Jenn Tran and pro dancer partner Sasha Farber performed well in last night’s episode of Dancing With the Stars. The couple earned an impressive 28 points from the judges (including a “10” from Carrie Ann Inaba) for their contemporary routine to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire.” They also won the dance-off against Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik and his pro partner Rylee Arnold, earning an additional three points.
However, the fans didn’t come across with enough roses, er, votes for the former Bachelorette star. She and Farber were voted off. They spoke to TV Insider on the post-show press line about leaving the dance reality competition series right after last night’s live broadcast.
“I’m so happy I got this experience,” Tran said. “I wasn’t even supposed to be on the show. I’ve been very grateful to have been able to dance these last seven weeks with Sasha.”
While viewers at home may have felt that the couple was safe given their high score, Farber points out that everything’s happening so quickly during the live program that he’s not able to accurately predict the outcome.
“To be honest, we’re on such a high with the ‘10’ [from Carrie Ann] and the dance-off win, we didn’t think about elimination,” Farber says. “I’m just so proud of Jenn and the hard work she put in in the dances. They were hard. She shined. She did so well. I’m just so proud of her. We didn’t think about the elimination until we were up there and we realized there were only three couples left.”
Tran’s done two reality series for ABC—The Bachelorette and DWTS—might there be a third in her future? “I’m not even thinking about that,” she responds, hastening to quip, “I need a nap and some Taco Bell!”
As for Farber, traditionally, ejected pros return for opening dance routines—“The fun stuff,” Farber says with a smile.
Tran may not know what’s next for her career, but she knows she has DWTS fans and #BachelorNation to thank for going as far as she and Farber did in the competition. “We would not be here without the fans wanting us to be here,” she says. “We made it all the way to Week 6. I worked hard, yes, but they voted for us. They loved our chemistry. I’m so grateful.”
DWTS won’t be seen next week due to the U.S. Presidential election so that means the remaining couples will have a few days of rest and relaxation. How much time off will there be exactly? “It depends on who you are asking,” says Brandon Armstrong “We’ve got to give [my celebrity partner] Chandler [Kinney] a few days of rest. We really do. Me? I’m stressing. I can’t let it go. Chandler knows this. My wife knows.”
“We are going to try not to stress too much,” Kinney says. “We’re going to work but we’re going to take a breather. It’s a balance. You want to do your best work but also not push you…”
“And crumble your life,” adds Armstrong, finishing Kinney’s sentence the way a sibling might. In fact, they often come off as brother and sister.
“I was adopted,” Armstrong says. “So, who knows?”
Armstrong is one of two dance pros remaining in this season’s competition who has never won the coveted Len Goodman Mirror Ball trophy. Arnold is the other.
“It’s crazy,” Arnold says. “I have no idea what’s going to happen in this competition. Everyone is so good and everyone is loved. That’s the main point. It’s scary but we’re going to stay locked in on ourselves so we can improve, just do this for ourselves and no one else.”
Arnold says that she and Nedoroscik are going to take the extra time over the next two weeks to “heal our bodies for sure. We need to chill and relax. Then, we’ll mentally prepare for the week that’s going to come.”
Dancing With the Stars, Returns, Tuesday, November 12, 8/7c, ABC