Speaker 1: You're listening to Jojossua Now with me Jojo Siua and
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio podcast. Oh boy, welcome back to Jojasa Now my podcast.
Speaker 2: I just wanna say, first of all, thank you so
Speaker 2: much for all of.
Speaker 1: The love on Jojo Sea Now. It has been insane.
Speaker 1: This podcast is new.
Speaker 2: It's new for me.
Speaker 1: I mean, I've done a billion people's podcasts, but to
Speaker 1: now have my own and for it to just be
Speaker 1: getting so much love and support means the absolute world
Speaker 1: to me.
Speaker 2: So thank you so much.
Speaker 1: Anyways, if you're new here, I am Jojo Sia and
Speaker 1: about two years ago I got to meet one of
Speaker 1: my best friends in the entire world.
Speaker 2: I got to meet her.
Speaker 1: Because we were the first ever same sex couple to
Speaker 1: be on Dancing with the Stars. It was pretty cool
Speaker 1: and normally, you know, there's a guy pro and a
Speaker 1: girl star or a girl pro and a guy star,
Speaker 1: but we were the first female female duo.
Speaker 2: And so today I am joined by one of.
Speaker 1: My favorite people in the world, Miss Jenna Johnson. We
Speaker 1: are about to go down memory lane. It's so hard
Speaker 1: and I'm so excited.
Speaker 2: Jannah, how are you. I'm good, I'm great. Yeah, I
Speaker 2: just became a mom, I guess not just he's nine
Speaker 2: and a half months, which is wild crazy, But yeah,
Speaker 2: I'm a new mommy. I'm on Dancing with the Stars
Speaker 2: right now, so I feel like there's a lot of
Speaker 2: chaos going on while I'm adjusting to this new life.
Speaker 2: But I love every second of it. It's amazing. Has
Speaker 2: it been strange having a season being a mom. It's
Speaker 2: a little strange because I usually know what to expect
Speaker 2: during the season when it's just by myself and with Val,
Speaker 2: but trying to manage being a good mom and not
Speaker 2: feeling guilty being away from him, like all of those
Speaker 2: things are hard, which I knew I would feel some
Speaker 2: sort of way being away from him, But but it's
Speaker 2: been really good for me to be back, and I
Speaker 2: feel like then when I come home, I'm so much
Speaker 2: more present and I'm more productive with my time, and
Speaker 2: he just makes any bad rehearsal a good night, a
Speaker 2: great day, you know. So, oh my, your baby is
Speaker 2: just the cutest. I'm obsesseding.
Speaker 1: We'll talk about Rome a bunch more, but I just
Speaker 1: anyone who doesn't know Dancing with the Stars, the pros
Speaker 1: on the show are, I mean, so.
Speaker 2: Committed y'all are in. I remember.
Speaker 1: I remember it was the first week of my season,
Speaker 1: and then I actually like abused this a little bit.
Speaker 1: I used to call you after rehearsals and like ask
Speaker 1: something or be be curious about something, and I'd be
Speaker 1: like'm sorry for about you after, like we're working, and
Speaker 1: you always said you were like no, like because I
Speaker 1: used to say, like, I know you're with your husband
Speaker 1: right now, like I'm I'm sorry, I don't interrupt her
Speaker 1: on a date or whatever. But you used to be like, no,
Speaker 1: it's the season, Like you worem up. My partner is
Speaker 1: my priority, like everything else aside.
Speaker 2: But now with a baby, it's like that's I sip, Yeah,
Speaker 2: you still have that, and again it is. It is weird.
Speaker 2: You felt it when you're in the season of Dancing
Speaker 2: with the Stars. You're in this bubble. There is nothing
Speaker 2: like it. They're like, truly, nothing can burst that bubble
Speaker 2: because you're so focused, so committed, and especially when you're
Speaker 2: having a season like we did time committed. Yes, we're
Speaker 2: spending a ton of time together and it's all we're
Speaker 2: thinking about. We have to prep for the next week.
Speaker 2: You know, you're worrying about this week's Dance with the
Speaker 2: cost Like, and I always laugh because I signed up
Speaker 2: to be a professional dancer on the show, but I
Speaker 2: didn't know I was going to eventually become like a therapist,
Speaker 2: a best friend in an arranged marriage for a couple
Speaker 2: months with somebody. Like there's so many different roles that
Speaker 2: you play with your new partner. And it's a weird
Speaker 2: thing too, because you're immediately forced into this relationship. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and you have to connect or else it just looks crazy. Yeah,
Speaker 2: so it's wild. But yeah, that's why. Like when you're
Speaker 2: texting me videos and asking me about your frame or something,
Speaker 2: I'm like, yes, this is great. Let me get you
Speaker 2: some notes real quick. While we're not in the studio.
