Heavy/ABC Val Chmerkovskiy and Xochitl Gomez are partners on season 32 of DWTS.
“Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy is a seasoned pro, but he admits the season 32 competition is different for him in comparison to prior seasons.
As Us Weekly shared, Chmerkovskiy has competed on DWTS with celebrity partners off-and-on since season 13 in 2011. Chmerkovskiy has won the Mirrorball trophy, twice, and he has had a number of great partners. He recently admitted, though, this this experience has been different.
Chmerkovskiy is competing in season 32 with Marvel star Xochitl Gomez, who is 17 years old. This is his 17th season with “Dancing with the Stars,” and many fans would consider Gomez and Chmerkovskiy solid contenders to win. He already won with Rumer Willis in season 20, as well as Laurie Hernandez in season 23, but he is all-in for trying to win again.
As much as Chmerkovskiy and Gomez are pushing hard to win season 32, he admitted there’s much more than just winning in this journey for him.
Here’s what you need to know:
Val Chmerkovskiy Is Savoring His Season 32 Experience
On November 19, Chmerkovskiy and Gomez talked with People about how much he has loved his experience on “Dancing with the Stars” with Gomez. “We love this thing. That’s why we’re doing it at the level that we’re doing it. Because we love it.”
Gomez had plenty of praise for her partner. She said he’s a good teacher, and he does a great job of balancing having fun and being strict with her during rehearsals.
Chmerkovskiy made a big admission about this season compared to many of his previous runs. “If [Gomez joined] me on the show like 10 seasons ago, that would’ve been very different.” By different, he doesn’t mean that in a good way.
“Even in seasons where I was successful and I did have great runs… a lot of them were really stressful and not as fun,” Chmerkovskiy explained. He didn’t name any names or specify which seasons, though.
He admitted there are multiple seasons where he looks back and thinks to himself, “Damn, I wish I really enjoyed that a little more.” His experience with Gomez has been different, and better in that sense.
“This time around I’m really savoring the moment and I’m really enjoying it,” the “Dancing with the Stars” pro admitted. Gomez described the eight weeks they’ve worked together as two months of “awesomeness.”
DWTS Fans Love This Version of Chmerkovskiy
Not only is Chmerkovskiy enjoying being a pro more this time around, Gomez has helped him learn to love social media again. “Dancing with the Stars” fans can frequently see Gomez and Chmerkovskiy joking around together on TikTok or Instagram, having a blast.
The dance pro shared he had fallen “out of love with social media for a long time.” Now, Gomez “definitely kind of brought some joy back into that relationship” with social media, Chmerkovskiy relayed.
Some “Dancing with the Stars” fans have noticed Chmerkovskiy’s transformation.
“I love this side of Val,” a fan noted on Reddit.
“Their partnership is so fun and I can tell they really bring out the best sides of each other!! They have the best overall chemistry in my eyes for sure,” another Redditor commented.
On a recent Instagram post of Chmerkovskiy’s, a fan wrote, “You two together create magic on the dance floor!”
“I HIGHLY DOUBT it’s just me but their companionship is like father and daughter and I LOVE IT SO MUCH 🥹🫶🏾,” gushed someone else.
Another note read, “I saw something special about you and Xochitl immediately. I have loved every minute of your journey together. My DWTS champs!!”