ABC
Joey Graziadei Asked for ‘DWTS’ Partner Who Was in a ‘Healthy’ Relationship to Avoid Romance Rumors
Joey Graziadei did not want to fall into a Dancing With the Stars showmance trap! To avoid being the subject of romance rumors, the Bachelor star specifically requested a pro partner who was also in a “successful and healthy” relationship.
“It was something I thought about coming in,” Joey, 29, said on the September 27 episode of “The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous” podcast. “I said I wanted to be in a situation that I was comfortable [with], that I didn’t have to worry about a lot of noise.”
Joey, who got engaged to Kelsey Anderson on season 28 of The Bachelor, was paired up with Jenna Johnson, who is married to fellow DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy. “I didn’t want there to be any chance of noise with this because I know that comes with the show and the territory sometimes,” Joey admitted. “And I was in such a great place in my life with everything that Kelsey and I have built that I didn’t want to have a distraction. So, we understand why it’s happening, but I was also coming in with, ‘Let’s do everything we possibly can to help it.’”
Despite Joey’s request being granted, fans have still commented on his “chemistry” with Jenna, 30, on the dance floor – so much so that Kelsey, 26, had to clap back at critics who were leaving her comments like, “I could not watch this if I was Kelsey.”
“So many people are like, ‘Kelsey, why is Jenna touching your man like that?’” the former New Orleans resident said in an Instagram video. “And honestly, I don’t know … maybe because it’s her job? Maybe because she’s a professional dancer and she has to touch him to dance? I don’t know, that’s my understanding of it.”
Joey clarified that he and Kelsey “talked about” how their relationship would be thrust into the public eye again when he agreed to do DWTS. “I think we were more surprised that people couldn’t step away and understand the situation of the relationship that I was in, the relationship Jenna was in,” he added. “We were kind of hoping that people would be a little bit more aware of that, but we weren’t necessarily surprised.”
Jenna also praised Kelsey for being “so supportive” throughout the journey so far and added that Val, 38, “loves Joey and is so supportive.” Val is partnered with Phaedra Parks this season.
While the romance rumors about Joey and Jenna have died down, another season 33 couple – Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko – have not been able to avoid the buzz. The two added fuel to the fire by packing on the PDA outside the ballroom during a night out on September 28.
However, one night earlier, Brooks, 28, insisted that she was single and added, “We’re a dance couple for now. We’re not in a relationship. I have so many mixed feelings about it. I’m newly single, so we’re having a really nice time.” Still, she confirmed that the chemistry fans were seeing was the real deal. “Everything that you see, like, online and on TikTok or whatever is real, there’s nothing fake about it,” the model added. “I’m not a fake girl.”
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