Heavy/ABC Harry Jowsey revealed he wanted Emma Slater as a partner.
A contestant from season 32 of “Dancing with the Stars” admitted something quite interesting about his DWTS partnership during his first podcast episode. Harry Jowsey danced with new professional dancer Rylee Arnold during his run on the show. However, Arnold wasn’t who he wanted or expected as his show partner.
Jowsey revealed he was not happy about being paired with Arnold at first.
Here’s what you need to know:
Harry Jowsey Wanted Emma Slater As His DWTS Partner
On April 30, Jowsey released the first full episode of his new podcast, “Boyfriend Material.” Early in the episode, he shared how he came to join “Dancing with the Stars,” along with some early partner drama.
Jowsey admitted he knew virtually nothing about “Dancing with the Stars” before joining season 32. “I was just going in because my team loved that show. I hadn’t seen one episode.”
“I’ve never even danced before,” Jowsey revealed. He quipped, “Like if you saw me dancing in the club, you’d be like, that guy’s having a seizure or an allergic reaction. We need to evacuate him from the dance floor.”
As he waited to begin the show, before meeting Arnold, Jowsey started “internet stalking literally everyone on the show.”
“And my first preference was Emma Slater because we’re friends,” Jowsey divulged.
The former “Too Hot to Handle” star explained, “We’ve known each other for a while, and she’s a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ pro. She’s won a mirror ball. She knows how to move. She knows how to shake.”
Jowsey shared, “I really wanted to be matched up with her. But I got a text from Emma saying, hey, surprise, I’m actually not your partner.” He said he started “spiraling” at that point.
When it was time to meet Arnold, he walked into the studio and saw “this cute little blonde girl named Rylee.” He admitted, “I had no f*cking idea who this lady was because it was her first season as a pro, and she didn’t come up in my extensive research.”
“Right as I’m about to walk out of the room and call my manager, Rylee walks up to me with this beaming, beautiful smile on her face and introduces herself as my partner,” Jowsey explained.
DWTS Fans Were Quite Opinionated After Hearing Jowsey’s Admission
While Jowsey may have initially been tempted to call his manager and express his displeasure with having Arnold as a partner, it seems he ultimately didn’t.
As “Dancing with the Stars” viewers saw, Jowsey and Arnold ultimately formed a close friendship during season 32. He also joined her for part of the live tour, and they seemed to have fun together then, too.
Many fans even felt certain a romance was brewing between Arnold and Jowsey. He said in his podcast that was never the case, though.
Jowsey’s first podcast episode gave “Dancing with the Stars” fans plenty to buzz about.
“Wanted Emma but pretty much had no relationship with her during the season. They [barely] interacted. He lowkey ignored her the whole season,” one show fan noted in the “Dancing with the Stars” subreddit.
“That’s so unprofessional and disrespectful, I feel terrible for rylee,” another fan noted of Jowsey’s initial reaction to having Arnold as his partner.
A separate Redditor shared a different take. “Why is it so unforgivable that a) he wanted Emma instead of Rylee as a partner and b) that he walked out when he got Rylee and needed to be convinced to stay? Sorry not sorry, I respect him for that.”
That commenter also suggested, “If he had had Emma as a partner like he wanted, maybe he actually would have learned something.”
“Where is his professionalism??? He signed on to DWTS not ‘Dancing with Emma.’ And he knew that Emma wasn’t gonna be in the rehearsal room when he walked in so his reaction was honestly rude,” countered another Redditor.