Speaker 2: We are gonna Di'm.
Speaker 1: So deep into Dancing with the Stars Memories and I'm
Speaker 1: so excited about it.
Speaker 2: I actually I made this little game.
Speaker 1: It's not really a game, but it's something that we'll
Speaker 1: talk about where I'm just calling it Memories Unlocked because
Speaker 1: I was like, there's so many things that I deeply
Speaker 1: remember that I'm so curious if you do, and they'll
Speaker 1: just they they'll flourish stories and we'll just we'll talk.
Speaker 2: We'll talk before we get into dancing with the stars.
Speaker 1: I like to talk to people because this podcast Jojosuwan
Speaker 1: now is all about who you are now, but how
Speaker 1: your past got you to where you are now. And
Speaker 1: so I want to go back to little baby Jenna
Speaker 1: Johnson living in Utah, dancing, going to school. I mean
Speaker 1: I know, I know, because I mean I spent every
Speaker 1: seventy five days in a.
Speaker 2: Row with you.
Speaker 1: I die that you counted, yeah, obviously, And also we
Speaker 1: need to talk about the end of the seventy five days,
Speaker 1: the melt down.
Speaker 2: I'm telling you, you burst your bubble and you're just
Speaker 2: like devastated the melt down.
Speaker 1: Do you remember when I came up to your house
Speaker 1: with the banana muffins and I plucked your hair and.
Speaker 2: I was like, I'm just tears in your eyes and
Speaker 2: like we live down the street from each other. It's okay,
Speaker 2: so devastating.
Speaker 1: Anyways, take me back to Jenna in Utah growing up.
Speaker 1: What was your early like ten and underlife?
Speaker 2: Like, Yeah, I had an amazing childhood. I'm one of
Speaker 2: six kids, and so I grew up in a really
Speaker 2: big family and I just always remember being happy, you know,
Speaker 2: and I love that for my childhood, but I yeah,
Speaker 2: I think like ten and under, I always had best
Speaker 2: friends around with my siblings and lots of cousins around,
Speaker 2: which was so great. And then when I was three,
Speaker 2: I have two older sisters and they were both involved
Speaker 2: in dance, and my mom would take me to their
Speaker 2: practices or whatever, and I guess I would like always
Speaker 2: try to sneak into the baby class and I just
Speaker 2: like wanted to be there.
Speaker 3: So I know, wild no one loves dance like Jenna No,
Speaker 3: So I my mom eventually put me into dance, and
Speaker 3: I just never remember wanting to do anything else, Like
Speaker 3: I loved being athletic and everything, but I think just
Speaker 3: there was nothing in my mind that excited me like
Speaker 3: danced it.
Speaker 2: So from a very young age, I just always remember
Speaker 2: that being a priority. And then, you know, start those
Speaker 2: teenage years, I started realizing that this was a real
Speaker 2: passion and that I really learned a lot of hard
Speaker 2: work from dance. And I loved that mentality of like
Speaker 2: it was on me to show up and I you know,
Speaker 2: and I loved that I'm like maybe a psychopathist a
Speaker 2: little bit, because yeah, I love a challenge, and I
Speaker 2: loved when someone was like no, you can't do this.
Speaker 2: I wanted to do it better. I wanted to do more.
Speaker 2: So I think for this like little girl from Utah,
Speaker 2: I was able to accomplish a lot, which was really exciting,
Speaker 2: both in the contemporary world for people that don't know.
Speaker 2: I grew up dancing in contemporary jazz, ballet, hip hop,
Speaker 2: all of that, but then I also cross trained and
Speaker 2: I started doing ballroom when I was about ten years old.
Speaker 2: Funny enough, one of my first teachers was Julianna Huff.
Speaker 2: She used to teach me. Yeah, we used to do privates.
Speaker 2: She'd moved back to Utah from England for her high
Speaker 2: school year or one of the high school years that
Speaker 2: she was doing, and she would like, she was the
Speaker 2: cutest thing in the world. How much older than you
Speaker 2: is she? Oh, I don't want to hate her. I
Speaker 2: think she's around VAL's age, so I think she's thirties,
Speaker 2: mid thirties. Yeah, but yeah, she would teach me these
Speaker 2: little lessons and I just remember watching her do ballroom
Speaker 2: and I was infatuated, like the way that she was
Speaker 2: able to move her body. I'd never seen anything so
Speaker 2: like feminis or sexy, but like in such a sophisticated way.
