Guillermo Rodriguez may be leaving the Dancing with the Stars ballroom, but he is taking some lasting friendships with him.

After the Jimmy Kimmel Live! star and his professional partner, Witney Carson, were eliminated during the show’s Super Bowl-themed episode on October 13, Rodriguez opened up about the connections he made with fellow contestants Ezra French and Connor Wood.

Speaking to E! News alongside Carson, the 55-year-old revealed that the competition had brought them closer despite the pressure of trying to win the Mirrorball Trophy.

“It’s a competition, but they’re good people,” Rodriguez said. “We became friends and everything. We changed numbers.”

He also shared plans to spend more time with his new friends outside the show, saying, “I’m gonna go to lunch with Ezra, with Connor. We might go to a game on Saturday to see the Kings.”

Looking back on his time in the ballroom, Rodriguez described the experience as amazing, even though the training proved more difficult than he expected.

“I thought it was gonna be hard, but it was too hard. It was very hard, but you know what? I was having fun every day that I go and dance every Tuesday,” he said.

Rodriguez and Carson earned a score of 22 for their salsa to Bad Bunny’s Tití Me Preguntó during Super Bowl Night. Despite their elimination, he made it clear that he had no regrets about taking on the challenge and always tried to give his best.

Carson also reflected on their journey, revealing that she never expected to compete on DWTS while 20 weeks pregnant with her third child with husband Carson McAllister.

“I never thought in a million years I would be competing on Dancing with the Stars 20 weeks pregnant, but Guillermo made it possible for me to do that,” she told. “It was empowering to see what my body could do each week.”

However, the professional dancer admitted that the demanding schedule began taking its toll as the competition progressed.

“Towards the end there, we were both breaking down a little bit,” Carson said. She added that their experience was “a testament to what we can do and what we’re capable of.”

Rodriguez shared her admiration, praising Carson and women in general. “She’s the best. Women can do anything they want,” he said.

Although their journey for the Mirrorball Trophy has ended, Rodriguez’s plans with French and Wood show that his time on DWTS brought him something beyond the competition: friendships he hopes to keep long after leaving the ballroom.