Dancing With the Stars pro Jenna Johnson will welcome any celebrity contestant to the ballroom — regardless of how little or how much dance experience they have.
“I’ve had somebody with absolutely no experience. I’ve had somebody with experience. I’ve had an Olympian. I’ve had [Dance Moms alum] JoJo Siwa,” Jenna, 32, exclusively shared with Us on Thursday, August 20, while partnering with Orgain to introduce the brand’s new organic kids protein smoothies. “There’s a wide range, but Dancing with the Stars is such a different beast.”
Before some critics question if certain contestants with dance experience have an unfair advantage over others, Jenna wants to remind Us that there are so many layers to DWTS that nobody can truly prepare for.
“There is the live element that people don’t take into consideration. Going out in front of millions of people with a studio audience and performing live … there is no other feeling when it goes 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” Jenna shared. “You’re live when that red light goes on. You cannot explain that.”
She continued, “You never know how someone’s going to react or show up in that moment.”
There’s also the pressure to learn a ballroom dance in less than a week that will impress viewers and the judges, including Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
“And ballroom dancing and having to do characters and theme nights. There is so much that goes into it,” Jenna added. “I understand when people are like, ‘Oh, you know, dance experience, whatever.’ Who cares! This is the first time they’re ever doing Dancing With the Stars. That is very different.”
On Wednesday, September 2, the official cast for season 35 of DWTS is expected to be announced live on Good Morning America.
Although Jenna is staying mum on the cast rumors, Us previously learned that Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Conner Leavitt, Sarah Jane Nader, Tyler Cameron and Jenna Dewan are expected to participate.
ABC previously confirmed Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins, Jackson Olson and Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez have already signed on.
“I kind of love the anticipation of it all. I love hearing little rumblings and little speculations,” Jenna told Us without confirming any news. “The fact that people care enough about our show to drop everything and zoom in on visors and parking lot pictures and try to be detectives is just so exciting.”
Before the full cast is revealed, Jenna and her husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, are enjoying some downtime with their 3-year-old son, Rome.
When visiting the couple’s new Los Angeles home, guests will be able to spot some Orgain kids protein smoothies in the kitchen.
Great for busy families as an easy lunchbox, after-school or on-the-go snack, the smoothies come in three kid-approved flavors, including strawberry banana, cherry banana vanilla and Rome’s favorite, mango peach.
“When we became parents, we wanted to give our kid the very best, and so I think one of the biggest things that we kind of switched and adjusted was only using organic or only eating organic,” Jenna shared. “When I was approached about this partnership with Orgain Kids — when all of the ingredients are organic, organic fruits, organic pea protein, no added sugars, no artificial flavors or colors — everything just felt aligned with how I want to parent, how I want to mother and just sort of the lifestyle that I want to represent and maintain.”
