Mischa Barton was "so glad" to be eliminated from Dancing With The Stars, calling it an "awful" popularity contest.

The former The O.C. star signed up for the dancing show in March (16) after being mostly out of the spotlight for years after her exit from the teen drama in 2006, following which she became more known for her personal issues.

She failed to win over the judges due to her awkward and uncomfortable dances with professional partner Artem Chigvintsev and was the second celebrity to be eliminated in April (16).

Mischa has now admitted she didn't enjoy the experience as it wasn't what she expected it to be, comparing it to popular book and film franchise The Hunger Games, a contest where youngsters have to kill others to emerge the winner.

“I had no idea it would be so bad,” she told The Ringer. “I got told off by my dancer. 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.

“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.”

The 30-year-old also added she had been declining a spot on the show for years and only agreed once she was promised creative control.

Her comments are a sharp contrast to the exit interviews she gave after her elimination. In one chat with ETOnline, she called her stint on the show a "wonderful experience".

"It was definitely, maybe more than I had bargained for in a lot of ways," she explained. "But I'm so happy I tried something that's that foreign to me, and you know, had this experience with these guys."