WEBVTT - Conversations with... Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy 0:00:02.160 --> 0:00:06.680 This is Conversationous with Olivia Jade and I Heart Radio podcast. 0:00:07.800 --> 0:00:13.360 Hello everybody, Welcome back to Conversations. I am I say 0:00:13.360 --> 0:00:17.120 this every episode, but I am genuinely so excited for 0:00:17.200 --> 0:00:20.200 today's guest. And I think I feel like these episodes 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:22.240 are so much more special when I know the person 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:26.480 coming on. And so I'm really really excited because today 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:29.440 I have Miss Jenna Johnson coming on. And if you 0:00:29.520 --> 0:00:32.720 don't know who Jenna is, she is an amazing person, 0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:36.400 an amazing dancer. She's a pro on Dancing with the Stars. 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:40.279 She's actually the wife of my partner Val who I 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:42.640 was paired up with this season for season thirty of 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:45.080 Dancing with the Stars. And I want us to get 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:46.560 to know her a little bit. I want to talk 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:49.400 about her season being partnered with a female for the 0:00:49.440 --> 0:00:52.240 first time in history on Dancing with the Stars, and 0:00:52.680 --> 0:00:56.040 just get all that information. So with that being said, 0:00:56.320 --> 0:01:03.640 please welcome Miss Jenna Johnson. Yes, Hi, welcome to my 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:07.240 New York Hotel room. Oh my god, gorgeous love it. 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:09.920 I miss you already. This is really weird that we 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:13.960 don't see each other every week anymore. It's been well, 0:01:14.040 --> 0:01:18.280 I guess yesterday marked a week since the end. I know, 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:20.840 but it's very weird. It's so weird. Do you feel 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:26.040 weird not dancing on a Monday? Um? Yes. And it's 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:29.040 funny because I feel like Val tried to prepare me 0:01:29.120 --> 0:01:32.560 for it of like just get ready because it's going 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:35.319 to settle in and it's gonna hit you. And I 0:01:35.360 --> 0:01:37.680 was like, yeah, yeah, I've I felt this before, but 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:43.240 yesterday was really apparent. I was like, man, I miss it. Yeah, 0:01:43.400 --> 0:01:47.200 And I don't know. I just you give everything for 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:51.040 so long, for so many hours, and you just have 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:54.280 such purpose every day that when it comes to a halt, 0:01:54.880 --> 0:01:56.800 although you know what's coming to an end, it's just 0:01:56.880 --> 0:01:59.720 it's wild, I know. And I feel like for some reason, 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:02.560 even though I've obviously never been on any other season 0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:06.080 of the show, I feel like I feel like it 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:09.560 went by really really quickly, like faster than normal or 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:13.760 is this normally how the process is? No? Last season, well, no, 0:02:14.040 --> 0:02:17.840 this season flew by, And I feel like because it 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:22.079 was such a great energy all around with everybody, and 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:24.080 I think a lot of the partnerships really had a 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:27.840 great time, it just flew by. I mean, as stupid 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:30.840 and cliche as it is, like time flies when you're 0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:34.560 having fun, but it flew like I remember the promo 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:37.880 shoot day like it was yesterday. Same. That's the scariest 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:39.919 part to me, though, because I even remember when I 0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:43.080 first met Val, like day one. He was like, enjoy 0:02:43.200 --> 0:02:45.280 the next three months because it's gonna you're gonna blink 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:47.640 and it's gonna be over. And I was like, Okay, yeah, whatever. 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:49.639 And I really do feel like I blinked in it's 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:52.800 sucking over and I don't know how it happened. I 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:58.240 know it's pretty devastating, devastating. Was this your favorite season 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:01.840 that you've done on the show, you think, or just different? 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:08.560 Here's the thing, it's I've had many favorite amazing seasons 0:03:08.560 --> 0:03:12.040 for different reasons. I think this one was so uniquely 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:17.920 special in so many different ways, um that it will 0:03:18.000 --> 0:03:23.920 forever mark like a very very special place in my heart. Um. 