"When we first met we just hit it off": Witney Carson reveals the secret to her chemistry with DWTS partner, Olympian Chris Mazdzer
Just when you thought the routines couldn't get any more sizzling, Dancing With The Stars pro Witney Carson took the floor by storm with her celebrity partner, Chris Mazdzer, grooving to the beats of Ricky Martin's 'Mr. Put It Down' and evidently setting temperatures soaring. Cue — that quick stint where the athlete rips off his shirt in one quick move.
It's a never-seen-before all-athletes special on DWTS season 26 and clearly dancer-luger duo Witney and Chris are in no mood to leave any stones unturned when it comes to securing their claim to the mirror ball trophy. In fact, the partners brought their A-game to the premiere night itself (30 April), wooing judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli, with a jam-packed salsa set.
Decked in shimmering blue-and-silver outfits, while Witney shimmied around the floor, her Olympian partner Chris Mazdzer went on to compliment her skills with his blend of style and confidence. There's no doubt that on the floor, their chemistry is on fire. However, what particularly catches the attention is their hilarious back and forth exchange behind-the-scenes. The duo is funny with their hard-to-miss repartee and clearly in their comfort zone.
Just the right mix of characteristics required to make a winning pair on the wildly popular dance reality series. And yet, Witney, the DWTS pro who returns for her eighth season this time around, couldn't be more cautious; especially when it comes to matching up to her and Chris' strongest competition, the Olympic-level figure skaters.
In an exclusive interview with Meaww, the 24-year-old professional dancer opens up about her latest stint in the competition alongside an Olympian, her chances of securing the coveted mirror ball, and her life off the limelight.
The all-athletes DWTS opening night proved to be quite a spectacle, how is it like being partnered with Chris Mazdzer?
Chris has been a lot of fun actually and a real hard worker, which is also nice because he is able to correct when I am correcting him. The premiere night was really scary for me because I didn't know how he was going to react in front of the live audience, in front of the cameras, and the lights it's always kind of scary, especially us being the first pair to kickoff week I. So I was really scared but it actually went well, and am really proud that he did an amazing job and he just nailed it.
So premiere night was a salsa routine, could you give us a sneak peek into Week II?
We are doing the Viennese Waltz next, it's very different from salsa. It is graceful and poised and a little bit slower but it is a very different song that I have picked for him. Everyone's going to see him in a more intimate, powerful dance, a little bit more emotional as well.
According to judge Len, Chris clearly has "style" and "confidence", how would you rate the Olympic luger-turned-dancer?
Chris has star qualities, he is able to perform and that's something you can't really teach somebody. He goes out there (into the ballroom) and has fun, he is very teachable and works really hard on the things that he needs to. I think he has what it need to go really far, he is dedicated, hardworking has a great personality and these are the three things that I think will take him far, hopefully.
On the dance floor, what would you say, is his X-factor?
He, being an Olympic-level athlete is actually a great thing because (audience) really likes tricks and the performance quality.
Your performance scored a total of 21 from all the judges, how do you plan to scale up from the middle of the scoreboard?
Seven points each from all the judges is not bad at all, especially for the premiere night, it's not terrible. And the plan is continuing doing the best we can each and every week. But I would also like to bring out a different side of Chris that people haven't seen. Also important is letting his personality show for which we have to keep stepping up each and every week. For instance, in this week we got to show him in a different light and that's what we are going to do and hopefully, people are going to like it as well.
Who do you consider as competition on this season?
I think the figure skaters are really good and they are definitely going to be our biggest competitors and I also feel like Josh Norman (football cornerback and DWTS contestant) is very good too he is quick with his speed and he has a great personality, so we will see what happens.
Who is the toughest among the judges?
The comments were great, I mean they are always pretty positive at the premiere. But Carrie Ann said that Chris has star qualities, Len was also impressed, which I feel like, he is the most critical, the harshest and him being impressed seems to be a good sign. We were really happy with the feedback and they said something about his hands, fingers and his posture and we are going to work on it this week, so it's better the next week.
Tell us about your chemistry off the ballroom? You guys have a funny banter going on, does it help on the floor?
Our chemistry is pretty awesome. I feel like when we first met we kind of just hit it off and we were able to banter back and forth and he is just like my brother, we are really really close in that way. We are also very sarcastic and we would be joking around all the time. So I feel like that is, kind of, our relationship. But at the same time, he respects me and I respect him (also because he is a big athlete), but we do like to joke around a lot it's fun!
What are your chances of securing the mirror ball trophy once again?
You know what, it's hard to say, everyone's really good and everybody's competitive this season. They are all great athletes in their own rights, so out of all seasons, this feels like the most competitive one. Mostly because they are all athletes and that's how they train their whole life to be competitive and to be the best. So it's a big wild card on who is going to win. Obviously, we would like to win, and we are going to try to win, and going to give our very best every single week for that.
How has your journey with Dancing With The Stars been so far?
This is my eighth season. We are just like one big family and us pros are very close. We are always helping each other out even though it's a competition, really sticking with each other after all we have been through so much for so long. It's really like one tight-knit family and it's been awesome.
When did you fall in love with dance?
It all started when I was eleven and that's when the show also started (Dancing With The Stars). I used to sit down every Monday night and vote for all the celebrities and that's when I knew that that's what I wanted to do. I kind of made this a goal of mine. I fell in love with the acrobatics actually and that was something I wanted to do so bad and I knew I was going to do that exactly. So I think when I was about 11 or 13 years old, I would say it all began.
A DWTS pro and a full-time wife... how's married life with Carson McAllister? How does your personal life and professional life compliment each other?
That's a hard one, I love what I do, that's my passion but am also married. My personal life and family is very important to me so I try to keep my husband involved as much as possible like he is always meeting my partners, going out for dinner with us. It's kind of hard to balance everything right, but always family will come first before my job. I have been fortunate enough to have an amazing support of family who is always coming out for the shows, to support me.
Is Carson a fan of the show and your dance particularly?
Yes for sure!
Please share an insight into your happy marriage. How did you two meet and when did you decide he is the one?
We have known each other for a long time, I met him in junior high. Around that time I went on to pursue my career and he actually made his way out of the country for two years and when he was away I realized that I really did love him and when he came back, from out of the country, we connected, and it all fell into place and it was really just perfect.
You guys have been married since 2016, what's the secret to your relationship?
I will say it is lots of trust and communication. It is kind of the biggest things for us because I am always gone and he is always away and my job requires me to be dancing with another guy for a long stretch of time every day. For us, it is very important that to lean on each other we have that trust and communicate with one another the two biggest things probably.
Any plans on expanding the family?
Not right now, obviously, we want children but we are just not sure when. We do not want to wait forever but we are also not in a hurry. Probably 3 or 4 [when asked how many children the happy couple wants].
If not a dancer, would you give any other profession a shot?
I don't know if I would be good at anything else. I guess I would probably be some sort of a performer but I don't know what kind though. Whatever I do, it has got to bring me back to the stage, that's where my heart is, just performing, singing, acting, dancing obviously. Maybe something artistic, like painting, or anything creative.