Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater could not be more grateful for each other as their Dancing With the Stars journey ends.
After being eliminated during the Tuesday, October 31, episode of the dance competition show, theBuying Beverly Hills cast member, 53, and the professional instructor, 34 — who have denied romance rumors — reflected on the bond they built.
"You get to dance with so many people on this show, but not everybody has that real, soulful connection to you," Slater admitted. "And Mauricio does for me. So we're gonna be friends for life."
"I think when you're comfortable with someone and you can have stimulating conversations and it keeps rolling — also when you're rehearsing for four hours a day — you get to really know people," she gushed. "So this has been a blessing. He's so special. Such a positive energy. Gets the best out of everybody."
Umansky echoed his partner's enthusiasm for their time together and raved over everything he's learned from Slater. "We had so much fun and it was amazing," he said.
"It was an incredible run, and quite honestly I got a chance to at least dance the Argentine tango, which is the dance I told them I really wanted to dance at the beginning," the reality star explained. "And we killed it! We danced so well."
Despite Umansky — who separated from Kyle Richards earlier this year — admitting he was "shocked" by his elimination, he knew he wouldn't be the one holding the mirrorball trophy during the season finale.
"I knew that, eventually, it was gonna come to an end," he noted. "That is, I'm not the strongest dancer here. There's some great dancers out here. I mean, some really great dancers. I knew that my journey was gonna come to an end eventually. So, literally, all I did was enjoy every single day. And when you enjoy every single day, there are no challenging parts."
Umansky and Slater enjoyed their time together so much that people began to wonder if they were more than friends, especially after they were seen holding hands while out to dinner.
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However, the Bravo star clarified in a video shared to his Instagram Story that they are "not dating."
"We are really good friends. We've been dancing together for six weeks, four hours a day, every single day," he continued.
"Guys you don't understand, it's intense. Like you really form a very, very special bond. And I think we're similar personalities, so we've got a super supportive relationship. We're definitely there for each other. And it's beautiful, that's a great thing," the blonde beauty added.
Entertainment Tonight conducted the interview with Umanksy and Slater after being eliminated from DWTS.
