You're listening to Jojossua Now with me Jojo Siua and iHeartRadio podcast. Oh boy, welcome back to Jojasa Now my podcast.
I just wanna say, first of all, thank you so much for all of.
The love on Jojo Sea Now. It has been insane. This podcast is new.
It's new for me.
I mean, I've done a billion people's podcasts, but to now have my own and for it to just be getting so much love and support means the absolute world to me.
So thank you so much.
Anyways, if you're new here, I am Jojo Sia and about two years ago I got to meet one of my best friends in the entire world.
I got to meet her.
Because we were the first ever same sex couple to be on Dancing with the Stars. It was pretty cool and normally, you know, there's a guy pro and a girl star or a girl pro and a guy star, but we were the first female female duo.
And so today I am joined by one of.
My favorite people in the world, Miss Jenna Johnson. We are about to go down memory lane. It's so hard and I'm so excited.
Jannah, how are you. I'm good, I'm great. Yeah, I just became a mom, I guess not just he's nine and a half months, which is wild crazy, But yeah, I'm a new mommy. I'm on Dancing with the Stars right now, so I feel like there's a lot of chaos going on while I'm adjusting to this new life. But I love every second of it. It's amazing. Has
it been strange having a season being a mom. It's a little strange because I usually know what to expect during the season when it's just by myself and with Val, but trying to manage being a good mom and not feeling guilty being away from him, like all of those things are hard, which I knew I would feel some sort of way being away from him, But but it's been really good for me to be back, and I feel like then when I come home, I'm so much more present and I'm more productive with my time, and
he just makes any bad rehearsal a good night, a great day, you know. So, oh my, your baby is just the cutest. I'm obsesseding.
We'll talk about Rome a bunch more, but I just anyone who doesn't know Dancing with the Stars, the pros on the show are, I mean, so.
Committed y'all are in. I remember.
I remember it was the first week of my season, and then I actually like abused this a little bit. I used to call you after rehearsals and like ask something or be be curious about something, and I'd be like'm sorry for about you after, like we're working, and you always said you were like no, like because I used to say, like, I know you're with your husband right now, like I'm I'm sorry, I don't interrupt her on a date or whatever. But you used to be like, no,
it's the season, Like you worem up. My partner is my priority, like everything else aside.
But now with a baby, it's like that's I sip, Yeah, you still have that, and again it is. It is weird. You felt it when you're in the season of Dancing with the Stars. You're in this bubble. There is nothing like it. They're like, truly, nothing can burst that bubble because you're so focused, so committed, and especially when you're having a season like we did time committed. Yes, we're spending a ton of time together and it's all we're thinking about. We have to prep for the next week.
You know, you're worrying about this week's Dance with the cost Like, and I always laugh because I signed up to be a professional dancer on the show, but I didn't know I was going to eventually become like a therapist, a best friend in an arranged marriage for a couple months with somebody. Like there's so many different roles that you play with your new partner. And it's a weird thing too, because you're immediately forced into this relationship. Yeah,
and you have to connect or else it just looks crazy. Yeah, so it's wild. But yeah, that's why. Like when you're texting me videos and asking me about your frame or something, I'm like, yes, this is great. Let me get you some notes real quick. While we're not in the studio. We are gonna Di'm.
So deep into Dancing with the Stars Memories and I'm so excited about it.
I actually I made this little game.
It's not really a game, but it's something that we'll talk about where I'm just calling it Memories Unlocked because I was like, there's so many things that I deeply remember that I'm so curious if you do, and they'll just they they'll flourish stories and we'll just we'll talk.
We'll talk before we get into dancing with the stars.
I like to talk to people because this podcast Jojosuwan now is all about who you are now, but how your past got you to where you are now. And so I want to go back to little baby Jenna Johnson living in Utah, dancing, going to school. I mean I know, I know, because I mean I spent every seventy five days in a.
Row with you.
I die that you counted, yeah, obviously, And also we need to talk about the end of the seventy five days, the melt down.