Speaker 2: So I was crazy about ballroom. Is it is so hot, yes,
Speaker 2: but so sleek like it just because you don't take
Speaker 2: it to that like raunchy level. It's it's hot. But yeah.
Speaker 2: So I remember, like when I was probably about like ten,
Speaker 2: I was like, oh, I love this style. I want
Speaker 2: to do this. So then until I was eighteen, I
Speaker 2: cross trained in all of those different styles and it
Speaker 2: was really exhausting. I didn't have a personal life. Looking
Speaker 2: back now, I wish I would have enjoyed school a
Speaker 2: bit more, but I think I was so focused on
Speaker 2: what my future was and what I wanted to do,
Speaker 2: and that was get out of Utah and become a
Speaker 2: professional dancer. So looking back now, and I think now
Speaker 2: raising a child, I really want I wish I would
Speaker 2: have been a kid a little bit more, because I think,
Speaker 2: you know, dance really matures you. It requires a level
Speaker 2: of discipline and maturity that how many kids have. And
Speaker 2: so I think high school Jenna, middle school, high school
Speaker 2: Jenna became a bit more of a recluse, and I
Speaker 2: didn't feel like I really fit in with other kids
Speaker 2: my age or had much to relate to. I'm sure
Speaker 2: you can relate to that, but I just feel like
Speaker 2: I just was on a different path, you know. And
Speaker 2: I didn't care about going to high school football games
Speaker 2: because I had rehearsal and I need it was important. Yeah,
Speaker 2: And I needed to schedule more lessons and more privates,
Speaker 2: and I need to work on my solo harder. And
Speaker 2: I needed to practice with my ballroom partner, like would
Speaker 2: you like more ballroom or the other side of the
Speaker 2: dance world. It always, it always switched. I think when
Speaker 2: I was going to conventions and things like, I was like,
Speaker 2: this is what I want to do. And I really
Speaker 2: attribute Mandy Moore. She was on convention when I was
Speaker 2: when I was growing up, and I remember taking her
Speaker 2: class and being like, I want to do this, like
Speaker 2: I want to be her. I want to inspire kids,
Speaker 2: I want to teach, and I want to do that
Speaker 2: like she really, I think has influenced me the most
Speaker 2: as a teacher or a mentor. But then I'd go
Speaker 2: to these ballroom competitions or the World Championships that you know,
Speaker 2: only two people from your country get to represent, and
Speaker 2: I qualified for that, and so then I went and
Speaker 2: I was in China representing the United States of America
Speaker 2: and I was like, what is this, Like this is
Speaker 2: the closest thing to the Olympics that ballroom has and
Speaker 2: I was there, yeah, you know. So it was this
Speaker 2: constant like poll of which one do I love more?
Speaker 2: And I could never choose.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: So then cut to I was eighteen and my ballroom
Speaker 2: partner and I had just broken up. It was like
Speaker 2: really dramatic before one of our biggest competitions, and I
Speaker 2: kind of just felt.
Speaker 1: Broken up, like y'all were like in a relationship, broken up,
Speaker 1: just like damn dinners.
Speaker 2: So it's funny because you're, yeah, you break up like
Speaker 2: a relationship, it's just your partnership. But so, yeah, we
Speaker 2: had a very dramatic breakup, and I remember being so
Speaker 2: stuck and I was like, well, now what do I do?
Speaker 2: Because at that point I had really told myself I'm
Speaker 2: to be a ballroom dancer, Like I want to be
Speaker 2: a world champion, That's what I want to do. And
Speaker 2: so when we broke up, I was kind of stuck.
Speaker 2: I had just graduated high school. I was still living
Speaker 2: at my parents' house and my mom, I love her,
Speaker 2: she was like, you know what, I just looked it
Speaker 2: up and so you think you can dance. Auditions are
Speaker 2: next week. It's in Memphis, Tennessee. It's like the last
Speaker 2: one left. We should go. Yeah, I was like, no,
Speaker 2: what am I going to audition? As Like, I don't
Speaker 2: know if that's for me.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I loved the show, but I just didn't know if I, yeah,
Speaker 2: if I would do well anyway, since I.
Speaker 1: Think you were smart enough to know that, like a
Speaker 1: lot more goes into something like that than just your talent.
