Now that Dancing With the Stars is headed into week 4, the competition is tougher than ever. Skai Jackson, 18, and Alan Bersten, 26, are staying positive as they move forward, but they’re going to change things up to keep the viewers and judges on their toes. “I think something we’re going to work on is bringing out a different side of Skai,” Alan told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “The first week we saw this very intense Skai, and then for the samba and the jive, it is more playful fun. So hopefully for this next week, we’re going to bring out a more softer side of Skai.”
During the Oct. 5 episode, Skai will be paying tribute to her late friend and former Jessie co-star Cameron Boyce. Cameron tragically died at just 20 years old in July 2019 due to complications from epilepsy. Skai and Alan will be dancing the foxtrot to “Ordinary People” by John Legend.
Skai and Alan hit the ballroom for Disney Night in their first performance since Skai slipped and nearly fell during her performance the week before. They returned for a fun jive that earned them an 18 out of 30.
“The jive’s a really hard dance, and I feel like Skai conquered it,” Alan said. “We did a really good job. I really enjoyed the performance. I feel like the audience really enjoyed the performance. We got a lot of feedback, so I’m really excited. We’re very thankful to be moving forward to the next week.”
The pair went first during Disney Week, and Skai admitted it was definitely “intimidating.” However, she was glad to get it out of the way and enjoy everyone else’s performances. “I definitely was a little bit nervous,” Skai told HollywoodLife. “But I wouldn’t necessarily say more nervous than I’ve ever been before. I just was like, okay, yes, I slipped last week. It’s whatever now. [It’s] in the past, and I was just really focused on my performance this week and executing it well.” Dancing With the Stars season 29 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.