I'm telling you, you burst your bubble and you're just like devastated the melt down.
Do you remember when I came up to your house with the banana muffins and I plucked your hair and.
I was like, I'm just tears in your eyes and like we live down the street from each other. It's okay, so devastating.
Anyways, take me back to Jenna in Utah growing up. What was your early like ten and underlife?
Like, Yeah, I had an amazing childhood. I'm one of six kids, and so I grew up in a really big family and I just always remember being happy, you know, and I love that for my childhood, but I yeah, I think like ten and under, I always had best friends around with my siblings and lots of cousins around,
which was so great. And then when I was three, I have two older sisters and they were both involved in dance, and my mom would take me to their practices or whatever, and I guess I would like always try to sneak into the baby class and I just like wanted to be there.
So I know, wild no one loves dance like Jenna No, So I my mom eventually put me into dance, and I just never remember wanting to do anything else, Like I loved being athletic and everything, but I think just there was nothing in my mind that excited me like danced it.
So from a very young age, I just always remember that being a priority. And then, you know, start those teenage years, I started realizing that this was a real passion and that I really learned a lot of hard work from dance. And I loved that mentality of like it was on me to show up and I you know, and I loved that I'm like maybe a psychopathist a little bit, because yeah, I love a challenge, and I loved when someone was like no, you can't do this. I wanted to do it better. I wanted to do more.
So I think for this like little girl from Utah, I was able to accomplish a lot, which was really exciting, both in the contemporary world for people that don't know. I grew up dancing in contemporary jazz, ballet, hip hop, all of that, but then I also cross trained and I started doing ballroom when I was about ten years old. Funny enough, one of my first teachers was Julianna Huff. She used to teach me. Yeah, we used to do privates.
She'd moved back to Utah from England for her high school year or one of the high school years that she was doing, and she would like, she was the cutest thing in the world. How much older than you is she? Oh, I don't want to hate her. I think she's around VAL's age, so I think she's thirties, mid thirties. Yeah, but yeah, she would teach me these little lessons and I just remember watching her do ballroom and I was infatuated, like the way that she was
able to move her body. I'd never seen anything so like feminis or sexy, but like in such a sophisticated way. So I was crazy about ballroom. Is it is so hot, yes, but so sleek like it just because you don't take it to that like raunchy level. It's it's hot. But yeah. So I remember, like when I was probably about like ten, I was like, oh, I love this style. I want to do this. So then until I was eighteen, I cross trained in all of those different styles and it
was really exhausting. I didn't have a personal life. Looking back now, I wish I would have enjoyed school a bit more, but I think I was so focused on what my future was and what I wanted to do, and that was get out of Utah and become a professional dancer. So looking back now, and I think now raising a child, I really want I wish I would have been a kid a little bit more, because I think, you know, dance really matures you. It requires a level
of discipline and maturity that how many kids have. And so I think high school Jenna, middle school, high school Jenna became a bit more of a recluse, and I didn't feel like I really fit in with other kids my age or had much to relate to. I'm sure you can relate to that, but I just feel like I just was on a different path, you know. And I didn't care about going to high school football games
because I had rehearsal and I need it was important. Yeah, And I needed to schedule more lessons and more privates, and I need to work on my solo harder. And I needed to practice with my ballroom partner, like would you like more ballroom or the other side of the dance world. It always, it always switched. I think when I was going to conventions and things like, I was like, this is what I want to do. And I really
attribute Mandy Moore. She was on convention when I was when I was growing up, and I remember taking her class and being like, I want to do this, like I want to be her. I want to inspire kids, I want to teach, and I want to do that like she really, I think has influenced me the most
as a teacher or a mentor. But then I'd go to these ballroom competitions or the World Championships that you know, only two people from your country get to represent, and I qualified for that, and so then I went and I was in China representing the United States of America and I was like, what is this, Like this is the closest thing to the Olympics that ballroom has and I was there, yeah, you know. So it was this constant like poll of which one do I love more? And I could never choose.