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:29.440 I think as scary as it was, and I this 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:31.880 is gonna sound crazy, but I remember meeting you and 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:35.720 being like, by the way, like I'm not lesbian or anything, 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:39.880 I'm just standing with the girl this season like I was, 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:42.880 I didn't know how to handle myself or carry myself. 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.680 You know. It was just like so new territory for me. 0:03:47.920 --> 0:03:52.120 But I really think being partnered with a girl was 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:55.560 so much more. I just felt so much more connected 0:03:55.960 --> 0:04:01.720 and emotional and her and then understood it was it 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:05.200 was insane. Yeah, And all the guys are always all 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:07.600 the mail pros are like, we have the harder job. 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:11.200 I think you take the cake this season for the 0:04:11.240 --> 0:04:14.800 hardest job by far. I mean not even that. But 0:04:14.880 --> 0:04:16.880 I've just I've now felt what it's like to dance 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:20.240 of both a guy and a girl. The girls have 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:24.080 it wait harder. Really, that's the tea guys, that's just 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:27.320 my opinion. That's the t I want to get into, 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:30.200 like the whole this season a little bit later, because 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:33.000 first I feel like I want to hear just about you, 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:35.800 like your upbringing, how you got into dance. I would 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:38.159 just want the people listening to know, like who you 0:04:38.200 --> 0:04:40.280 are and how you ended up on the show and 0:04:40.360 --> 0:04:43.240 meeting Val and like making all these connections to get 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:46.920 to the point where you're at now. Oh man, All right, 0:04:47.080 --> 0:04:50.120 well here we go. Um. So, I actually was born 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:54.440 in California, Um, but early on I moved to Utah 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:59.520 for my dad's job, and in Utah there for some reason, 0:04:59.800 --> 0:05:04.839 is this massive dance hub. There are thousands of different 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:08.880 dance studios UM in that state, but specifically there's this 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:13.640 one that just like breeds dancers. So I started dancing 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:16.720 at the studio when I was three years old. I 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:19.920 didn't want to do anything else, Like truly, I don't 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:24.320 have any real hobbies because there's nothing that I wanted 0:05:24.360 --> 0:05:26.680 to do other than dance while growing up, Like I 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:28.479 didn't want to play any sports, didn't want to do 0:05:28.480 --> 0:05:31.320 any of that. Like, I just loved it. I loved 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:36.080 performing UM and at this studio. Just to listen names 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:39.160 so you understand, this is the studio that Derek Julianne 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:44.279 went to. Lindsay, Whitney, Brandon, we all come from this studio. 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:47.960 So I actually grew up dancing with Lindsay and Whitney 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:51.440 and Brandon. Um we're all the same age and they 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:58.440 were my best friends growing up. I danced competitively ballet, jazz, contemporary, 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:01.000 hip hop, and then was into used the ballroom when 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:04.159 I was around I think I was about eight. But 0:06:04.240 --> 0:06:06.400 I never wanted to choose like one or the other, 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:10.560 so I just I did all of them and basically 0:06:10.600 --> 0:06:13.800 had no social life throughout high school because I was 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:16.400 at a competition one weekend. Then I was at another 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:20.839 competition this weekend. Anyway, Um, yeah, it was amazing And 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:23.960 I always knew I wanted to pursue dance, but I 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:26.880 never knew that I could actually have a career or 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:30.560 make a living for myself dancing, like you know, at 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:35.760 the time, what did that mean? So anyway, I was eighteen, Um, 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:39.640 I was pretty successful growing up. Um, I have some 0:06:39.640 --> 0:06:43.800 some titles. And anyway, I was eighteen, I tried out 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:45.440 for a show called Say You Think You Can Dance? 