Dancing With the Stars is pulling out all the stops with a two-night premiere to kick off season 35 — but pros Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy are hoping for even more twists in the future.
“I think the last two seasons have really put our show on the map and I think they’ve kind of exceeded all of our expectations of what else we can do,” Johnson, 32, told Us during an exclusive visit to the set of RJ Decker, where she and Chmerkovskiy, 40, were filming a cameo.
Johnson threw out more of her dream ideas, adding, “I would love to see an episode done at the Hollywood Bowl. I know that that has so many technicalities that would be crazy, but I feel like we’re at that point. We should do an episode at the Hollywood Bowl.”
She continued: “This is an opportunity that we never thought was possible. And this year, we’ve done Project Runway. There’s a spinoff to DWTS [called] The Next Pro. We performed at the Disney Upfronts. There have just been so many beautiful opportunities.”
Chmerkovskiy was also thrilled to see how “proud” ABC was of the show. Johnson echoed her husband’s feelings and expressed excitement for what could come next.
“It’s an honor to represent the brand and I will do it with my whole heart,” she gushed. “I absolutely love this show and I’m so grateful to have these opportunities.”
Season 35 marks Johnson’s 10th anniversary as a pro. While reflecting on her journey with Us, Johnson gave the DWTS team credit for making the ballroom feel like home.
“I think it’s great to have those milestones and to remember them and see how far you’ve actually come,” she noted. “I’ve just learned so much from Dancing With the Stars — honestly, from the people I’ve been surrounded with. So from producers to camera directors to our glam team to wardrobe.”
Johnson revealed how much DWTS has changed her life, adding, “I feel like they have all raised me since I joined the show when I was 19 years old and they are the best family I could have ever asked for.”
She continued: “But I think I just feel invigorated this season. I’m so looking forward to it. I just feel inspired. I have this fire underneath my belt. … I’m excited. I feel very inspired. I love to choreograph and I love to create. I hope to be able to do that for another 10 years.”
Chmerkovskiy, who has been part of the DWTS family since season 2, was on the same page as his wife.
“What’s interesting is I’ve obviously changed so much, but my approach and my passion for what I’m doing hasn’t changed at all. I have the same figure for showing up to set what I love and the same gratitude,” he told Us, hinting he “definitely” has “another 20 years” in him. “Obviously, the show has enjoyed being a top show for many years. But I feel like we’ve just exploded into the center of culture right now. We are the water cooler conversation amongst kids and adults.”
Though they’re booked and busy on DWTS, Johnson and Chmerkovskiy still found time to travel to Florida to film a dance sequence for ABC’s RJ Decker.
“We actually had limited time [to perfect our performance] because we were also rehearsing with Dancing With the Stars. But when this was presented to us, it was an immediate yes,” Johnson said. “It’s so outside of our comfort zone or what we are used to doing that we just knew that we wanted to do this artistically.”
Johnson loved that they were kept in consideration for the show, which also featured her season 33 partner, Joey Graziadei.
“But also I’m just such a big fan of shows like this. I love PI shows. I love investigation shows,” she concluded. “Even seeing the lead actor, Scott Speedman, do the scene with Joey has been so fun. I’m so proud of Joey for committing to acting.”
Dancing With the Stars premieres with a two-night event on ABC and Disney+ starting Tuesday, September 15, at 8 p.m. ET. RJ Decker returns Tuesday, September 15, at 10 p.m. ET.