Yeah.
So then cut to I was eighteen and my ballroom partner and I had just broken up. It was like really dramatic before one of our biggest competitions, and I kind of just felt.
Broken up, like y'all were like in a relationship, broken up, just like damn dinners.
So it's funny because you're, yeah, you break up like a relationship, it's just your partnership. But so, yeah, we had a very dramatic breakup, and I remember being so stuck and I was like, well, now what do I do? Because at that point I had really told myself I'm to be a ballroom dancer, Like I want to be a world champion, That's what I want to do. And so when we broke up, I was kind of stuck.
I had just graduated high school. I was still living at my parents' house and my mom, I love her, she was like, you know what, I just looked it up and so you think you can dance. Auditions are next week. It's in Memphis, Tennessee. It's like the last one left. We should go. Yeah, I was like, no, what am I going to audition? As Like, I don't know if that's for me.
Yeah.
I loved the show, but I just didn't know if I, yeah, if I would do well anyway, since I.
Think you were smart enough to know that, like a lot more goes into something like that than just your talent.
Well time, I had seen both of my older sister's audition for it, and funny enough, they'd both made it to the top twenty and then we're eliminated right before you make it to the show, you know. So they were like, it's called Green Mile. It used to be called the Green Mile back in our day, but I call it that, but then it was it wasn't that, but we called it out. We judged. Yeah, So when I knew how amazing they were, so I was like, you know, if they're getting cut, there's no way I'm
making this because they trained me my whole life. So anyway, my mom she really like had a huge impression that we should go to these auditions in Tennessee, and so I was like, this is so weird. I called up my old ballroom partner Landon Anderson and we flew out. We practiced like literally one time, and as most do, like it's so wild.
When you think about like the really good, great dancers, they're the ones that are like, yeah, one rehearsal, make sure we have it together, and then we'll call it the Like.
I think that's the best way to do it, because I think the more pressure I would have put on myself, the worse I would have done. Yeah, and that's actually what happened to me on the live show. I'll get to that. But we went to the audition. I ended up getting a ticket, went to the vagas you should. I made it all the way through and it just like not was easy, but I was like making it through when there were any weird doing hurdles. Yeah, so
I made it onto the live show. Then comes the live show and I was nowhere near Jenna Johnson like it just I guess I'd never learned how to be on camera, and no one really teaches you that in the studio life, you know what I mean, Like, yeah, always ready to pan the same thing. Producers are very good at putting pressure on. Yeah. I guess I just didn't understand the concept because I felt like I was one of the better dancers there, but I wasn't connecting
to the audience at home. Yeah, And so then I felt like I was forcing. Yeah.
I was like not in the bottom every week, and the judges just kept saving you.
I was in the bottom. I think I myself and Robert roll Dan are the most. Are the two people that were in the bottom three the most. I was in the bottom three five times, five times. The judges and then the choreographers. Back in the day, they would like mingle, the choreographers and the judges would mingle and save somebody, and they would always save you, and they kept saving me, and I like time three, I was like just send me home, like please the model anymore.
But then you look back at the group numbers and I was kind of like in the center or how to part every time. And it's because they knew me from the convention world. They knew like what I was capable of. I just wasn't coming across and on camera to the audience. I don't know how you were to work with it as a kid, but I know as a as a teacher, how you are as an adult, so I can only imagine how good of a student you were to them. I loved being a student. I
loved it. I love I love rules, I love following direction. I like this.
This is love special forces because you are just like give me something, give me a task.
It goes back to like that psycho thing of like a challenge the root. The harder you are, the more I want to prove you wrong or like show up anyway. So I did like my time on Say You Think You Can Dance? I didn't love it because I feel like that was also the first time I ever experienced maybe like some depression or anxiety or like some mental health stuff and really question It was the first time that I ever questioned myself, is like am I good enough? Yeah?
You know, or like had doubts about myself because other people were telling me them. And so I think that was like the first time that I ever came across like some mental health situation, which was weird to be experiencing in front of a massive audience on a TV show live.