Speaker 2: Well time, I had seen both of my older sister's
Speaker 2: audition for it, and funny enough, they'd both made it
Speaker 2: to the top twenty and then we're eliminated right before
Speaker 2: you make it to the show, you know. So they
Speaker 2: were like, it's called Green Mile. It used to be
Speaker 2: called the Green Mile back in our day, but I
Speaker 2: call it that, but then it was it wasn't that,
Speaker 2: but we called it out. We judged. Yeah, So when
Speaker 2: I knew how amazing they were, so I was like,
Speaker 2: you know, if they're getting cut, there's no way I'm
Speaker 2: making this because they trained me my whole life. So anyway,
Speaker 2: my mom she really like had a huge impression that
Speaker 2: we should go to these auditions in Tennessee, and so
Speaker 2: I was like, this is so weird. I called up
Speaker 2: my old ballroom partner Landon Anderson and we flew out.
Speaker 2: We practiced like literally one time, and as most do,
Speaker 2: like it's so wild.
Speaker 1: When you think about like the really good, great dancers,
Speaker 1: they're the ones that are like, yeah, one rehearsal, make
Speaker 1: sure we have it together, and then we'll call it
Speaker 1: the Like.
Speaker 2: I think that's the best way to do it, because
Speaker 2: I think the more pressure I would have put on myself,
Speaker 2: the worse I would have done. Yeah, and that's actually
Speaker 2: what happened to me on the live show. I'll get
Speaker 2: to that. But we went to the audition. I ended
Speaker 2: up getting a ticket, went to the vagas you should.
Speaker 2: I made it all the way through and it just
Speaker 2: like not was easy, but I was like making it
Speaker 2: through when there were any weird doing hurdles. Yeah, so
Speaker 2: I made it onto the live show. Then comes the
Speaker 2: live show and I was nowhere near Jenna Johnson like
Speaker 2: it just I guess I'd never learned how to be
Speaker 2: on camera, and no one really teaches you that in
Speaker 2: the studio life, you know what I mean, Like, yeah,
Speaker 2: always ready to pan the same thing. Producers are very
Speaker 2: good at putting pressure on. Yeah. I guess I just
Speaker 2: didn't understand the concept because I felt like I was
Speaker 2: one of the better dancers there, but I wasn't connecting
Speaker 2: to the audience at home. Yeah, And so then I
Speaker 2: felt like I was forcing. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I was like not in the bottom every week, and
Speaker 1: the judges just kept saving you.
Speaker 2: I was in the bottom. I think I myself and
Speaker 2: Robert roll Dan are the most. Are the two people
Speaker 2: that were in the bottom three the most. I was
Speaker 2: in the bottom three five times, five times. The judges
Speaker 2: and then the choreographers. Back in the day, they would
Speaker 2: like mingle, the choreographers and the judges would mingle and
Speaker 2: save somebody, and they would always save you, and they
Speaker 2: kept saving me, and I like time three, I was
Speaker 2: like just send me home, like please the model anymore.
Speaker 2: But then you look back at the group numbers and
Speaker 2: I was kind of like in the center or how
Speaker 2: to part every time. And it's because they knew me
Speaker 2: from the convention world. They knew like what I was
Speaker 2: capable of. I just wasn't coming across and on camera
Speaker 2: to the audience. I don't know how you were to
Speaker 2: work with it as a kid, but I know as
Speaker 2: a as a teacher, how you are as an adult,
Speaker 2: so I can only imagine how good of a student
Speaker 2: you were to them. I loved being a student. I
Speaker 2: loved it. I love I love rules, I love following direction.
Speaker 2: I like this.
Speaker 1: This is love special forces because you are just like
Speaker 1: give me something, give me a task.
Speaker 2: It goes back to like that psycho thing of like
Speaker 2: a challenge the root. The harder you are, the more
Speaker 2: I want to prove you wrong or like show up anyway.
Speaker 2: So I did like my time on Say You Think
Speaker 2: You Can Dance? I didn't love it because I feel
Speaker 2: like that was also the first time I ever experienced
Speaker 2: maybe like some depression or anxiety or like some mental
Speaker 2: health stuff and really question It was the first time
Speaker 2: that I ever questioned myself, is like am I good enough? Yeah?
Speaker 2: You know, or like had doubts about myself because other
Speaker 2: people were telling me them. And so I think that
Speaker 2: was like the first time that I ever came across
Speaker 2: like some mental health situation, which was weird to be
Speaker 2: experiencing in front of a massive audience on a TV
Speaker 2: show live.
