Bonner Bolton didn’t win the Mirrorball trophy on “Dancing With the Stars,” but he found a friend for life in partner Sharna Burgess. Rumors swirled about the nature of Team Denim N Diamonds’ relationship early in the competition, with many fans — and some of the show’s judges — hoping to see love blossom in the ballroom.

ET Online sat down with Bonner following his elimination during week 8 of the ABC competition series. During their chat the professional bull rider laid romance rumors to rest, assuring the publication that he and Sharna are just good friends. Bonner, 29, did admit however, that he does find his former dance partner attractive.

Read: Who Will Win Season 24 Of “Dancing With The Stars?”

“We’re great friends,” he told ET. “This experience has put both of us through a lot, you know, and we’ve remained professional throughout the entire thing. It’s not ever crossed the line of dating. Her and I were definitely intrigued by each other — her being Australian, you know, the spicy Australian with the accent — and she’s a beautiful girl and a great person. But I think we’re definitely better off friends and it’s gonna stay that way.”

All hopes of Bonner finding love on “DWTS” aren’t lost, though. During week 8, Normani Kordei revealed that she had a bit of a crush on her competitor, describing him as her ideal Southern gentleman. In the same interview, Bonner told ET that he’d love to go out with the Fifth Harmony singer, whom he described as “beautiful inside and out.”

“Normani, will you go out on a date with me?” he asked. “I don’t know, we’ll see what she says. Hopefully she’s watching. Normani, it would be an honor to go on a date with you ma’am.”

Viewers will have to tune in to the “DWTS” Season 24 Semifinals on Monday, May 15 to find out whether Bonner’s in the audience cheering on Normani. He and Sharna were eliminated from the competition in Week 8 after weeks of underscoring their competitors. Judge Len Goodman didn’t hold back his feelings about their longevity in the competition, telling them he felt they’d gone “a squidge too far.”

Harsh critique aside, Bonner and Sharna gave it their all in their final routines. They started Week 8 with an Argentine Tango to “Believer” by Imagine Dragons. They delivered an impressive routine compared to some of their previous performances, but still found themselves on the bottom of the leaderboard.

For the second routine they got a little help from “DWTS” troupe member Britt Stewart, performing a Jazz routine to “That’s What I Like” by Bruno Mars. The dance was dubbed “raunchy” by the judges and wasn’t up to par with that of their competitors. They scored 28 out of 40 points and were sent home at the end of the night.

With Bonner and Sharna out of the competition, the remaining four teams are that much closer to finding out which of them will leave the “DWTS” ballroom with the Mirrorball trophy. Fans have begun predicting which Season 24 pair will go home in Week 9. A majority of “DWTS” viewers seem to think it’ll be Team Lady and the Gramp (David Ross and Lindsay Arnold) or, in the event of another major upset, Team Shad Squad (Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater) going home.

Tune in to the “DWTS” semifinals Monday at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. Which duo do you think will win Season 24?

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