0:06:46.560 --> 0:06:50.039 Got onto that show, Um, made it to the top 0:06:50.080 --> 0:06:56.280 four girls. We actually film, you know, the studio where 0:06:56.279 --> 0:06:59.120 you were hearst the opening number for the finale across 0:06:59.360 --> 0:07:03.360 from dancing, So that's where we filmed. Stage thirty six 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:05.120 I think it is. Yeah, So You Think you Can 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:08.760 Dance is at CBS. Yes, I had no idea, So 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:12.520 we filmed there and during that season there was a 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:15.160 full season of Dancing with the Stars happening across the hall. 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:21.640 Producers saw me on that show, UM, and I got 0:07:21.720 --> 0:07:25.120 hired the next season, which was amazing. It was insane, 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:28.240 like a dream, I you know, fresh out of high school. 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:33.800 All my dreams are coming true. It was. It was insane. UM. 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:36.960 My first day of Dancing with the Stars rehearsal. I 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:40.920 was the only new person that season. So i walk 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:44.920 in for my first like group number, and I'm like, 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:48.840 so nervous, new kid whatever, so young, and like these 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:52.200 are all my idols. I walk in and one of 0:07:52.240 --> 0:07:56.360 the first person people I see is Vow and he 0:07:56.440 --> 0:08:00.000 comes right up to me, his little slagger, his little 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:06.080 a walk, Oh my gosh, and he starts introducing himself. 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:07.840 He was it was really nice. He went out of 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:11.560 his way anyway. I didn't think much of it because 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:14.360 I'm also really focused. I've been working in my whole 0:08:14.360 --> 0:08:20.000 life for this like dream job. Um. One of our mentors, 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:22.000 my mentors at the time, her name is Mandy Moore. 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:24.680 She was choreographing this number and she happened to put 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:28.400 me in battle together, so we were partnering. Whatever. He's 0:08:28.520 --> 0:08:30.760 the whole time just like flirting with me in my 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:34.880 ear and I'm like, this guy stopped just stupid little things. 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:36.760 When I was like, you know, midweight through, I'm like, oh, 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:39.240 you smell really nice. He's like my cologne. You could 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:41.439 sell this on the streets in New York. I'm like, 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:45.240 who is this guy? Who does he think he is? Um? 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:48.679 And another funny story from this same rehearsal, no joke, 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:51.400 this is my first time meeting that Schmerkovsky brothers, like 0:08:51.559 --> 0:08:54.120 in person, because Max was on the show too at 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:57.440 the time. Right, Max was also on this season. I 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:01.320 got partnered with Max at a different part and no joke, 0:09:01.679 --> 0:09:06.240 Maxico's who is this And I'm like, I'm Jonna and 0:09:06.240 --> 0:09:08.160 He's like, no, no, but like who are you standing 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:10.600 in for? And I was like, I'm sorry, my name 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:13.120 is Jenna. I'm on the ship. Like that was his 0:09:13.320 --> 0:09:18.000 first his first words to me, stop cut too, brother 0:09:18.080 --> 0:09:20.959 in law, Brother in law. It was a love story. 0:09:21.520 --> 0:09:23.400 But yeah, So that was the first time I met 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:27.120 Thal and that was season eighteen of Dancing with the Stars. 0:09:27.520 --> 0:09:31.439 That's how old were you? I was nineteen at the time. 0:09:31.720 --> 0:09:34.880 Oh my god, you were a baby. I was night. 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:41.280 I was nineteen years old. Yeah, a baby, Oh my gosh. 