Speaker 1: Was it weird to experience that feeling as you were
Speaker 1: old enough to comprehend it? Because I feel like I
Speaker 1: experienced that, but I was nine, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1: And it was probably my first time was on Abby's Ultimate,
Speaker 1: where I was like, am I good enough to be hearing?
Speaker 2: I'm not as good as everybody else? Like what's like?
Speaker 2: What can I do?
Speaker 1: But at nine you can't you can't really understand what
Speaker 1: that means, Like you go, didn't you find a cutie orange?
Speaker 1: And you're like, oh, I'm happy now, But like at eighteen,
Speaker 1: you know that's gonna affect you a lot more.
Speaker 2: It was also very drastic for my brain to process
Speaker 2: because again I don't want to sound concede it or anything,
Speaker 2: but just facts. I had been winning everything both in
Speaker 2: the jazz world and in the ballroom work, dance, well
Speaker 2: you know you can your jazz titles. I had accomplished
Speaker 2: all of these things, and so then to constantly be
Speaker 2: like put in the bottom and not as good it
Speaker 2: was like a first time for me of like wait
Speaker 2: a minute, but I'm doing everything right, or I'm trying
Speaker 2: to like why is this not happening for me? So yeah,
Speaker 2: it was really weird. And then I think another part
Speaker 2: is usually my family is my go to circle for
Speaker 2: anything for advice, you know, help, And none of them
Speaker 2: knew how to communicate with me or talk to me
Speaker 2: about what I was feeling or going through because they
Speaker 2: weren't experiencing it. So they were there for me for sure,
Speaker 2: but like, I didn't have anybody to relate to, and yeah,
Speaker 2: what do I do in this situation? How do I
Speaker 2: not feel this way?
Speaker 1: You know?
Speaker 2: So I think that was a little bit weird. Yeah,
Speaker 2: it's crazy how much being around your family can help, Yes,
Speaker 2: And you don't realize it until you're away from them,
Speaker 2: and then you're like, oh yeah. And it was the
Speaker 2: first time. Also, I was eighteen. It was the first
Speaker 2: time I ever lived away from my family but cut too.
Speaker 2: So then after that experience, I did make it to
Speaker 2: the top eight, which was pretty pretty awesome. But then
Speaker 2: they brought me back as an All Star and they
Speaker 2: kept bringing me back as an All Star, and I
Speaker 2: just like, I feel like that was the time I
Speaker 2: really learned how to be on camera.
Speaker 1: To.
Speaker 2: Showcase myself and not have to be somebody else but
Speaker 2: just to be Jenna and that was enough. And I
Speaker 2: really learned a lot from the choreographers there, and so
Speaker 2: I feel like that really then prepared me to then
Speaker 2: get into Dancing with the Stars, and you know what
Speaker 2: we film, so you think the dance and Dancing with
Speaker 2: the Stars at CBS. It's at the same lot and
Speaker 2: they're across from the hall from each other. So that's
Speaker 2: kind of how I was found.
Speaker 1: I was gonna ask you, what was your how did
Speaker 1: you get on Stars?
Speaker 2: How did you start Stars? It was so wild. I
Speaker 2: just got a phone call one day. I had just
Speaker 2: gone on the So you think you could Dance Tour
Speaker 2: and I got a phone call from a producer saying, Hey,
Speaker 2: we'd love for you to come audition for Dancing with
Speaker 2: the Stars. And I was like, you've got to be
Speaker 2: kidding me, because that's like the ultimate for dancers. The
Speaker 2: industry is like.
Speaker 1: Especially too, Like anyone who doesn't know the dance world
Speaker 1: would would not know this, But there is like I mean,
Speaker 1: I don't even know how to explain it. Utah and
Speaker 1: ballroom dancers and.
Speaker 2: Dancing with the Stars.
Speaker 1: There is just a thing something in the water. Then
Speaker 1: there's something in the water there. But almost every freaking
Speaker 1: pro from Dancing with the Stars has come from Utah
Speaker 1: and all of the ones that will be upcoming, Like
Speaker 1: you can see it happening. All the all the kids
Speaker 1: that were on Dancing with the Stars juniors as pros,
Speaker 1: all from Utah, like they're just.
Speaker 2: Something in the water. I'm telling it might be the
Speaker 2: discipline thing. I'm not sure, but yeah, we yeah, we
Speaker 2: all just And so then there's that laway here reputation.