Was it weird to experience that feeling as you were old enough to comprehend it? Because I feel like I experienced that, but I was nine, you know what I mean? And it was probably my first time was on Abby's Ultimate, where I was like, am I good enough to be hearing?
I'm not as good as everybody else? Like what's like? What can I do?
But at nine you can't you can't really understand what that means, Like you go, didn't you find a cutie orange? And you're like, oh, I'm happy now, But like at eighteen, you know that's gonna affect you a lot more.
It was also very drastic for my brain to process because again I don't want to sound concede it or anything, but just facts. I had been winning everything both in the jazz world and in the ballroom work, dance, well you know you can your jazz titles. I had accomplished all of these things, and so then to constantly be like put in the bottom and not as good it was like a first time for me of like wait a minute, but I'm doing everything right, or I'm trying
to like why is this not happening for me? So yeah, it was really weird. And then I think another part is usually my family is my go to circle for anything for advice, you know, help, And none of them knew how to communicate with me or talk to me about what I was feeling or going through because they weren't experiencing it. So they were there for me for sure, but like, I didn't have anybody to relate to, and yeah, what do I do in this situation? How do I not feel this way?
You know?
So I think that was a little bit weird. Yeah, it's crazy how much being around your family can help, Yes, And you don't realize it until you're away from them, and then you're like, oh yeah. And it was the first time. Also, I was eighteen. It was the first time I ever lived away from my family but cut too. So then after that experience, I did make it to
the top eight, which was pretty pretty awesome. But then they brought me back as an All Star and they kept bringing me back as an All Star, and I just like, I feel like that was the time I really learned how to be on camera.
To.
Showcase myself and not have to be somebody else but just to be Jenna and that was enough. And I really learned a lot from the choreographers there, and so I feel like that really then prepared me to then get into Dancing with the Stars, and you know what we film, so you think the dance and Dancing with the Stars at CBS. It's at the same lot and they're across from the hall from each other. So that's kind of how I was found.
I was gonna ask you, what was your how did you get on Stars?
How did you start Stars? It was so wild. I just got a phone call one day. I had just gone on the So you think you could Dance Tour and I got a phone call from a producer saying, Hey, we'd love for you to come audition for Dancing with the Stars. And I was like, you've got to be kidding me, because that's like the ultimate for dancers. The industry is like.
Especially too, Like anyone who doesn't know the dance world would would not know this, But there is like I mean, I don't even know how to explain it. Utah and ballroom dancers and.
Dancing with the Stars.
There is just a thing something in the water. Then there's something in the water there. But almost every freaking pro from Dancing with the Stars has come from Utah and all of the ones that will be upcoming, Like you can see it happening. All the all the kids that were on Dancing with the Stars juniors as pros, all from Utah, like they're just.
Something in the water. I'm telling it might be the discipline thing. I'm not sure, but yeah, we yeah, we all just And so then there's that laway here reputation.
There like everyone wants to be on Stars because all the people before you went, you know what I mean.
And so again there's no, we don't have any contacts at the time. How is that possible? Yeah? And so I got called, I auditioned, and I got picked up, which was incredible. Did you go straight to pro or did you do true? I was on Troop. Yeah, I was on Troope for about five seasons. And for those that don't know what troop is, it's you're hired as a professional. You just don't have a partner. And again, that was I feel like I've had a lot of
like learning experiences in my career. That was also hard because I'm looking at people that you know, my peers and wondering why do they have a partner and why don't I have a partner? Right, But I will say now being able to look back, I'm so grateful that I had that time because that's when I was rehearsing with Mark Ballast, Derekuff val Max. They were all asking me to come help them prep their routines, you know, and work with them. And you guys have learned instead
of being thrown to the wolves. Yes, And I learned what looks good on camera. At the time as well, Mandy Moore was doing a lot of our group opening numbers and she's just she's the one for me and life like she's really I just want to be I want to follow her example. But she was doing these massive numbers and that's when I really feel like I learned what orchestrating a number looks like, and how to choreograph, how to space transitions, all of that stuff and TV
it's way the TV cameras. She was teaching me about two shots study like white shots, all of this stuff I've never heard of before. And the best way you can learn that type of stuff is just experience experiencing it.
