{"id":22164,"date":"2025-11-26T23:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T19:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/?p=8006543211035311"},"modified":"2025-11-26T22:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T18:46:07","slug":"jenna-johnson-dwts-partner-joey-graziadei-reaction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/jenna-johnson-dwts-partner-joey-graziadei-reaction\/","title":{"rendered":"Jenna Johnson Opens Up About Her Surprising \u2018DWTS\u2019 Partner and the Reality Behind the Pairing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"background: #f7fafc; padding: 15px;\">\n<p><strong>Quick Read<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jenna Johnson initially hoped to be partnered with an NFL player for DWTS season 33.<\/li>\n<li>She was paired with Joey Graziadei, a former Bachelor star, instead of Danny Amendola.<\/li>\n<li>Johnson admitted to mixed feelings but quickly connected with Graziadei, praising his genuine nature and talent.<\/li>\n<li>Joey expressed excitement about working with Johnson, and their partnership has been positively received by fans.<\/li>\n<li>DWTS will return to ABC and Disney+ on October 8, 2024.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Jenna Johnson\u2019s Honest Reaction to Her \u2018Dancing With the Stars\u2019 Partner<\/h2>\n<p>On television, the unveiling of celebrity-pro pairings on <em>Dancing With the Stars<\/em> (DWTS) is always a moment packed with suspense, cheers, and the promise of fresh chemistry. But behind the scenes, the process is even more unpredictable\u2014just ask Jenna Johnson, one of the show\u2019s most talented and candid professionals.<\/p>\n<p>During a recent appearance on the \u201cAlmost Famous\u201d podcast, Johnson, 30, peeled back the curtain on her real feelings about being paired with Joey Graziadei, the former <em>Bachelor<\/em> star, for DWTS\u2019s latest season. Her words were refreshingly honest and a reminder that even for seasoned pros, expectations and reality don\u2019t always align.<\/p>\n<h2>Behind the Scenes: Expectations and Surprises<\/h2>\n<p>Contrary to what many fans might believe, the pros don\u2019t get advance notice about their celebrity partners. \u201cThey really like to make it a secret so it\u2019s an authentic reaction,\u201d Johnson explained. Despite hearing rumors that Joey\u2019s name was in the mix, she confessed she was actually hoping for someone else\u2014specifically, a football player.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve never had a football player,\u201d Johnson admitted, her tone both wistful and lighthearted. For many DWTS pros, partnering with an athlete, especially one from the NFL, is a coveted experience. The physicality, the competitiveness, and the sheer spectacle that athletes bring to the dance floor often make for memorable seasons. Johnson had her hopes set on Danny Amendola, a former NFL star who ultimately was paired with Witney Carson instead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kind of heard Danny was going to be involved and I was like, \u2018This is my year. I\u2019m gonna get the NFL guy,\u2019\u201d she recalled. But when the casting was revealed, her partner was not Amendola, but Joey Graziadei, a reality TV personality known for his turn as the Bachelor.<\/p>\n<h2>First Impressions: Mixed Feelings and Genuine Connections<\/h2>\n<p>Finding out she would be dancing with Graziadei left Johnson with mixed emotions. \u201cI was a little sad,\u201d she admitted, \u201cbecause I\u2019ve never had a football player.\u201d Yet, she was quick to acknowledge that Joey brought his own strengths to the table. Though she hadn\u2019t watched his season of <em>The Bachelor<\/em>, Johnson\u2019s sister was a \u201cmega fan\u201d and raved about him. \u201cAll of the positive words about the Bachelor Nation alum were \u2018true,\u2019\u201d Johnson said. \u201cHe is one of the most genuine humans I\u2019ve ever met.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pair connected quickly, finding easy camaraderie and a shared sense of fun. \u201cObviously there\u2019s stressful moments Joey\u2014I\u2019m not always the kindest\u2014but it\u2019s just such a pleasure to work with him,\u201d Johnson reflected. Her comments reveal the reality of DWTS: the partnership is as much about personality and mutual respect as it is about dance skills.<\/p>\n<h2>Joey\u2019s Perspective: Excitement and Family Ties<\/h2>\n<p>For Joey Graziadei, the feeling was mutual. He expressed enthusiasm about working with Johnson, sharing that his own sister was rooting for this particular pairing. \u201cMy sister watches the show and she was hoping I was gonna be with Jenna,\u201d Graziadei told <em>Us Weekly<\/em>. \u201cSo when I found that out, I couldn\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joey\u2019s approach to the competition has also impressed Johnson. She described him as \u201cso talented,\u201d joking that he\u2019s \u201cone of those annoying people that\u2019s freakishly good at everything.\u201d Sometimes, he even nails choreography on the very first try\u2014a fact that makes Johnson both proud and a little exasperated. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018How did that happen?\u2019\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n<h2>The Reality of the DWTS Process: Unpredictable and Human<\/h2>\n<p>Johnson\u2019s story highlights the unpredictable nature of DWTS partnerships. Despite what fans might think, pros are \u201creally at the disposal of your partner.\u201d Sometimes, that means adjusting expectations and embracing new challenges. \u201cIf they\u2019re a good human, it makes this whole process even better,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson has danced with other <em>Bachelor<\/em> Nation alumni before, including Joe Amabile in season 27, but she\u2019s quick to note that every experience is unique. The fan base is \u201cepic,\u201d but the dynamic between pro and celebrity is what shapes the season\u2014for better or worse.<\/p>\n<p>As for the competition itself, the show remains a high-pressure environment, even for experienced pros like Johnson. Each week brings a new dance style, fresh choreography, and the constant pressure to connect with both the audience and the judges. The chemistry between partners can mean the difference between a quick exit and a deep run in the competition.<\/p>\n<p>For now, fans eager to see more of Johnson and Graziadei will have to wait\u2014DWTS took a brief hiatus and will return to ABC and Disney+ on October 8, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET (<em>AOL<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p><em>Assessment: Jenna Johnson\u2019s candor offers a rare glimpse into the backstage realities of DWTS, reminding us that even the most polished performances start with honest human emotions and unexpected partnerships. Her journey with Joey Graziadei shows that sometimes, the most rewarding collaborations are the ones that challenge our expectations\u2014and ourselves.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dancing With the Stars pro Jenna Johnson reveals her initial disappointment at not being paired with a football player, and how working with Joey Graziadei changed her perspective.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":-1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow5Nm1DA:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1480],"tags":[17429,18235,22111,18745,32784],"class_list":["post-22164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-celebrity-partnerships","tag-dancing-with-the-stars","tag-dwts","tag-jenna-johnson","tag-joey-graziadei"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Jenna-Johnson-Joey-Graziadei.jpg","_embedded":{"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":-1,"source_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Jenna-Johnson-Joey-Graziadei.jpg","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22164\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}