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For the “Dancing With the Stars” finale, a season 30 finalist penned a heartfelt tribute to their pro partner. Read on to find out what JoJo Siwa had to say about her partner Jenna Johnson and also what Jenna said the season meant to her. The two ended up finishing in second place behind Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach.
JoJo Said Jenna ‘Changed [Her] Life’ This Season
In an Instagram post, JoJo penned a heartfelt letter to her “Dancing With the Stars” pro partner Jenna, thanking her for the way she challenged JoJo and helping her change for the better.
JoJo wrote:
Where do I even begin? This human in these last 10 weeks has changed my life. Jenna, thank you. For everything. Let me start off with this… coming into this competition I was scared of myself, but because of you, the way that I look and think about myself has changed. You’ve challenged me in ways I didn’t know I could be challenged. Day 4 you told me, ‘I’m your partner, trust me, and that’s the best thing I’ve ever done.
Trusting you has opened my eyes and fixed my brain. We have been through it all together in these last 86 days. We have died, survived, and thrived. Spending 86 days in a row with someone is not easy, but somehow I looked forward to every day. There were days where all I wanted to do was go to rehearsals because I knew that dancing and being in the studio with you would take my mind off of things, and it always did. Thank you for making everyday a fun good day.
JoJo finished by saying that she will “cherish the memories” they created “forever,” and concluded with, “You are such a good person and I am so thankful to have you in my life. Thank you for doing this with me. I am forever grateful to have you as my Pro Partner on DWTS. Thank you for everything.”
During the finale, JoJo also said that winning the Mirrorball Trophy was for all the people out there who are scared to be themselves.
“Coming here and being the first-ever same-sex couple, I think people didn’t know what to expect. Winning the Mirrorball is not just winning it for me and for us, it’s winning it for so many people around the world who maybe are afraid to be themselves, but I want to tell everybody in the world, no matter who you are, no matter who you love, you can dance with who you wanna dance with because you were born the way you are,” said JoJo.
Jenna Called The Season ‘Absolutely Magical’
In a comment underneath the post, Jenna wrote, “Grateful for these meant-to-be last 3 months!! I will cherish this experience for the rest of my life!!!!!! Thank you for being my partner.”
In an interview with “Good Morning America,” Jenna said that this season means so much to her and that their winning “represent[s] that being different is scary, but oh so worth it.”
“Just because you’re not doing something the way other people do it doesn’t mean it’s not beautiful, worthy or extraordinary!” she continued, adding that she had serious “doubts” about dancing with a woman in the sense of would she be able to do it well.
“I had so many doubts in my head before the season started. I didn’t know if I was capable of doing this, living up to everybody’s expectations, being confident while doing it, and now looking back, this has been one of the most fulfilling, scary and life-changing moments I’ve ever had on the show. I’m so grateful I said yes to dancing with a female, and I’m so grateful it was JoJo. She has made this experience absolutely magical,” said Jenna.
“Dancing With the Stars” has not yet been renewed for season 31. If it is renewed, it will return in September 2022.