Val Chmerkovskiy Reacts to Ciara Miller Wanting Him as DWTS Partner

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Val Chmerkovskiy is down to hit the dance floor with Ciara Miller.  

Once the former star of Summer House joined season 35 of Dancing With the Stars, she shared that her ideal partner would be the professional dancer Val. Luckily, he was equally excited about the possibility.

Val, 40, told TopMob News at the Race to Erase MS Gala on June 5 that he was really honored by a video from Ciara. He explained that he couldn’t share certain details right now because it’s the off-season, but he wanted to express his gratitude for the recognition. He and his wife, Jenna Johnson, spoke together in the interview, and he called the shout-out a huge compliment.

“So, thank you,” he added, but “I am not the one in charge of casting.”

Jenna, who started as a dancer in the competition show in 2014 and later became a professional, also believes this could be a great pairing.

She was hoping to get to know either Ciara or the new contestant, Maura Higgins, romantically.

“I wanna dance with one of them, honestly,” she said. “Whichever one, please.”

Val recently spoke out about Ciara, who was revealed as a contestant on the next season of Dancing with the Stars just two months ago. Shortly after the announcement, the Summer House star publicly shared which professional dancer she hoped to be paired with.

I’m a huge supporter of Val, and I’ve been working hard to get people on board! I was chatting with Erin Lim Rhodes at the Live From TopMob Met Gala stream at The Pierre Hotel, and I was telling her I’ve been emailing everyone I know, really putting in a good word for them. Honestly, I’m just hoping it makes a difference and they consider my input when making their final decisions.

Ciara said she’s eager to learn the cha cha, and she’s particularly excited about the waltz.

She laughed, saying, “It’s a bit out of the blue, but I’ve always loved doing the box step. I really want to be on Bridgerton!”

But no matter who her partner is, Ciara is simply jazzed to be on the dance floor.

I was finishing up some personal matters in New York City, but I’m thrilled to be joining season 35 of Dancing With the Stars,” she said in a video on April 22nd. “It feels like the right time for a fresh start, and I can’t wait to share this new chapter with everyone. I’m really looking forward to bringing my energy to the dance floor!”

Until cameras for DWTS season 35 start rolling, keep reading for all of the show’s wildest secrets.

In 2019, Variety reported that contestants on Dancing With the Stars initially earn $125,000 for rehearsals and the first two weeks of the show. According to sources, they receive additional payments each week they continue on the program, potentially earning up to $295,000 total.

However, Bobby Bones said he made more than this when he won season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018.

The radio host revealed on Jason Tartick’s podcast, Trading Secrets, in September 2025, that the show’s pay structure is unusual. They explained they weren’t paid for the first episode, earned $10,000 for the second, and then the payment increased, roughly to $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, and $20,000 per episode. If you continue with the show, you could eventually earn around $50,000 an episode.

In addition to a salary of about $110,000, Bones revealed he earned nearly $400,000 from the show.

ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these figures.

Details about professional dancers’ earnings haven’t been released, but it appears they earn more the further they advance in the competition, much like the celebrity contestants.

But even if a pro is eliminated in the first round, they’re not leaving the ballroom empty-handed.

Jenna Johnson explained on the June 2025 episode of the The Morning After podcast, hosted by Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester, that dancers are typically guaranteed work for a specific number of weeks. However, she added that contracts vary and she couldn’t comment on everyone’s situation.

Apparently not.

Cheryl Johnson, a two-time ‘Dancing with the Stars’ champion – she won seasons 26 and 33 with Adam Rippon and Joey Graziadei, respectively – explains that professional dancers don’t receive extra pay for winning the show, now symbolized by the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. However, she points out there are still benefits to reaching the finale, beyond just the prestige.

She explained on The Morning After that reaching the finale means you get paid for the entire season, plus a bonus. However, winning isn’t about a large cash prize; it’s just a shared trophy for the winning couple.

That doesn’t appear to be the case.

Oh my gosh, I was listening to this interview with Lindsay Arnold on Trading Secrets, and she said the most heartbreaking thing! Apparently, when they moved her from a professional dancer to just being in the troupe, her salary was slashed – like, more than cut in half! It’s just awful to think about how much they reduced her pay. I’m still so upset about it!

The pros get little input when it comes to being matched with a celebrity.

On the May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers’ podcast, Hot Smart Rich, Lindsay explained that participants had no choice in who they were paired with. She described it as simply being told, ‘Here’s your partner, now try to make the relationship work.’

In fact, Jenna said the pairing is often a secret until the last minute.

Jenna explained on The Morning After that the show’s producers intentionally keep the cast a secret until the live reveal. People often assume the hosts know who’s participating, but that’s not true – the producers don’t even tell them. They want genuine reactions from everyone, so they work hard to prevent leaks and maintain the surprise until the contestants meet their partners.

As for what the Dancing With the Stars team looks for when making these matches?

According to former showrunner Rob Wade, the show’s pairings weren’t random. In a 2015 interview with TopMob News, he explained they considered height, body type, personality, and how well contestants would get along. They avoided putting people together who they thought wouldn’t mesh, as the experience was already very challenging. Unlike shows like The Bachelor, forcing incompatible pairings would create a negative experience for everyone involved – the celebrity contestants, the production team, and the viewers. He admitted they’d made that mistake in the past, pairing people who simply didn’t click.

Dancing with the Stars requires a huge time commitment. Rylee Arnold, who danced with Stephen Nedoroscik in season 33, explained on the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis that rehearsals are four hours long, typically from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., or 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The work doesn’t end there – she often has meetings with producers or the creative team, works on choreography, or studies dance videos. Rylee says her life is completely dedicated to the show, but she loves it and is passionate about it. It’s a demanding schedule with rehearsals happening almost every day. They perform on Tuesdays, then rehearse from Wednesday to Sunday, followed by camera blocking on Monday before another performance on Tuesday.

Emma Slater and Britt Stewart shared in an Instagram video in September 2025 that they were mostly in agreement, but it involved working together with the show’s producers.

If you think the quickstep dance is fast-paced, you should see how quickly the costume department works! Costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner explained to TV Insider that they collaborate with set, lighting, and dance teams to create a story for each dancer’s outfit. Then, they have only five days – just half a day per costume, before adding all the rhinestones – to actually make everything. With a team of around 20 people plus an outside tailor shop, it’s a huge undertaking.

Steven Norman Lee, another costume designer, revealed that dancers often don’t even try on their costumes until just hours before the show. While they might reuse pants for male dancers, most outfits are custom-made each week.

Gschwendtner added that while they’ll reuse items for group performances or promotional shoots, competition costumes are always new. The goal is to keep everything fresh and exciting for the audience, with dancers wearing different outfits each week.

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2026-06-06 23:47