Olivia Jade and Val Chmerkovskiy have come out of the gate on DWTS season 30 and proven they’re one of the pairs to watch. In the first two weeks of the competition, Olivia and Val have scored 25 and 27 out of 40. Val spoke with reporters, including HollywoodLife, about how Olivia has adapted to ballroom dancing.
“I’m pleasantly surprised,” Val said. “It’s a competitive season. There’s a lot of really good dancers on the show, which doesn’t always happen.” He also revealed Olivia is “exceeding my expectation every single week with the progress that she makes day-to-day, which is really impressive and inspiring. I’m grateful and I’m having a blast. I’ve been on the how for a long time. I’ve had amazing partners, and she’s one that’s up there. I want to do my best to have an opportunity to go the distance with her.”
Olivia weighed in and said they’re “having fun but also putting in the work.” The YouTuber admitted that she and Val get along really well, and he pushes her to be the best dancer she can be.
“He holds me accountable,” Olivia continued. “I need that. I need someone to be tough on me and be like, hey, get it together. Do this step correctly. It does motivate you. I’m having a great time. I’m biased, but I think I have the best partner of all time.”
Val has been a DWTS pro since season 13 and has won twice. After all these years, Val is still passionate about ballroom dancing and loves to teach his love of dance to people like Olivia.
“I don’t know how many more seasons I have on the show. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to dance,” Val said. “I love dance. I can’t dance without a partner, without a student. I can’t be on this show without somebody that has that passion. This young lady does, and I appreciate that a lot. She buys in. She loves the craft. She allows me to be passionate about what I love.” Dancing With the Stars season 30 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.