Speaker 1: There like everyone wants to be on Stars because all
Speaker 1: the people before you went, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: And so again there's no, we don't have any contacts
Speaker 2: at the time. How is that possible? Yeah? And so
Speaker 2: I got called, I auditioned, and I got picked up,
Speaker 2: which was incredible. Did you go straight to pro or
Speaker 2: did you do true? I was on Troop. Yeah, I
Speaker 2: was on Troope for about five seasons. And for those
Speaker 2: that don't know what troop is, it's you're hired as
Speaker 2: a professional. You just don't have a partner. And again,
Speaker 2: that was I feel like I've had a lot of
Speaker 2: like learning experiences in my career. That was also hard
Speaker 2: because I'm looking at people that you know, my peers
Speaker 2: and wondering why do they have a partner and why
Speaker 2: don't I have a partner? Right, But I will say
Speaker 2: now being able to look back, I'm so grateful that
Speaker 2: I had that time because that's when I was rehearsing
Speaker 2: with Mark Ballast, Derekuff val Max. They were all asking
Speaker 2: me to come help them prep their routines, you know,
Speaker 2: and work with them. And you guys have learned instead
Speaker 2: of being thrown to the wolves. Yes, And I learned
Speaker 2: what looks good on camera. At the time as well,
Speaker 2: Mandy Moore was doing a lot of our group opening
Speaker 2: numbers and she's just she's the one for me and
Speaker 2: life like she's really I just want to be I
Speaker 2: want to follow her example. But she was doing these
Speaker 2: massive numbers and that's when I really feel like I
Speaker 2: learned what orchestrating a number looks like, and how to choreograph,
Speaker 2: how to space transitions, all of that stuff and TV
Speaker 2: it's way the TV cameras. She was teaching me about
Speaker 2: two shots study like white shots, all of this stuff
Speaker 2: I've never heard of before. And the best way you
Speaker 2: can learn that type of stuff is just experience experiencing it.
Speaker 1: There's no book. There's no book on how to do TV.
Speaker 1: There's no book on how to make a number for TV.
Speaker 1: You just have to watch and learn.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And so I'm grateful that if I did have
Speaker 2: a pro partner, I wouldn't have had that time to
Speaker 2: really be invested in experience this. So again, it all happens.
Speaker 2: It was your first bro, Oh, your first star yea.
Speaker 2: His name was Jake t Austin. He's the girl on
Speaker 2: Max Max Max on Wizards.
Speaker 1: Oh I did. I just saw that. I did just
Speaker 1: see that, Cliff I knew this. Yeah, I just saw
Speaker 1: that cliff on TikTok and I was like, no.
Speaker 2: Way, she was with Max Brusso. I think they wanted
Speaker 2: us to be like that young in love. It wasn't happening. No, No,
Speaker 2: I was in love with a pro a bro. Were
Speaker 2: you alone? It's crazy His name starts with the and
Speaker 2: that's with al Nope.
Speaker 1: Not ringing about not ringout Max. Yeah, Max is Bell's brother.
Speaker 1: Valan Jenna. I wish everyone in the world could see
Speaker 1: you guys, Like the way that Valan Jenna are with
Speaker 1: each other is like the relationship I want, but not
Speaker 1: with a man.
Speaker 2: Like I just I see you to it. I'm just
Speaker 2: like I want that. I want that. Me and Ezra
Speaker 2: talk about that all the time.
Speaker 1: Ezra, who is my best friend who John actually introduced us,
Speaker 1: even though when we she introduced us.
Speaker 2: She introduced him as his brother. Do you remember that, oh,
Speaker 2: as my brother?
Speaker 1: No brother, You were like, this is Tristan and I'm fired.
Speaker 3: No.
Speaker 1: We and az a door you We we we make
Speaker 1: the joke all the time, but it's not a joke.
Speaker 1: We're like the whole bane of our friendship is based
Speaker 1: around our love for you.
Speaker 2: Like that's why we.
Speaker 1: Became friends, because we were both mutually obsessed with Dancing
Speaker 1: with the Stars and have the same love for you.
Speaker 1: Like it's it's great. We also he told me as
Speaker 1: a shocker, who is also I mean, he's a he's
Speaker 1: a He's not a pro on Dancing with the Stars.
Speaker 1: It's not fair to call him that yet, but he
Speaker 1: is well, he will be a pro and dancing with
Speaker 1: the Stars. He filled in this season as a pro
Speaker 1: for Ardam. When Ardam was sick.
