“Dancing With the Stars” fan-favorite pro Val Chmerkovskiy shed his shirt to try a social media dance challenge with his wife, fellow pro Jenna Johnson, on Saturday April 11. The pair took a time out to try the “Fishing Pole Reel It In” trend that first became popular on TikTok back in 2020 before getting back to business with another tour performance on April 12.
The 40-year-old dad of one wore black Nike sweatpants for the video, while Jenna rocked a pink tank top and coordinating pink cotton pajama shorts with laces on the sides. She explained in the comments that the pair “just woke up in Kansas,” and Val jokingly apologized for messing up one of his moves.
“That Woah was weak I know don’t tell me,” he wrote, to which a fan joked back, “an aware king.”
Val Asked for Birthday Wishes for Jenna
On April 12, Jenna Johnson’s birthday, Val hit his Instagram Stories asking fans, “Go wish my lady a happy birthday.” A few days before that, he sweetly commented, “My whole heart” on a photo of Jenna and the pair’s son, 2-year-old Rome.
Val Reunited With Partner Alix Earle at a Previous Tour Stop
Back in February, Alix Earle, who came in second place along with Val during the recently concluded season 34, made a guest appearance at tour’s NYC stop.
In a recent update on her love life, the 25-year-old told her TikTok followers she went on a date in Malibu that didn’t end well. The influencer revealed she feared she was being kidnapped a few times at her date seemed to be driving aimlessly around. She said by the end of the evening, she’d concluded, “I don’t wanna go on dates anymore. I did it once and now I’m done
Earle, who is currently filming a Netflix reality show set to premiere sometime in 2026, split from her former boyfriend of over two years, NFL player Braxton Berrios, in late 2025.
Earle hinted that her time spent alone reflecting during her run on the show may have contributed to the shift. She said in a TikTok around that time, “There were a lot of points throughout the season that I was sitting with myself and in these thoughts and started to realize these things or realize what I wanted in life. And I think as those thoughts would come up, I think it was scary.”
