“Dancing With the Stars” season 35 is well underway as the top 13 couples compete for the Mirrorball trophy. Pros Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy have been with the show for several years now, earning multiple wins each.
This year, they both have top-tier partners. Jenna is competing with “Grey’s Anatomy” star Harry Shum Jr., while Val has “The Rookie” star Jenna Dewan. Both celebs have rigorous dance backgrounds, which certainly give them an advantage.
Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy know the judges expect quite a bit from them, and that’s why they receive such intense scrutiny.
Val Chmerkovskiy & Jenna Johnson Love a Challenge
Jenna Dewan and Harry Shum Jr. are among the top contenders for the Mirrorball trophy this year. Their dance partners, married couple Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson, couldn’t be happier with their performances so far.
However, they also believe the judges are critiquing them more harshly than the other contestants because of their prior dance experience.
“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,” Jenna Johnson told In Touch Weekly. “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.”
The 32-year-old added that she loves a challenge and feedback. She always feels invigorated to head back to the rehearsal studio and prepare for the next routine.
Likewise, Val Chmerkovskiy believes his partner’s “Step Up” experience is a monumental advantage. However, he’s eager to keep working with Jenna Dewan and elevate her potential.
“I think realistically, the advantage is the human that’s in front of me. Jenna Dewan is an incredible human being, a mother, an artist, a beautiful soul that I just want to bring joy into her life,” Val revealed.
“I think that really translates on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ seeing her grow, seeing her reveal herself. Those are the things that I think are mine and Jenna’s biggest advantages going into the season,” he added.
Harry Shum Jr. Wanted to Rediscover His Passion For Dance
Every year, there is plenty of online discourse regarding “Dancing With the Stars” competitors. When the cast list came out this year, many viewers quickly pointed out that both Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Dewan have extensive dance backgrounds.
But instead of letting fans’ negative comments get to them, Jenna Johnson encouraged her partner to hold his head high and do his best.
“Harry and I had talked, like, ‘this is going to be a thing, there’s no reason to shy away from it, like let’s own it, but let’s just go for it,’” the dancer told In Touch Weekly. “I cannot believe that he signed up for ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ He doesn’t need to. He doesn’t need to prove anything, but he is genuinely so enthralled with ballroom.”
Harry Shum Jr. played Mike Chang on “Glee” from 2009 through 2015. The actor proved his prolific dance abilities onscreen, but slowly lost interest over time.
“He lost his love for dance because it became too stressful and too much pressure for him,” Jenna Johnson explained. “So I think his intention going into this season has just been like, ‘I just want to find joy through dance. I want to tell stories.’ I feel like we were prepped for that initial reaction. But that doesn’t take away from, like, our main purpose, which is to just bring joy and to dance.”
Harry Shum Jr, Jenna Dewan, and their pro dance partners advance to the third week of the competition. The episode kicks off at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29 on ABC.