Speaker 2: He did troop.
Speaker 1: He did he's been, he's in the he's in the
Speaker 1: bubble and he he will be a pro. Were putting
Speaker 1: that out there, but anyways, we him and I were
Speaker 1: just talking and he was like, Oh, I'm gonna go
Speaker 1: to Utah, shocker.
Speaker 2: He's from Utah. And I was.
Speaker 1: Like, I'm gonna go to Utah and then I can
Speaker 1: like see all like the like famous things as see
Speaker 1: ce like whatever you want to see there, and he goes,
Speaker 1: I can tell you where Jenna grew up. That was
Speaker 1: my I was like, I was like thinking, maybe like
Speaker 1: your house. I was in the studio your house. Yeah,
Speaker 1: We're gonna go to Jenna Johnson's house. I was like, guys,
Speaker 1: are welcome. My mom would love us, Like, okay, I
Speaker 1: want to go hang out with all your little nieces
Speaker 1: and I love your mom. Your family's just the best.
Speaker 1: All let's let's let's transition. So you do you do
Speaker 1: Dancing with the Stars?
Speaker 2: You have you?
Speaker 1: I mean, you've had some incredible partners. I truthfully, before
Speaker 1: before I did the show, I knew about the show,
Speaker 1: but it didn't follow along as much as I should have,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, I didn't really understand the like,
Speaker 1: but I do remember like hearing about you and your pros.
Speaker 2: I remember when Adam did it, I remember when Neve
Speaker 2: did it. Like I didn't even like I didn't, but
Speaker 2: I just like you were you. You were always kind
Speaker 2: of the talk of the town.
Speaker 1: What okay, I want to do like a little rapid
Speaker 1: fire because I feel like I feel like I just
Speaker 1: want to like get these out of here.
Speaker 2: You cannot use me.
Speaker 1: I don't know if I would be any of these answers,
Speaker 1: but because I'm sitting right here, you cannot use me
Speaker 1: because I will either get bruly offended or my ego
Speaker 1: will get boosted, and I don't want either.
Speaker 2: Sons Jojo.
Speaker 1: Yeah, But just like rapid Fire, your stars that you've
Speaker 1: been partnered with, who was the most fun to rehearse with?
Speaker 1: Not necessarily the best, but the most fun, Like you
Speaker 1: just knew you're gonna have a good time.
Speaker 2: Adam Adam Rippon. We just connected so quickly and easily,
Speaker 2: and when I tell you that, we laughed from beginning
Speaker 2: to the end of the rehearsal. If anybody knows him
Speaker 2: or follows him, he is probably one of the funniest
Speaker 2: people I've ever met. But he was just so down
Speaker 2: to earth. I had no ego, wanted just to be
Speaker 2: there and have a good time, and we just vibed.
Speaker 2: I love it.
Speaker 1: Who was your your underdog story? Who were you like,
Speaker 1: Oh God, oh God, go But then you're like, you
Speaker 1: got there.
Speaker 2: Oh. I don't know if we ever got there, but
Speaker 2: we did make it to the semifinals. No, he's one
Speaker 2: of my favorite people, Joe Mobley, and I also had
Speaker 2: such a great time rehearsing with him. He was so bad,
Speaker 2: so bad at dancing, and he knows that, he knows that,
Speaker 2: but he never give up. Yeah, first of all, and
Speaker 2: night one forgot all of his routine. No premiere night
Speaker 2: forgot all of the routine. I think we got threes
Speaker 2: or four no, which I'd never seen on my time
Speaker 2: in Dancing with the Stars. And then no joke, we
Speaker 2: made it to the semifinals, and it was because he
Speaker 2: was so likable. No ego, would just take it and
Speaker 2: he would try his bed and that's all you can
Speaker 2: that's all you can ask for, and was so kind
Speaker 2: and sweet to me. We actually have the same birthday.
Speaker 2: Shout out, Joe Mathley, I love you so much. But yeah,
Speaker 2: so I that was like kind of my underdog story.
Speaker 2: But also I guess I could kind of putne even there.
Speaker 2: I wouldn't say he was an underdog because I think
Speaker 2: that he he did have a little bit of dance experience,
Speaker 2: but I don't think anyone was expecting him to go far,
Speaker 2: and I don't think anyone was expecting us to create
Speaker 2: what we did and we ended up getting second.
Speaker 1: So did incredible you have a sermed at residence yet
Speaker 1: that second place spot get.
