Kellie Pickler Reminisces On Her DWTS Experience and What Made Bill Engvall a Fan Favorite

Last season Kellie Pickler brought down the house on Dancing with the Stars, bringing home the treasured mirror ball trophy. The country sweetheart returned to the ballroom last night, but this time only to sing, performing her latest single "Little Bit Gypsy."

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On Monday night's show, Kellie did her best to remain impartial to the remaining contestants, although we can't help but wonder if she's secretly rooting for her old pro partner Derek Hough and his current celeb counterpart Amber Riley.

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"I think it’s so important for whoever your dance partner is, I think it’s important that you get along, that you like each other and that you have that chemistry out there on the dance floor," she says. "With Derek and I we hit it off from the get-go. He has such a great energy, he’s so positive and he’s fun to be around and he’s a great teacher, of course. We just worked very well together. We’re a lot alike in so many ways with our goofy, silly ways. It’s never a dull moment with us."

Part one of the series' season finale concluded with fan favorite Bill Engvall and his pro partner Emma Slater being eliminated from the competition, For her part, Kellie completely understands why the comedian was such a hit on the show.

"I love Bill, we’ve worked together in the past, and I think he’s absolutely amazing," she gushed. "He’s so funny. I think his asset he brings to the dance floor is his bright personality. He’s fun and he’s one of those people you want to see do well. He’s so easy to love because he’s so much fun and he’s a bright light out there on the dance floor."

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Kellie credits her turn on DWTS for helping her take chances in life.

"I think it’s really helped me as far as putting myself out there and setting goals and going after them, not being afraid to take risks," she says. "Dancing with the Stars—I never ballroom danced in my life. I was scared to death. You can ask Derek, he has to give me pep talks before every single show. I was terrified. I think it helped me push myself. You never know until you get out there and try."

Who do you want to see win the mirror ball trophy this season? Tell us in the comments or tweet @OKMagazine.