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:44.760 Never in my life did I think I would ever 0:09:44.920 --> 0:09:49.720 meet anybody in Los Angeles, hey be. Never wanted to 0:09:49.840 --> 0:09:55.560 date a dancer, ever dancer? Um. But yeah, I just 0:09:56.000 --> 0:09:58.960 I just think things happen when you least expect them. 0:09:59.080 --> 0:10:01.559 And that was definitely in a moment. Yeah, totally. When 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:03.800 you're not looking for something, they kind of just like 0:10:04.000 --> 0:10:06.240 fall right into your lap. I am a huge believer 0:10:06.320 --> 0:10:09.040 in that. And also I think one of the cutest 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:12.920 things I remember was probably like my first or second 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:14.800 I've never told you this. It's probably my first or 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:18.480 second rehearsal with thou and you know, I'm just getting 0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:22.880 to know. I'm talking basically family stuff, and he gets 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:25.120 so excited. He's like talking to me about his whole 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:30.120 proposal story to you, showing me photos videos. He was 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:33.280 so giddy to tell me this proposal story. I was dying. 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:34.800 I was like, Okay, this is so cute. I need 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:36.840 to meet her. And then literally, like I think the 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:39.320 next day you walked in and that was our first meeting. 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:42.559 But it was very cute. I will give it to 0:10:42.559 --> 0:10:48.560 about he is incapable of planning anything ahead or just 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:53.160 planning in general. Um, and so when he pulled off 0:10:53.840 --> 0:11:00.440 the proposal like it, I was absolutely stunned, like shocked, 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:05.000 beyond belief. Did not expect it, and I was like, man, 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:08.040 you can relax for the next ten years because that 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:11.199 took the cake. Yeah, this like a public story. Do 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:13.680 you do you guys talk about you always tell the 0:11:13.720 --> 0:11:16.800 audience how it happened because it's so cute. Yes, So 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:20.280 I had actually just one UM Dancing with the Stars. 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:22.760 This is when we had a spring season. I had 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:25.960 one with Adam Rippon and Val didn't do that season 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:28.600 because he was on tour with his brother Max, so 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:30.880 he would like fly back and forth and come support 0:11:30.920 --> 0:11:35.160 me on Monday nights watching the show. It was so sweet. Anyway, 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:38.080 we always love to do some sort of trip every year, 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:41.200 just the two of us after the season UM, and 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:46.400 we really love Europe. So we had planned that, you know, 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:48.040 we had been a part because he'd been on tour 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:50.160 I've been doing this season. After the season, We're going 0:11:50.200 --> 0:11:51.719 to go on a big trip of some sort. And 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:53.559 I was like, you know what, they can you please 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:55.760 plan this because I just don't have any time during 0:11:55.760 --> 0:12:01.079 the season is too much, So he was in charge. UM. 0:12:01.360 --> 0:12:04.599 So I finished the season. We went straight to Amsterdam 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:07.040 was our first stop. And this was the other weird 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:10.600 thing is he knew for sure that speaking to my 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:16.840 dad was mandatory. And another thing that we just we 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:19.560 hadn't even looked at rings together. We hadn't like, I 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:22.440 just kept sending him engagement rings, but like I never 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:26.920 was particular about the shape or whatever. So and I again, 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:28.920 he can't plan ahead. So I was like, well he 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:31.480 hasn't even looked at rings, Like there's no way. So 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:34.240 we go on this trip. I also basically packed his 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:36.440 bags for him. Didn't see anything in the back, so 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:40.560 I already looked. Um. We get to Amsterdam. We spent 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:44.960 a few days there. It was amazing. I've never been before. Um, 0:12:45.040 --> 0:12:47.160 we just had such a great time. This is like 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:50.960 four days in Amsterdam, nothing happened. Then we go to 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:55.240 Venice and we had a magical first day there. Our 0:12:55.280 --> 0:12:57.920 second day and we like to go a little bit 0:12:57.920 --> 0:12:59.720 bougie on these trips, like we like to go to 0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:02.840 the night us, like dinner parties