Adele Zaikman and Allen Genkin met on the inaugural season of Dancing With the Stars: Next Pro, soon finding love off the dance floor.
Zaikman won the ABC spinoff, which premiered in July 2025 to discover new professional dancers for the flagship series, and earned a spot as a pro on DWTS season 35. Genkin, for his part, was eliminated in the semifinals after multiple steamy dances with Zaikman.
Over the weeks that followed since the Next Pro finale, fans speculated whether the dancers’ bond had turned romantic.
“We get so many messages every single day of people shipping us, but I get it,” Zaikman said on the “Fire Chats: The Mindfire Pod” podcast in September 2026. “I will let you know if something happens. … I love Allen. He’s an amazing human being. Just being around him, you get good energy. He’s the best.”
Us later broke the news that Zaikman and Genkin were officially an item. Keep scrolling for their full relationship timeline:
July 2025
Dancing With the Stars: Next Pro premiered on ABC, introducing Zaikman and Genkin as contestants vying for spots on the main DWTS pro roster.
At the end of the competition, Zaikman was crowned the first-ever champion over finalists Selena Hamilton and AJ Pritchard.
September 2025
As Zaikman began her DWTS duties with celebrity partner Conner Leavitt, she also reunited with Genkin to co-teach a dance workshop at the Playground studio in Los Angeles.
“Still overwhelmed with gratitude for the 100 people who joined our class at Playground — and the fact that there was even a waiting list! We’re so thankful for all the love and for every person who came to learn and dance with us,” Zaikman wrote via Instagram on October 14. “Thank you, Allen, for such an amazing class. Dancing with you is always so special! ❤️.”
One day later, Genkin gushed Zaikman on Joe Vulpis‘ eponymous podcast.
“She’s one of a kind. Beautiful person inside and out,” he said. “I love working with her, man. She’s the best.
Genkin also joined Zaikman and fellow Next Pro alums Selena Hamilton and Erik Linder for a special routine during the season 35 premiere.
“Hi everybody, we’re back,” Zaikman said in a video shared via DWTS’ Instagram Stories. “We’re going to be all dancing together. It’s going to be fire.”
Genkin added, “It feels absolutely amazing to be back with these four right here. Your favorite contestants!”
Zaikman and Leavitt were the first pairing eliminated from the ballroom competition days before her 25th birthday. Despite the early DWTS exit, Genkin made sure to celebrate her big day.
“Happy birthday to the most beautiful queen ❤️❤️❤️ @adele.zaikman,” Genkin wrote via Instagram, publicly confirming their romance. “I want to wish you happiness, health, love and all the success that life has to offer, you deserve everything you dreamt of and more. Watching you shine ✨ like a star ⭐️ that you are has been a blessing and honour of mine to be by your side.”
He continued, “I can honestly say the best thing that has happened to me from dwts tnp was you ❤️, our connection we built is something really special, I’m the happiest and luckiest man in the world. I adore you with all my heart!!!”
October 2026
Zaikman called Genkin her boyfriend in an Instagram prank video from the car.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
