Heavy/ABC Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy have grown close on DWTS.
Ahead of the season 32 “Dancing with the Stars” finale, contestant Xochitl Gomez took to social media to share a sweet tribute to her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy.
Gomez and Chmerkovskiy developed a tight-knit bond during their season 32 experience. Recently, he shared a beautiful post where he gushed over Gomez, and now she has taken her turn. She raved over Chmerkovskiy as a partner and noted she was very grateful for him.
Here’s what you need to know:
Xochitl Gomez Praised Chmerkovskiy As a Teacher & a Friend
On November 29, Gomez posted on both her TikTok and Instagram pages and what she shared had “Dancing with the Stars” fans swooning.
Gomez posted a video of her “Dancing with the Stars” waltz from the semifinals on Instagram and added a sweet caption. As viewers saw during the episode, the performance earned a perfect score. It nearly brought judge Derek Hough to tears and had Carrie Ann Inaba feeling emotional too.
“First I want to say… @valentin WHAT A GUY! He’s been the best teacher and an even better friend,” Gomez wrote in her caption. She continued, “He managed to showcase my growth on the show but most importantly our growth as a pair with this dance.”
The “Dancing with the Stars” finalist also thanked the fans who have been “supporting, voting, and cheering for us.” She ended her caption by sharing, “Now we’re off to prepping for the FINALS!!!!”
Many of the comments Gomez received on her Instagram post came from “Dancing with the Stars” fans who admitted they had been emotional at the end of that waltz performance.
“Was sobbing every time I watched this. This was beautiful,” noted one supporter.
“Can not watch it without sobbing, I am SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! You are going to kill it in the finals,” concurred another.
Gomez Never Expected to Make It to the Finale
Gomez shared a different video and caption on her TikTok page. The video highlighted some fun and casual moments she shared with Chmerkovskiy throughout their partnership. The bond they developed was obvious in the video. In her caption, Gomez noted the semifinal episode was “such a special night” for her.
“To be honest I never thought I’d make it to the finals so to be here.” Gomez added she’s “Forever grateful to have had this opportunity.” She also expressed her gratitude “to have been paired with a partner who brings out the best out of me and motivates me every week.”
The 17-year-old Marvel star closed out the caption of her TikTok post by thanking both Chmerkovskiy and “Dancing with the Stars.” In a comment, Gomez explained, “I made this thinking that I was gonna get eliminated tonight…makes it even better that no one got eliminated.”
The admission she had posted the sweet note and video because she thought she would be eliminated seemed to sync with her partner’s similar post.
Before the semi-final episode, Chmerkovskiy wrote in an Instagram post.”It’s been a real honor to be given such a powerful talent to guide.” He continued, “Xochitl is a force, and I’m looking forward to seeing her shine for many years to come.”
As he noted in his post, Chmerkovskiy has greatly enjoyed his experience throughout season 32 of “Dancing with the Stars.” He credits Gomez for that and shared this season has been a different experience for him compared to many prior seasons.
DWTS Adore Gomez & Chmerkovskiy’s Partnership
Ultimately, “Dancing with the Stars” kept all five couples safe and eliminated nobody. However, the show played up the drama before that reveal. They made it seem that Gomez and Chmerkovskiy, along with Ariana Madix and Pasha Pashkov, might be eliminated.
Chmerkovskiy told TV Insider he “was just looking at her and thinking about her” as the pair waited to learn their fate. He added he wanted “To protect her and keep her away from all these sad feelings.”
“Dancing with the Stars” fans on Reddit adored Gomez’s TikTok post about Chmerkovskiy.
“This is so adorable,” commented one Redditor.
Someone else admitted, “I will miss them!”
“Very nice to see a celebrity who genuinely thinks highly of their pro and fans who appreciate this kind of thing. She’s a very sweet and talented person who seems to have actually liked who she got And no one seems to disagree,” noted a different Redditor.