and and experience it, 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:05.319 you know. So he had told me that our second 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:06.760 day in Venice we were going to be going to 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:11.920 this like dinner party experience extravaganza. And I was like, absolutely, 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:15.320 I'm down. So that's how he got me all dressed 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:19.360 up and typical Vale. It's like ten minutes before reservation, 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:26.160 He's laying butt naked on the bed, scrolling on his phone, 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:28.360 and I'm like, I hate being late. So I was 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:31.559 so pissed at him, and I was hungry, like absolutely 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:35.840 starting and I'm not nice when i'm hungry. So I'm like, babe, 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:40.000 get your clothes on, let's go. What's going on? He 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:44.880 gets ready he was stalling. I found out later. Um, 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:48.440 we get ready. We take this little boat over to 0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:53.560 San Marco Square and we He's like, okay, we have 0:13:53.640 --> 0:13:55.600 to go to this little cafe. Someone's going to meet 0:13:55.640 --> 0:13:57.440 us there and then take us upstairs to like the 0:13:57.480 --> 0:14:01.280 dinner situation. Great, So go to this little cafe and 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:04.120 it's outdoors, it's outside, it's in the middle of the square. 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:08.160 It's like the epitome of romanticism. It's just like insane. 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:11.319 So we're sitting there, there's like a live band playing. 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:13.959 There was a rose on our table. I'm just like 0:14:14.120 --> 0:14:19.160 in heaven. All of a sudden, the band starts playing 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:23.000 our favorite song, which is Larre. It's this Italian song, 0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:25.000 and so they start playing it and I'm like, oh 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:27.640 my gosh. He's like, you know, it's good luck to 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:30.760 dance in the square, and I was like what. We 0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:34.760 never like him publicly anywhere, just for fun. So I 0:14:34.800 --> 0:14:38.240 was like all right. When in Venice, so we stand 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:42.000 up and we're like slow dancing, and he starts telling me. 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:44.480 He starts talking to me in my ear and he's like, 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:46.520 you know, when I was seventeen years old, I came 0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:49.680 to Venice for the first time, and I promised myself, 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:51.680 when I found the one that I wanted to marry, 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:54.280 I would take her here and propose. Here. Got down 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:59.040 on one knee. I'm like, what's happening, pulls out this ring. 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:03.560 Everyone's staring at us, is like screaming, clapping, cheering, crying. 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:08.080 I'm like, what's going on in the meantime, Olivia? This 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:10.480 is where this is where it gets crazy. He had 0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:17.280 hired a full team, like a video three videographers, photographers 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:20.840 that were acting as tourists that were like staged in 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:25.480 the cafe around the square, capturing this whole thing from 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:28.600 like when we got off the boat to sitting to 0:15:28.720 --> 0:15:33.080 slow dancing today. Captured the whole thing, and so he proposes. 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:35.080 I'm like, oh my gosh. One of the first things 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:37.480 I said is did you ask my dad? He was like, yes, 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:40.920 you see it in the video. Um. And then all 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:43.440 of a sudden, this whole camera crew comes out and 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:45.880 they're so excited they take us, we do a whole 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:49.600 romantic photo shoot with the sunset. I was like, what's 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:55.120 going on? Do we still get to eat dinner? But yeah, 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:59.360 I was starving. But it was just so amazing and 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:05.120 the I love thoughtful things, and that was just so 0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:10.120 well thought out that I just appreciated it so much. 0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:13.000 And I loved too because he was like, I didn't 0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:15.920 do I didn't propose with our families whatever, but I 0:16:15.960 --> 0:16:17.960 wanted them to be able to like be here in 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:19.760 this moment with us, so I wanted to be able 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:23.600 to capture it. So it was just so sweet. He 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:28.280 really thought this one through. He really I thought it through. 