Making it all the way to the semifinals of “Dancing With the Stars” is no small feat, but for one season 30 contestant, it also came with lingering “what ifs.” Looking back on her near-finale run, Melora Hardin, the actress and longtime dancer, is opening up about the moment she believes may have changed her fate on the “DWTS” ballroom floor, and why the hit ABC series is as much about storytelling as it is about technique.

‘My Wish Came True’

Hardin, who is best known for her roles on “The Office,” “Monk,” and “Transparent,” was one step away from the “Dancing With the Stars” season 30 finals. She never made the finale. It was NBA shooting guard Iman Shumpert and his pro partner, Daniella Karagach, who ended up winning the Mirrorball trophy that season.

Now Hardin is reflecting on her time on the show, as she told Entertainment Weekly, “I love a challenge. I love stretching. I love being pushed to the end. I love all of that. So in that regard, it was very much suited to my personality. I really wanted to learn all the dances. That was my wish at the beginning, because they ask you what your wish is. They want to try to make their celebrities happy.”

Hardin had a history in dance, having started training in ballet as a young girl. Needless to say, she sailed straight into the semifinals. Since she made it that far in the competition, she got to learn all the ballroom styles. She said, “So, I know if got it — my wish came true.”

The Reason Her Time Ended on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

While learning the different dance styles was enough for Hardin, she knows she could have achieved more. Now, she gave her thoughts on why her time on the show ended when it did.

She told Entertainment Weekly, “I said, ‘If I got to the finals, I’d love to put my pointe shoe on. One pointe shoe, and one bare foot.’ They were excited about the idea of that. Then the time came around, and there was no way I was going to put my pointe shoe on. I was so exhausted. My ribs were hurting from this lift we’d done.”

She went on to explain that “DWTS” and producers are always “feeling you out.” They want to see “where you are with things.” Because of that rib injury, she couldn’t put on that pointe shoe. She thinks that’s the reason she didn’t make the finals.

Hardin said, “I think if I said, ‘Yes, I’m putting my pointe shoes on,’ I think I would have danced in the finale.”

She went on to add, “I don’t want to disperse the magic for the audience, but I’m pretty certain that if I had said that, that I’d be putting my pointe shoes on, I would’ve been in.”

Had she made it to the finals with her pro partner, Artem Chigvintsev, she would have joined the rare company of 50+ year olds who competed for the Mirrorball. That list now includes John O’Hurley (season 1), Donny Osmond (season 9), Jennifer Grey (season 11), Kirstie Alley (season 12), Bill Engvall (season 17), Wayne Brady (season 31), and Elaine Hendrix (season 34).