DWTS Pro Dancer At ‘A Complete Loss’ Over Finalist’s Sudden Death

Anna Trebunskaya is at “a complete loss of words” over the sudden death of Jacoby Jones. The former Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl champ died on July 14 at the age of 40, according to ESPN. No cause of death has been given.

Jones competed on the 16^th season of “Dancing with the Stars” in 2013, where he landed in third place with pro dancer Karina Smirnoff.

Following his death, tributes from the DWTS family poured in, including one from Trebunskaya, who recalled the one time she danced with the NFL star.

Anna Trebunskaya Danced Alongside Jacoby Jones For Len Goodman’s Side-By-Side Challenge

Trebunskaya is an old-school “Dancing With the Stars” pro. She appeared sporadically on 11 seasons of the ABC dance-off starting in season 2. While she wasn’t a pro dancer in season 16, she did work with Jones on a dance for Len Goodman’s Side-by-Side Challenge that season. For the special challenge held during week 5, each couple selected two past pro dancers to perform simultaneously alongside them.

According to DWTS Fandom, for Len’s Side-by-Side Challenge, Jones and Smirnoff chose Trebunskaya and Maksim Chmerkovskiy to dance next to them.

Following Jones’ death, Trebunskaya posted a clip from the duo dance, set to the Little Richards song “Long Tall Sally.” She captioned the clip to recall her memories of the late football player.

“I am in a complete loss of words about Jacoby Jones’s passing… 💔,” Trebunskaya wrote, adding a broken heart emoji. “The man that I remember was full of energy, positivity and charisma. I only got to work with him once, and it was enough to see that He was a gem, One of a kind. My heart goes out to his family and his loved ones. 😔🙏🏼 #gonetoosoon #ripjacoby #dwts #dwtsalumn.”

Trebunskaya also reacted to a post shared by Jones’ pro partner, Karina Smirnoff. After Smirnoff posted a series of photos of her with her and Jones on the dance floor, Trebunskaya wrote, “This is so shocking. He was a fine guy, authentic to the core. His positivity shined through his dancing with you. 💔😢 So so sad.”

Anna Trebunskaya Blogged About Jacoby Jones in the Past

ABC/YouTubeAnna Trebunskaya hugs Jacoby Jones in 2013.

Although she wasn’t a full-time pro during season 16, Trebunskaya previously had her eye on Jones. At the time, she posted to a blog for ABC and recapped the episodes. In one blog posted in April 2013, she noted that one of the judges’ called out Jones for having “pigeon toes.”

In an interview, Jones reacted to comments about his dancing. “I tried since week one, I tried my best to point my toes, but God made my feet like this for a reason. I went 108 yards in 11 seconds, I said Len, look there’s a reason I do, I can’t help it. Don’t blame me, blame God.”

Trebunskaya agreed in her recap. “Pigeon toes or not, he’s a musical dancer,” she wrote of Jones. “Jacoby lets music run through his body and energize his movement. His frame was good, speed was great, and energy was never-ending (as usual).”

She did have one request for the athlete. “But please, smile!” she urged Jones. “Just because a ballroom dance has a frame, still show your enjoyment.”

Trebunskaya has been gone from “Dancing With the Stars” since 2015, but she did return to the ABC ballroom in October 2023 to perform a tribute dance set to “Moon River” in honor of Goodman, who passed away in April of that year.

READ NEXT: DWTS Pro Names Dream Dance Partner Ahead of Season 33