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:46.960 What was his because I know when we first met, 0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:49.480 I don't even think you had maybe you had done 0:16:49.520 --> 0:16:51.760 one session with Joe Joe, and I think it was 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:54.040 still kind of like I think I had to be 0:16:54.160 --> 0:16:57.480 day one or day two of rehearsal. You were like 0:16:57.720 --> 0:17:00.720 nervous obviously, just because you guys were literally making history 0:17:00.760 --> 0:17:02.880 on the show. Had never been a same sex partner. 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:06.000 What was like advice from like family or from Vale 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:08.800 or somebody that like did they have anything to say 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:11.200 or an opinion on it, or or were you just 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:16.520 kind of like solo navigating. You know, I think something 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:20.160 and I'm sure you learned this, but Val does not 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:23.560 care at all what people think. And that's why I 0:17:23.600 --> 0:17:27.080 think one of his best qualities which sometimes freaks me 0:17:27.160 --> 0:17:29.639 out and he can get in trouble for sometimes, but 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.119 he just doesn't care and he's going to live his 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:35.920 truth and do whatever he wants or that's going to 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:39.200 make him happy. And so with this, he just kept 0:17:39.240 --> 0:17:42.240 telling me that because I wasn't nervous to dance with 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:47.280 a girl, I was nervous about everything else that came 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:49.320 with dancing with a girl, you know, and making this 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:54.480 history moment. And so he was so encouraging and just like, YO, 0:17:54.840 --> 0:17:59.280 use this opportunity to be creative and to like make 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:02.679 history viral, do things that no one's going to expect 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:08.600 you to do. So I really valued that. Um My family, 0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:11.920 you know, because I grew up in a very Christian home, 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:16.280 I was really nervous about not nervous. Um. I was 0:18:16.320 --> 0:18:19.120 just like, how is what's their reaction going to be? 0:18:19.400 --> 0:18:23.719 You know? And so I'll never forget after the producers 0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:25.520 told me that, you know, you're probably gonna be dancing 0:18:25.520 --> 0:18:28.520 with a girl this season I called my parents and 0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:30.920 I was just like holding my breath for their reaction. 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:34.320 And the first thing that they said, my dad said, 0:18:34.359 --> 0:18:37.320 he was like, you know what an honor that they 0:18:37.359 --> 0:18:41.360 would choose you and trust you with this, And that 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:45.320 really just I think eased my heart and I was like, 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:47.479 you know what, this this is an honor. So I'm 0:18:47.520 --> 0:18:53.320 gonna give a thousand percent um. But yeah, it was 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:55.720 it was a lot having to kind of break the 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:59.240 ice to everybody, and you know, everyone's reaction was different, 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:02.560 and having to explain it. It was crazy. I honestly 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:04.720 didn't even know what it would look like because I 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:07.360 had watched the show growing up and obviously see male 0:19:07.400 --> 0:19:11.160 female partnerships, and so I remember after you guys first 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:15.600 dance though, like week one, first ballroom floor dance, and 0:19:15.680 --> 0:19:17.840 was like, oh, like they're going to be just fine. 0:19:17.880 --> 0:19:20.880 I didn't expect it to be. So it was powerful 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:23.000 to watch, but it was also like, I didn't know 0:19:23.160 --> 0:19:26.160 physically with two females dancing, like how do you make 0:19:26.200 --> 0:19:29.960 that look like natural and really really like exciting and 0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:33.560 fun to watch? Cringe and not cringe, you know what 0:19:33.640 --> 