This week on “Dancing With the Stars” season 35, the top 14 contestants each performed a routine to a viral hit. Jenna Johnson and “Grey’s Anatomy” star Harry Shum Jr. danced the Viennese Waltz to “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls.
The pair performed impeccably and earned high praise from fans online. However, one moment took everyone in the ballroom by surprise. During the routine, Harry Shum Jr. let out a strong, piercing scream.
Now, Jenna Johnson is explaining the creative process and what led to the moment.
Jenna Johnson Encouraged Harry Shum Jr. Let it All Out
After Tuesday night’s episode, Jenna Johnson uploaded an Instagram reel explaining the viral scream moment.
“Okay the scream that was heard around the world,” the season 33 champion began her video. “Let me tell you why. There were still 14 couples left in the competition. Our packages were so short. Harry and I had discussed this beautiful meaning behind the piece and unfortunately there was no time to everything that we had discussed throughout the week.”
“Basically this dance was so emotional,” Jenna continued. “There’s so much yearning. And we had talked about both of our anxiety, how that makes us feel, thoughts and doubts, this pressure that we have on ourselves, not feeling like you belong. So we just kind of dove into the emotion of it all.”
The pair agreed that when they reach their breaking point, they feel like screaming. Jenna explained that when her chest feels tight, she just needs to get everything out.
“I just want to say I’m so grateful for a partner who is down to do crazy things with me and that supports my ideas, and just my art and creativity,” she added, noting the scream was her favorite part of the dance.
“When you feel like you’ve been locked into a certain frame your whole life—a primal scream could be a necessity. Don’t be afraid to express 🙀” Harry Shum Jr. replied in the comments.
Emma Slater, Angela Ribeiro, and Koko Iwasaki all encouraged the pair, adding that it was an incredibly powerful moment.
The Couple Prepares For Week Three
Ultimately, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson secured an 18/30 for their Viennese waltz. Many viewers thought the couple deserved more points. In an interview with In Touch Weekly, Jenna revealed that the judges tend to judge her partner more harshly than others.
“I think you saw it in the premiere night. I think they are holding our partners to a little bit of a higher standard based on their experience, which is great. We don’t want a free pass,” the dancer revealed, noting the same applies to her husband, Val Chmerkovskiy. “I think both of our partners are very hungry to do ballroom correctly and learn the technique and display it correctly, so it does add that pressure.”
Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson advanced to week three in the competition. “Yacht Rock Night” begins at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29 on ABC. Tune in and see their next exciting routine.
