Dancing With the Stars pro Jenna Johnson brought in reinforcements this week on the ABC ballroom competition, enlisting partner Joe Amabile’s girlfriend, Kendall Long, to help him practice his dance moves.
Behind the scenes of season 27’s second week, Amabile told reporters it’s “really nice” to rehearse with Long. “The more practice, the better,” the 31-year-old added. “So it’s great.”
Plus, the former Bachelorette contestant said his 26-year-old girlfriend, whom he met on Bachelor in Paradise season 5, gave him some valuable advice for his time on the dance floor: “Just be yourself and have fun.”
Johnson, for one, is glad to have the backup. “[Long] picks up the choreography really well,” she told reporters. “It’s awesome. She’ll come to rehearsal, and she’ll watch it and then learn it. It’s been fun to see them practice together.”
Could all of Amabile and Long’s practicing come in handy for, say, a first dance at a wedding? When asked Amabile if Johnson’s engagement to fellow DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy was rubbing off on him, the reality star played coy. “You’ve got to wait and see!” he said.
Meanwhile, Johnson pointed out the irony of Amabile moving to Los Angeles and being so close to Long’s home but having to spend hours out of each day in the dance studio. “I think it’s been hard,” she observed. “We’ve been so wrapped up.”
“Yeah, you’ve got to really just focus on the dancing,” Amabile added.
Still, this Chicago grocery store owner contends he and Long “spend a lot of time together” when they’re not trying to get waltzes and fox-trots down pat.
Dancing With the Stars season 27 airs on ABC on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Emily Marcus
