Mischa Barton has opened up about her "awful" experience on Season 22 of Dancing with the Stars.

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"Ugh, I had no idea it would be so bad," Barton told The Ringer in a recent interview.

The former The O.C. star was partnered with pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev on Dancing with the Stars in Spring 2016. The couple landed at the bottom of the judges' leaderboard each week they competed, leading up to their early Week 3 elimination.

Eight months later, Barton discussed how she had a terrible time on the ABC reality dancing competition.

"I got told off by my dancer," the actress explained. "I was supposed to control the costumes, I was told that I could do the design aspect of it, that's kind of the reason why I agreed to do it."

Barton continued, "That didn't happen. It wasn't collaborative like a choreographer on a film set... I was so confused by it. It was like The Hunger Games. It was all a popularity contest. It was awful. I was so glad to get kicked off."

Although Barton and Chigvintsev became friends after their stint on the show together -- and there was even speculation they were dating at one point -- the tension was obvious in rehearsals. Barton joked with The Ringer that her dynamic with the Dancing with the Stars pro would've been interesting enough to land their own reality spinoff.

Back in April, a DWTS production insider told RadarOnline that Barton was far from likeable on the set.

"Some people are claiming that Mischa is the most self-entitled and rude celebrity that the employees of the show have ever had to work with! She does not discriminate who she is rude to either," the insider had said.

Barton suggested the only positive that came out of her Dancing with the Stars experience was gaining more of an appreciation for and familiarity with social media.

"I remember the days when you had no voice, and they could make up stories and say whatever they wanted, and now at least they have an insight into your life," Barton said, referencing Instagram, Snapchat and more.

"People can see what you're really like. Twitter less so, but Instagram has an artistic side to it, where you can see through that person's eye, what they creatively choose, what they're up to and who they are? You get a feeling for them. I enjoy it now."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.