big part of Season 3 of “Miz & Mrs” so far has been seeing Mike grapple with the physical and mental toll that competing on “Dancing With The Stars” takes on him. 

While “Miz & Mrs” fans may be wondering how it all shakes out, “Dancing With The Stars” Season 30 wrapped up a while ago and therefore the world knows just how far WWE’s most dynamic performer went in the competition. He didn't take home the big win, however, Mike Mizanin is still a top-tier competitor and he ended up making it pretty far (to 9th place!) and earning some impressive scores before he took his final bow on the "DWTS" stage.

Once he finally decided to compete, Mike was paired off with professional dancer and choreographer Witney Carson. Together they helped him pivot his performance skills in the WWE ring to those on the ballroom dance floor. The Miz showed up for hours every week to not only condition his body to be a little more slender and acrobatic, but to learn the steps required to pull off some professional moves. 

During their time, The Miz and Whitney earned fantastic scores with dances such as the cha-cha-cha, the tango, salsa, and more. They even delivered on some complex theme dances such as Britney Spears, Disney, and “Grease” (not to mention his horrifying but mystical performance while dressed as Pinhead from “Hellraiser”). 

On the latest episode of “Miz & Mrs,” Mike got in his head about performing well during the “Grease” number given how absolutely iconic the song “Grease Lightning” is. In his mind, everything he worked so hard for up to that point all came down to his moment in the spotlight taking on the legendary tune — and The Miz is a man who loves his moments in the spotlight. 

Although Maryse is able to take the pressure off ahead of the performance, in the end, “Grease” night would be close to his last on the show. After dancing to “Radio Ga Ga” on Queen Night the following week, The Miz and Witney learned they were in the bottom two next to Jojo Siwa and Jenna Johnson. Although Entertainment Tonight notes they competed for more points, they ultimately earned none and fell with a score of 32 after the judges chose to save Siwa and Johnson. 

Photo: Getty Images

In the end, The Miz and Witney were eliminated after seven weeks of intense competition and dancing and ultimately placed ninth in the Season 30 competition overall. Fortunately, The Miz, although disappointed, was fine with the way things shook out. 

“Honestly, I don't have any ill feelings. This is a competition," the 41-year-old told the outlet at the time. "I put my best out there. I had the best choreographer. She was creative. She helped me get to where I needed to be. And to be honest, I felt like I did a great job. I didn't feel like I fell on my face. I thought I represented myself, as well as my family, as well as everyone, the best I possibly could've."

He added: “I gave my best, most mentally, physically, emotionally, mentally — I gave everything I have, and it wasn't enough. And that's fine. All my failures in life have taught me more than any of my successes. And I don't consider this a failure, I consider it maybe a minor setback to where I learned a lot about myself. And that's what I take away from this."

The Miz also revealed that the work he put in resulted in a 15-pound weight loss. He said he could see his body starting to morph into that of a dancer’s frame — a noted difference from his in-ring average. Additionally, he told "People" that his wife prefers his wrestling bod. 

"She doesn't like me skinny," he joked. "She likes me a little thicker with a little bit more meat." 

Fortunately, if there’s one thing The Miz can do, it’s get in shape and perform in the ring. Now we know he can also do it to perform on the dance floor as well.

New episodes of “Miz & Mrs” premiere at 11 p.m. ET/PT on USA Network. You can catch up on the first two seasons on USANetwork.com and Peacock.