Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy are the most recent Dancing With the Stars pros to weigh in on the discourse surrounding this season’s surprisingly low scores.
“I think it’s just because it’s such a talented cast that people are hungry for higher scores,” Johnson, 32, exclusively told Us while discussing her and Chmerkovskiy’s partnership with Fabuloso, noting that there were still “eight more weeks ahead” for the pros and celebrity contestants. “We kind of need to pace out the scores.”
Johnson could “see where the judges are coming from,” adding, “I think something that [my partner] Harry [Shum Jr.] and I have just committed to each other is we want to respect and take what the judges have to say first and foremost. That’s always going to be our priority.”
Despite receiving numerical feedback from Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough, Johnson is more focused on the notes they have offered about each performance.
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“But scores are just a number so [we try] not get so hung up on what that number is and that defines how you did or what you know what your week meant,” she continued. “So I think always the feedback is the most important part for us of taking the critiques and implementing them. But I try not to get so hung up on a number between one and 10.”
Chmerkovskiy, 40, joked that he was only hung up if the score was a number “between four and seven,” quipping, “But seven through 10 is great.”
Dancing With the Stars, which airs Tuesdays, has inspired a lot of debate on social media as viewers tune in each week to watch their favorite pairings face off in the ballroom. Chmerkovskiy and Johnson, for their part, are grateful for the chance to compete once again for the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy.
“It’s been such a beautiful experience being able to be partnered with Harry. He is a one of a kind human being,” Johnson gushed. “Obviously, he’s incredibly talented but he is working full time right now on Grey’s Anatomy and juggling both. I just commend him so much. But he genuinely wants to do the show and he loves dance and he wants to be here. He’s so inspired by the show.”
She continued, “So I think that one of my favorite parts so far is just seeing someone so hungry to be part of this experience and literally giving up all of his hours to do this. He is working so incredibly hard doing it so it has just been a blessing.”
Chmerkovskiy has had a similar experience with his celebrity partner, Jenna Dewan.
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“I am very similar in the sense that Jenna is also working on The Rookie and she really has created some epic memories for herself in the space of dance,” he told Us. “So for her to come back and put herself out there like that and try something different — something new and something familiar but something completely different — and to really throw herself into that and trust the process and trust me … It’s a beautiful thing. I just want to reciprocate.”
While Chmerkovskiy and Johnson are already booked and busy on DWTS, they still found time to partner with Fabuloso to celebrate the brand’s new “Make Your World More Fabuloso” campaign. Timed to season 35 of DWTS, the campaign highlights how Fabuloso’s fresh scents can transform everyday cleaning into a more joyful experience.
“We’re very excited to be partnering with Fabuloso since we just moved. We’re in a new home and we are also parents of a 3-year-old toddler so messes are just naturally part of our everyday life,” Johnson explained. “But I’m also severely OCD and a clean freak so having something that can just calm my nerves and my stress and being able to come home to a scent that just immediately breathes clean home and freshness is everything that I’m looking for. It just felt like such an organic and natural fit for our family.”
Chmerkovskiy loved getting to incorporate dance into their videos for the brand.
“That’s family time. When we decompress, we decompress with chores and family activities and cleaning is one of them,” he shared. “Jenna loves that activity and so we all participate as a family and we play music and we dance. We make cleaning fun and Fabuloso is a part of that.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
