Influencer Connor Wood is showing fans a brand-new side of himself on Dancing With the Stars.
“We’re in a good place for next week already, and I like the dance, [which] is very unique and very fun,” Wood, 31, exclusively told Us after the Tuesday, September 15, live premiere, teasing his next routine with pro partner Rylee Arnold. “I’m not allowed to smile. [It’s] a little sultry, yeah, but it’s fun and it’s very different. I can’t emphasize that enough. I’m excited.”
Wood and Arnold, 21, have not publicly revealed the dance style, song or even the week’s overarching theme. They kicked off their ballroom journey on Tuesday, showcasing their smiles in their high-energy cha-cha to Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It.” The routine earned a total of 16 out of 30 from the judges.
“I am so thankful for their scores. I am so happy with this,” Wood told Us. “The feedback that they gave us was awesome, well-received by us. I think there was a lot of positivity, which is all I remember, luckily. And all the feedback they gave, we have next week, and we’re, like, so locked for next week. I want it so bad.”
As for the next week of the competition, Arnold stressed that she plans to “harp on [his] technique” in the practice room.
“It’s a new dance for Connor, something he’s never done before,” she said. “Yeah, I feel like we’re in it. We are very excited.”
While Arnold acknowledged that she and Wood “laugh a lot” in rehearsals, they still “know how to lock in” and focus on the task at hand.
“We work really, really hard, and I feel like we work really good together,” Arnold added to Us on Tuesday. “Because we’re friends and we’re having fun, I feel like we get more done.”
The content creator, known online as Fibula, further gushed that Arnold was “getting [him] through” the experience.
“Coming into this, I would say I anticipated some people being like, ‘Who is this?’ I was ready for that, so I’m kind of competing to earn their vote for us,” Wood said. “But then, once I started working with Rylee, I’m competing for Rylee. I want to make her proud. I want to get her her first mirrorball. She deserves it.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. The two-part premiere continues Wednesday, September 16.
