'Dancing with the Stars' season 23 news 2016: Ryan Lochte calls Rio stunt 'irresponsible'; Jake, Jenna booted out

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, arguably the most controversial character in this year's "Dancing with the Stars" ("DWTS") season 23, is safe.

While he and professional partner Cheryl Burke were among the bottom four couples in the season's first elimination round, it was "Wizards of Waverly Place" actor Jake Austin and his partner, Jenna Johnson, who were eliminated from the reality dancing competition.

Despite being the first celebrity contestant in season 23 to be booted out of "Dancing with the Stars," Austin had nothing but praise for "DWTS" and for his partner as he exited the show.

"It was so much fun," he said. "I had a blast. Learning from Jenna was the opportunity of a lifetime. This was an incredible experience," he added.

Meanwhile, prior to the episode's eliminations, Lochte spoke about his love for swimming and addressed his mistakes while in Rio for the 2016 Olympics last month. The Olympian gained notoriety for lying to Brazilian authorities about being robbed at gunpoint in the city. He and his teammates later admitted that the lie was meant to cover up how they drunkenly trashed a gas station.

"As a little kid, my dream was to go to the Olympics and get a gold medal," he said, adding that what happened in Rio changed his life.

"I was irresponsible and immature," the "DWTS" contestant admitted on air. "I have so many wonderful fans. I feel like I let them all down. I hit rock bottom, but I'm a fighter and I won't give up so I'm going to train even harder 'cause this is my second chance. I want to show people a new side of me," he continued.

For awhile, it seemed like Lochte was on his way out of the competition. He and Burke, along with Amber Rose and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Maureen McCorrmick and Artem Chigvintsev, and Austin and Johnson, were the bottom four pairs.

"Dancing with the Stars" season 23 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.