There's no book. There's no book on how to do TV. There's no book on how to make a number for TV. You just have to watch and learn.
Yeah, And so I'm grateful that if I did have a pro partner, I wouldn't have had that time to really be invested in experience this. So again, it all happens. It was your first bro, Oh, your first star yea. His name was Jake t Austin. He's the girl on Max Max Max on Wizards.
Oh I did. I just saw that. I did just see that, Cliff I knew this. Yeah, I just saw that cliff on TikTok and I was like, no.
Way, she was with Max Brusso. I think they wanted us to be like that young in love. It wasn't happening. No, No, I was in love with a pro a bro. Were you alone? It's crazy His name starts with the and that's with al Nope.
Not ringing about not ringout Max. Yeah, Max is Bell's brother. Valan Jenna. I wish everyone in the world could see you guys, Like the way that Valan Jenna are with each other is like the relationship I want, but not with a man.
Like I just I see you to it. I'm just like I want that. I want that. Me and Ezra talk about that all the time.
Ezra, who is my best friend who John actually introduced us, even though when we she introduced us.
She introduced him as his brother. Do you remember that, oh, as my brother?
No brother, You were like, this is Tristan and I'm fired.
No.
We and az a door you We we we make the joke all the time, but it's not a joke. We're like the whole bane of our friendship is based around our love for you.
Like that's why we.
Became friends, because we were both mutually obsessed with Dancing with the Stars and have the same love for you. Like it's it's great. We also he told me as a shocker, who is also I mean, he's a he's a He's not a pro on Dancing with the Stars. It's not fair to call him that yet, but he is well, he will be a pro and dancing with the Stars. He filled in this season as a pro for Ardam. When Ardam was sick.
He did troop.
He did he's been, he's in the he's in the bubble and he he will be a pro. Were putting that out there, but anyways, we him and I were just talking and he was like, Oh, I'm gonna go to Utah, shocker.
He's from Utah. And I was.
Like, I'm gonna go to Utah and then I can like see all like the like famous things as see ce like whatever you want to see there, and he goes, I can tell you where Jenna grew up. That was my I was like, I was like thinking, maybe like your house. I was in the studio your house. Yeah, We're gonna go to Jenna Johnson's house. I was like, guys, are welcome. My mom would love us, Like, okay, I want to go hang out with all your little nieces and I love your mom. Your family's just the best.
All let's let's let's transition. So you do you do Dancing with the Stars?
You have you?
I mean, you've had some incredible partners. I truthfully, before before I did the show, I knew about the show, but it didn't follow along as much as I should have, you know what I mean, I didn't really understand the like, but I do remember like hearing about you and your pros.
I remember when Adam did it, I remember when Neve did it. Like I didn't even like I didn't, but I just like you were you. You were always kind of the talk of the town.
What okay, I want to do like a little rapid fire because I feel like I feel like I just want to like get these out of here.
You cannot use me.
I don't know if I would be any of these answers, but because I'm sitting right here, you cannot use me because I will either get bruly offended or my ego will get boosted, and I don't want either.
Sons Jojo.
Yeah, But just like rapid Fire, your stars that you've been partnered with, who was the most fun to rehearse with? Not necessarily the best, but the most fun, Like you just knew you're gonna have a good time.
Adam Adam Rippon. We just connected so quickly and easily, and when I tell you that, we laughed from beginning to the end of the rehearsal. If anybody knows him or follows him, he is probably one of the funniest people I've ever met. But he was just so down to earth. I had no ego, wanted just to be there and have a good time, and we just vibed. I love it.
Who was your your underdog story? Who were you like, Oh God, oh God, go But then you're like, you got there.