0:19:36.080 I mean? And I think that was our goal the 0:19:36.080 --> 0:19:40.480 whole season and I think because we were so comfortable 0:19:40.520 --> 0:19:43.639 with it and just went like dobe into it and 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:47.200 didn't hold back, I think then everybody else was able 0:19:47.240 --> 0:19:50.520 to watch it and be like, oh, this is natural, 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:52.919 this is you know, this is okay. I enjoyed this. 0:19:53.040 --> 0:19:57.600 It's entertaining. Yeah. And I think also just watching you guys, 0:19:57.680 --> 0:20:01.200 and specifically watching Joe Joe this see in from day 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:04.720 one to day eighty something or however many days the 0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:08.960 show was till the finale, the growth she had because 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:11.119 of you, and she will say at first, she gives 0:20:11.160 --> 0:20:13.239 so much credit to you about how you helped her 0:20:13.240 --> 0:20:16.560 find this sense of confidence, and it's so apparent, like 0:20:16.680 --> 0:20:18.600 being in the same room as her from day one 0:20:18.680 --> 0:20:21.640 to the finale day, like just the growth she's had 0:20:21.680 --> 0:20:24.320 and the confidence that she's built from the show. And 0:20:24.560 --> 0:20:26.320 I relate to her in a certain sense, but I 0:20:26.359 --> 0:20:28.360 think it was on such a grand scale for her 0:20:28.400 --> 0:20:30.840 of just like, Okay, this is me. I have to 0:20:30.840 --> 0:20:33.040 be comfortable with who I am. I'm spreading a message. 0:20:33.280 --> 0:20:35.840 But at the same time, it's like she's eighteen, Like 0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:39.479 that's so young to have the opinions and you know, 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:42.560 just the feedback from the world and yeah, and like, 0:20:42.840 --> 0:20:44.720 sometimes you don't want to hear what people have to say, 0:20:44.720 --> 0:20:46.000 and you just want to love who you love and 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:48.080 you want to live your life and your child still. 0:20:48.160 --> 0:20:51.480 And I thought, just from just it was amazing to watch. 0:20:51.480 --> 0:20:52.960 And I give you a lot of credit. I know 0:20:53.040 --> 0:20:54.639 she gives you a lot of credit too, because I 0:20:54.680 --> 0:20:58.119 think when you're partnered with somebody who really cares and 0:20:58.160 --> 0:21:00.520 you can really trust them, they just not truly bring 0:21:00.560 --> 0:21:02.639 that out of you. And I credit Valor lot to 0:21:02.840 --> 0:21:05.400 like just the confidence I built from doing the show. 0:21:06.359 --> 0:21:08.800 I was gonna say, I saw the same thing with you. 0:21:08.800 --> 0:21:13.359 You know. I feel like in other seasons, I've been 0:21:13.400 --> 0:21:16.600 able to help some of my celebrity, my male celebrities, 0:21:17.119 --> 0:21:20.520 um grow, evolved, get better at dancing, but this was 0:21:20.720 --> 0:21:27.560 this season I really saw um my efforts helped transform Jojo, 0:21:27.760 --> 0:21:30.679 you know, into I guess a woman, and maybe because 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:34.359 I had done something similar, you know, I could relate. 0:21:34.400 --> 0:21:36.920 I looked at her and saw the eighteen year old 0:21:36.960 --> 0:21:41.400 me and there was so much potential, so much growth, 0:21:42.040 --> 0:21:45.240 um so many areas to gain confidence until like be 0:21:45.359 --> 0:21:49.080 accepting and loving of herself. And I really did see that, 0:21:49.160 --> 0:21:52.800 and I think that it helped the blow of getting 0:21:52.880 --> 0:21:57.120 second place, UM was seeing I felt like I had 0:21:57.160 --> 0:22:01.680 already won because I just saw such an incredible outcome 0:22:01.720 --> 0:22:04.200 of who she was becoming, and I was just like, 0:22:04.280 --> 0:22:06.720 you know, this is the best I could have ever 0:22:06.800 --> 0:22:09.280 asked for. Like that's a win within itself. I mean, 0:22:09.320 --> 0:22:13.199 I wish people could really see like I mean, you 0:22:13.240 --> 0:22:14.840 can hear us. I'm sure you can see on TV, 0:22:15.040 --> 0:22:17.399 but the way people transform from the show, and I 0:22:17.440 --> 0:22:20.360 feel like, specifically people who maybe are a little bit 0:22:20.400 --> 0:22:23.240 younger and feel lost in just a certain degree, because 0:22:23.280 --> 0:22:25.640 I can relate to that, like coming onto the show 0:22:25.720 --> 0:22:28.479 being in my early twenties feeling like what's my purpose? 0:22:28.560 --> 0:22:30.440 I feel like nobody really likes me in the world, 0:22:30.440 --> 0:22:32.080 and like, now I'm going to put myself on national 0:22:32.119 --> 0:22:33.960 TV and it's probably all going to fail and it's 0:22:33.960 --> 0:22:37.040 going to be embarrassing. And then literally after like day two, 0:22:37.080 --> 0:22:38.800 I was like, oh wait, this is really fun. And 0:22:38.840 --> 0:22:41.400 then week two and then week three and then week four, 0:22:41.480 --> 0:22:43.840 and I was like, I'm obsessed. I love this. I 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:45.919 love myself. I love waking up and being in my 0:22:45.920 --> 0:22:48.000 own body and getting to do this. And I feel like, 0:22:48.320 --> 0:22:49.840 just from talking to Joe, I feel like she had 0:22:49.880 --> 0:22:52.240 like a similar experience. But I know that that has 0:22:52.280 --> 0:22:53.440 to do with you a lot, and I just think 0:22:53.480 --> 0:22:57.720