Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy might just be seeing a mirror ball trophy in their future! The Dancing with the Stars partners sat down with J-14, where they spoke about *that* ankle injury, not wanting the show to end and who they think their biggest competition is. Keep reading for J-14‘s exclusive interview.
In case you missed it, Xochitl had all DWTS fans worried after she shared rehearsal footage on TikTok of landing on her ankle after doing a cartwheel. “She messed up,” the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star wrote on top of the clip, just one day before the show’s Music Video Night, where the 17-year-old actress is set to perform “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani.
The Marvel actress told J-14 exclusively that the scary moment made her realize how quickly things could change for the worse in a second’s notice.
“It was one of those moments that I couldn’t look down and check if something was wrong or if it was just fine,” she told J-14. “So, definitely in that moment it made me think, ‘Wow, this whole situation could go away like that.’ Like I could be out of the competition.”
She has since reassured fans that she still plans to perform on the show this Tuesday, November 7, and to “make up” for the mishap, Xochitl says she’s determined to make sure it’s a “banger.”
“Going into this week, I was just like, ‘OK, now we gotta have the banger. I gotta make up for that two seconds,” she revealed. “And I’d like to say that this week’s dance is very fun. Full Gwen Stefani vibes. And as a Gwen Stefani lover, I’m very proud.”
Since their DWTS debut, Xochitl and Val have become fan-favorites on the show — and when it comes to their biggest competition, they explained that they’re only looking out to improve.
“We are in a position if we do make the finals, [we want to] to do something that’s incredible and powerful,” Val explained. “So, with that comes a lot of enthusiasm, but also big responsibility. I mean, my biggest competition is to make sure that I make the best choice for us as a team to kind of give it our last show, last impression. And hopefully it’ll be enough to win the trophy.”
And their enthusiasm is *definitely* not slacking, as Xochitl excitedly explained she doesn’t want DWTS to end.
“I just really like the process and I honestly just don’t want it to end, which I think most people end up saying, but it’s ultimately true,” she gushed. “I do want do well each week solely so that I can come back the next day to start working on another one.”
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.
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