Oh. I don't know if we ever got there, but we did make it to the semifinals. No, he's one of my favorite people, Joe Mobley, and I also had such a great time rehearsing with him. He was so bad, so bad at dancing, and he knows that, he knows that, but he never give up. Yeah, first of all, and night one forgot all of his routine. No premiere night forgot all of the routine. I think we got threes or four no, which I'd never seen on my time
in Dancing with the Stars. And then no joke, we made it to the semifinals, and it was because he was so likable. No ego, would just take it and he would try his bed and that's all you can that's all you can ask for, and was so kind and sweet to me. We actually have the same birthday. Shout out, Joe Mathley, I love you so much. But yeah, so I that was like kind of my underdog story. But also I guess I could kind of putne even there.
I wouldn't say he was an underdog because I think that he he did have a little bit of dance experience, but I don't think anyone was expecting him to go far, and I don't think anyone was expecting us to create what we did and we ended up getting second.
So did incredible you have a sermed at residence yet that second place spot get.
Me out of there on the left side as well on the stairs and that next season if.
You are, if you are that pit real quick semale fun So oh.
Okay, okay?
Who who was your Like you knew you could just make a bomb dance with like either they can stand there and like chuck you and throw you and catch you. I mean, it's not the stuff you just did a Tyson what? I was like, No, that was fun because.
I haven't had somebody that I could be like, can you just chuck me above your head? And he was like sure, what do you mean the eighteen year old female? Wasn't that you were down to attempt? Whether it happened or not, was now I could now I could now it would be sick. So Tyson Beckford was fun because I really felt like I could be He was a jungle gym. I was just like, can you let me move over end? And he was like yeah, I was like can you hold me upside down?
Yeah?
He was. He was so sweet and fun about it, But obviously I would say you like that was the first time where I I always came prepared. But if I didn't come prepared with choreography, I knew that we could fumble around and make something worse. I don't think you came prepared when we did feedback. No, that was definitely in the room. No, it was just a lift. It was because again I didn't know what we could do and salsa, and I knew that we needed to
throw something crazy, so we attempted some headstack. You did you did wrap feedback.
Because I remember you prepped feedback with Ezra and yeah, so Jenna, Jenna came into one of our rehearsals and and we did we did this actually is gonna lead me pretty pretty solidly into my memories Unlocked game. But she came into our rehearsals and she was like, let's get the mad out. And anytime the mad out it was like, oh dear gosh, here we go, thinking we're gonna.
Do some left drive. She's like, can you do a headstand? Yeah, okay, preps this. I'm an artist. Artists should make mistakes. This was a big mistake on my head. This is a very big mistake.
The concept was there because kids now in the convention, Well, do do these really cool headstand tricks where they headstand spin, split straddle flip like they do these, But me and Jenna we like it.
Just it wasn't about to happen. We're gonna have to share this video so everyone can just witness absolutely.
Jenna was like, all right, we're gonna go headstand, straddle through laid back. I was like, Okay, we look absolutely so stupid.
We look like we're mini's like trying to do We look like in.
The back of the convention around like that's what we looked like so bad?
Well, here was the thing. I was like, we hadn't really done the lifts yet. Yeah, and I knew that we needed to like have really shut out or whatever. So I was like, okay, well if we can't lift each other, like we can probably do headstans together. Bad idea. It didn't happen, and you did lift me that routine that week. I lifted upside down, cross side down, you knowdle, We did the opening lift. Yes, there was a lot that week.
Oh my god, we're gonna get into the lists because I have a lot of lift memories, a lot of lift thoughts.
We got a lot more to talk about. I feel like we're gonna have to do part two to this.
Uh so I'm gonna I'm gonna pause this round of the podcast here and uh you and I are gonna start chatting some more. But everybody listening, you're gonna have to go check out Part two to hear the rest. Thank you so much for listening, everybody. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Jojosa Now Podcast. Be sure to write us a review, and maybe if you're feeling to leave us five stars, I'll see you next week