Barry Williams on his exuberant “DWTS” exit: 'If I had to go out, that's how I wanted to do it'

"The reality is I was competing against some people that are more than 50 years younger than I am and holding my own," the "Brady Bunch" star tells EW of being the second oldest dancer to make it this far in the competition.

While The Brady Bunch star Barry Williams may not have always been the best dancer on season 32 of Dancing With the Stars, he was certainly the most fun to watch.

He sealed that legacy on Tuesday night's Whitney Houston-themed episode, which ended with Williams' and partner Peta Murgatroyd's heartbreaking elimination after winning his dance-off against fellow contestant Jason Mraz with an exuberant, chest-bearing salsa.

"If I had to go out, that's how I wanted to do it," Williams tells EW of the bittersweet end to his journey. "I'm very proud of how far I went. The reality is I was competing against some people that are more than 50 years younger than I am and holding my own. I was well past the midway point. I'm disappointed to not be going on this next week, but I will say this — if I was to be dismissed, I would want to go out on the dance floor doing the salsa, having the time of my life with a bang, and I did."

Williams, 69, became the second oldest contestant to make it this far in the show. (In 2014, Tommy Chong made it to the semi-finals in season 19 at the age of 76). He also is now the Brady Bunch cast member with the longest stint on DWTS, making it to week 8. Maureen McCormick, who played sister Marcia, was eliminated in week 7 of season 23, while Florence Henderson, the iconic matriarch Carol Brady, made it to week 5 back in season 11.

EW caught up with Williams as he adjusts to life without dance rehearsals to talk his favorite dance, what he'd like a do-over on, and what he hopes other folks his age take away from his time on the show.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You have received so much love and fan support throughout the show that I was frankly shocked to see you go. Were you surprised or did you have a feeling going in that it might be the end of the road?

BARRY WILLIAMS: No, I wasn't worried at all. This is something you take one week at a time. It's interesting. It is a competition, but the reality is you just bring the best of what you have every week. And that's what I did. I felt that I was certainly in contention. I was ready to go to work yesterday, I was very, very surprised, particularly after the great reception I had from the dance-off.

That was so much fun. Had you planned all of those bits — ripping open your shirt and so forth?

When Peta and I knew that we were going to be challenging Jason Mraz, who's been moving very well, and at the top of the leaderboard, we strategized a dance that would attract attention. We wanted to go for it, put it over the top, do whatever it took to capture the judge's attention so they'd be watching us. And also the audience. We had a lot of fun different things, some of which were related to the salsa and some that were not.

Now that you've had a couple days since the results, have your feelings on it changed at all or have you been able to process it a little bit more?

Well, there is a reset. There's an emotional reset because the focus is so concentrated in the process and the structure of preparation for the show and learning dances. So, suddenly I got to sleep until 8 o'clock in the morning.

You are the longest-lasting Brady Bunch member on the show. Is making it furthest an achievement you'll wear with pride? 

Florence was an inspiration and encouraged me to pursue being on the show. She definitely wanted me to go further than she did. And Maureen has been very supportive as well. Weekly, she's texting me and telling me how I'm going to get in and kill it, and that she wanted me to go further than she did. I would be interested to know is if there are any other people that made it to week eight in my age bracket.

You are one of the oldest competitors to go this far. Is that something you're particularly proud of?

There's a funny thing about the mind. I came into this and I'm prepping and I'm thinking, "I feel 38 or 40." And then you find out, "Oh, okay, the body maybe has other things to tell us." After the first choke or 50 in the second episode, I really felt that I had won in many ways just by being there, participating, competing, being a part of the show. It has been a wonderful and amazing experience on just about every level.

Do you hope that your participation and success inspires other folks who are nearing their 70s? Is there a message you want to give them? 

There is something that I wanted to prove, and that is that it's never too late to take on a new challenge and make your dreams come true.

You said from the beginning it was Florence who really inspired you and pushed you to do this. What do you think she would say to you right now if she was still with us? 

She would be so proud. She'd be happy for me. She'd say, "Congratulations, Barry. You did it." I would feel her presence every week. She was a huge part of the Dancing With the Stars family. Not just for the participation on the show in 2010, but she regularly came to the tapings and she also was the hostess for the Dancing With the Stars cruise. It was a big part of her world and her life. The production crew here, most have been here more than 10 years, and they all love her. They talked about her, appreciated her spirit, her attitude, her sassiness when she was here, and they all had a connection with her. And they've shared it with me throughout these past two and a half months.

You've had so many great moments on the show, but is there one that you are most proud of? 

Yeah, the salsa. It was such complete abandon. I wasn't worried about steps or framing or shoulders or anything other than really expressing and going for it. Just putting it all out there. There are a lot of guidelines, but I told Peta, she would want to rehearse it again, and I said, "You know what? I don't want to. Let's just go out and take care of this. Just kill it. And we did."

I love that you knew you would never beat Jason in technique, so you opted for showmanship.

Exactly. And that's an important aspect of the whole contest is it's about entertainment. It's about showmanship; it's about the story; it's about the connection, as well as the dance. If you're doing a ballroom dance, of course there's technique involved, but that is an aspect of it.

If there was anything on the show where you could have a do-over, what would it be?

We did jazz, and Peta had a cartwheel and I needed to help her with a cartwheel. For whatever reason, I ended up stepping on the heel of her shoe and it almost came off. So now she had half a shoe on for the rest of the dance, and we were not set up for it. So the cartwheel did not, well, let's just say it didn't go as planned. So we put it in the salsa, and I said, "Okay, great. Redemption." So, we did our own do-over.

Is there a song or a style of dance that you really wish you would've gotten the chance to do? 

I wanted to do a classic waltz. I wanted to glide all across the dance floor, all in frame, all just beautifully done. Very much. Like the dance that was used for the tribute to Len Goodman. I would've been lobbying for a waltz if I could have continued.

Next week is Taylor Swift week. I don't know if you're a Swiftie or not, but if you are, is there a song of hers that would've been the one you wanted to do?

First, let me say something about Taylor Swift, of the people that are at the top of their game and that young people are following, and that tweens, teenagers, young adults, adults are looking toward in terms of entertainers, I'm glad they're looking at her. She has great values. She's a great example for kids, and she's really someone to look up to and emulate. As far as a song, I would be happy doing anything that didn't have to do with her being cheated on, betrayed, lied to, gone out on or otherwise just disrespected. I would want a song that was about a love story.

Will you come back for the finale?

Yes. I will be participating in the finale, but how I am in the finale or how we will be used I do not know.

You acquired a lot of new skills with this. You've been a musical theater guy for a long time, but how are you going to take this experience forward into your career from this point on? 

My wife and I and some friends are booking a cruise of the Greek islands, and we are looking at October of next year, and we are making sure that the ship has a ballroom floor on it, and we are going to tear up the floor on our cruise.

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Related content:

• Barry Williams delivers 'perfect' dance, officially becoming longest-lasting Brady Bunch star on DTWS

• Barry Williams rips open his shirt during energetic Dancing With the Stars dance-off

• Dancing With the Stars recap: Whitney Houston night ends in a perfect score and a heartbreaking exit
  

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