Speaker 2: Me out of there on the left side as well
Speaker 2: on the stairs and that next season if.
Speaker 1: You are, if you are that pit real quick semale
Speaker 1: fun So oh.
Speaker 2: Okay, okay?
Speaker 1: Who who was your Like you knew you could just
Speaker 1: make a bomb dance with like either they can stand
Speaker 1: there and like chuck you and throw you and catch you.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's not the stuff you just did a
Speaker 1: Tyson what? I was like, No, that was fun because.
Speaker 2: I haven't had somebody that I could be like, can
Speaker 2: you just chuck me above your head? And he was
Speaker 2: like sure, what do you mean the eighteen year old female?
Speaker 2: Wasn't that you were down to attempt? Whether it happened
Speaker 2: or not, was now I could now I could now
Speaker 2: it would be sick. So Tyson Beckford was fun because
Speaker 2: I really felt like I could be He was a
Speaker 2: jungle gym. I was just like, can you let me
Speaker 2: move over end? And he was like yeah, I was
Speaker 2: like can you hold me upside down?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: He was. He was so sweet and fun about it,
Speaker 2: But obviously I would say you like that was the
Speaker 2: first time where I I always came prepared. But if
Speaker 2: I didn't come prepared with choreography, I knew that we
Speaker 2: could fumble around and make something worse. I don't think
Speaker 2: you came prepared when we did feedback. No, that was
Speaker 2: definitely in the room. No, it was just a lift.
Speaker 2: It was because again I didn't know what we could
Speaker 2: do and salsa, and I knew that we needed to
Speaker 2: throw something crazy, so we attempted some headstack. You did
Speaker 2: you did wrap feedback.
Speaker 1: Because I remember you prepped feedback with Ezra and yeah,
Speaker 1: so Jenna, Jenna came into one of our rehearsals and
Speaker 1: and we did we did this actually is gonna lead
Speaker 1: me pretty pretty solidly into my memories Unlocked game. But
Speaker 1: she came into our rehearsals and she was like, let's
Speaker 1: get the mad out. And anytime the mad out it
Speaker 1: was like, oh dear gosh, here we go, thinking we're gonna.
Speaker 2: Do some left drive. She's like, can you do a headstand? Yeah, okay,
Speaker 2: preps this. I'm an artist. Artists should make mistakes. This
Speaker 2: was a big mistake on my head. This is a
Speaker 2: very big mistake.
Speaker 1: The concept was there because kids now in the convention, Well,
Speaker 1: do do these really cool headstand tricks where they headstand spin,
Speaker 1: split straddle flip like they do these, But me and
Speaker 1: Jenna we like it.
Speaker 2: Just it wasn't about to happen. We're gonna have to
Speaker 2: share this video so everyone can just witness absolutely.
Speaker 1: Jenna was like, all right, we're gonna go headstand, straddle
Speaker 1: through laid back. I was like, Okay, we look absolutely
Speaker 1: so stupid.
Speaker 2: We look like we're mini's like trying to do We
Speaker 2: look like in.
Speaker 1: The back of the convention around like that's what we
Speaker 1: looked like so bad?
Speaker 2: Well, here was the thing. I was like, we hadn't
Speaker 2: really done the lifts yet. Yeah, and I knew that
Speaker 2: we needed to like have really shut out or whatever.
Speaker 2: So I was like, okay, well if we can't lift
Speaker 2: each other, like we can probably do headstans together. Bad idea.
Speaker 2: It didn't happen, and you did lift me that routine
Speaker 2: that week. I lifted upside down, cross side down, you knowdle,
Speaker 2: We did the opening lift. Yes, there was a lot
Speaker 2: that week.
Speaker 1: Oh my god, we're gonna get into the lists because
Speaker 1: I have a lot of lift memories, a lot of
Speaker 1: lift thoughts.
Speaker 2: We got a lot more to talk about. I feel
Speaker 2: like we're gonna have to do part two to this.
Speaker 1: Uh so I'm gonna I'm gonna pause this round of
Speaker 1: the podcast here and uh you and I are gonna
Speaker 1: start chatting some more. But everybody listening, you're gonna have
Speaker 1: to go check out Part two to hear the rest.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening, everybody. Be sure to
Speaker 1: follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Jojosa Now Podcast.
Speaker 1: Be sure to write us a review, and maybe if
Speaker 1: you're feeling to leave us five stars, I'll see you
Speaker 1: next week