Bachelor Happy HourToday on “Happy Hour,” we’re joined by “Dancing with the Stars” Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy winners Jenna and our former Bachelor Joey! The champs are sitting down with Joe and Serena to talk all things dancing and more. We get into Joe’s memories of partnering with Jenna when he was on “DWTS,” including a close call they had LIVE on the dance floor! Then, we discuss Joey’s journey to the Mirrorball with Jenna by his side and the obstacles they faced. Plus, we hear all the tea from their season! Tune in now, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Hey, everyone, welcome back to Bachelor Happy Hour. I'm Joe and I'm Serena, and we are here.
With the Mirror Ball champions themselves, Joey and Jenna.
Welcome to Bachelor Happy Hour.
How are you good?
Thanks for having us, Thanks for coming on. How's Jenna? My old partner, my old dancing partner. She she flipped on me. She went for the the more relevant, more handsome, more popular.
Joe not happy about it.
I would have to jokes from the Bachelor nation like what are the freaking odds?
Yeah?
And honestly, also, the two of you made it the furthest on the show, so you should be so proud of yourselves.
Very similar, very similar styles of dance.
Joey and I both just riddled with natural ability.
Let's let's let's pick up at the beginning. Joey, you, I remember we saw you at the movie premiere in New York and you were debating if you wanted to even go on the show.
So what changed your mind? You did?
Joe?
Really, honestly, it was it was talking to you and talking to Charity and Dot about the experience because they were just on it before. But that was helpful to kind of talk to people that had been through it, and you honestly did say I was worried about how it was going to be and if I was going to even be able to perform and enjoy it, and like, I was worried about putting myself out there, and you gave me confidence. You're like, I sucked and it was still so much fun. So that made me feel like I should do it regardless of what was going to happen. So he gave me all the confidence in the world that it was a good idea, even if I was going to be very very bad at it.
Yeah, I wasn't very good, but I tried really hard, right, Jenna.
Yes, no, I think we can attest almost every interview that we did. Our season was one of my favorite seasons because, first of all, obviously your dance, but your dance experience wasn't the best, but we had so much I mean, I don't know how you feel, but I had so much fun every day and rehearsal with you because you were just down. We laughed so hard, and I feel like because there were no expectations really for like dance wise, we were just like, let's just go do it. Let's just freaking go for form.
Well, we gossiped every but we gossiped for the first thirty minutes and drank coffee.
Every single time. It was one of most of the seasons. You were just so enjoyable to be around. And yeah it was.
It was great.
Okay, So that's actually that that leads me into my next talking point. I thought you would be thrilled to get another Bachelor, but there's articles out there saying that you wanted somebody from the NFL.
She was disappointed, Joe. She wow, stand another Joe from the Bachelor. She was very very upset about it. You know what.
This went around and I was so upset because everybody took my words so out of context what I was saying time.
And I actually believe you because when I heard it, I was like, yeah, it doesn't really sound like Jenna.
Thank you so much, Joe. Well, here's the thing. Before the season had started, when I first got picked up, and before anybody had been announced on the cast, this was before I knew I was with Joey or that he was even on the cast. For years, I have been talking to the casting director about being with a football player. I've never had a football player. I've always wanted to partner with them because again, they're athletic, they are totally down to be coached and yelled at. They usually do pretty well. So I was like, you know what, maybe this will be my season to get a football guy. And then I had heard rumblings that there was an NFL player casted on the show. I didn't know it was Stanny. I didn't know Joey was on yet, and so that's why I said, you know, I was like, oh, disappointed that I didn't get the footballer because I'd found out that he was with Whitney. She had her first meet before I did.
So they're not like all on the same day at the same time.
We're actually pretty late. I think we're one of the middle for the last Is it.
The same day or is it spread out across a couple of days that they film.
It's it's spread out across a couple of days. It's okay schedule when they moved there.
So like if Whitney's on day one, you're like, there's the footballer. That's my chance. It's gone, and now you have to wait like three days to find out who you.
Got exactly she got stuck, and.
Why did I get the football guy this time? And that was again before I met him, And then when I met him, I was like, Okay, this is gonna be awesome, super super stoked.
She's like.
Saying it like I almost believe it, but it's just it's fine. We've gotten through it.
I got your mirror ball, so we're happy now.
Exactly is there a sport like n B A, NFL whatever that is, like the players are known to be the best dancers or have the best skills that like translate to.
Dance football players football.
Players just because of like footwork and rhythm.
Yeah, they're they're agile, they are they're comfortable and familiar with like a rehearsal schedule where it's really physical. It's a lot of hours, so they're like down to that experience. And then also they're usually pretty big and strong, so they can lift the girl all over the place. So I think they tend to do pretty well.
Jenna, remember what I almost snapped your neck? Yeah, I almost I almost killed you. I swear my life. She almost died.
It was why she wants a football player. She's like, they would never do that to me.
Joe that was your best dance, and it was the ending move we had like one lift. It was the ending move. He put his arm in the wrong spot. I was going to do a backlip. I don't know how I like.
She went like it was like it was like it was the only thing that I couldn't like. It was the only position I couldn't lift her in. Was the was like, just don't do this, and it was it was what I did.
I did.
I didn't stop my neck.
Jenna would walk off stage when we would get done dancing, and she'd look at me and she'd go what happened?
And I would look at her and say, well.
Because would that be something that you would just like, not a rehearsal, And then you'd get on stage and you just freak out.
I would just black out every time. But okay, we can't talk about me. Let's talk about We're gonna get to when you guys first met. But Jenna, I do want to ask you this question. The shows a popular show, right, it's on ABC. Everybody everybody that lives in the United States at least knows what Dancing with the Stars is. But what do you think it is about this season? Because it's been all over, like all over TikTok all over and not saying that it's usually not, but I feel like this season has been like the biggest in a while.
Do you agree, at least on social media?
Do you agree? And why?
Yes? I I Well, I think it's facts. We got numbers back that it was like seventy percent higher our viewers, and that's insane because no one's watching live TV anymore, right, Yeah, I think this was such a perfect storm of the cast. First of all, we had two Olympians hot off of the Olympics who were like megastars of the Olympics. We had somebody like Joey who was so loved by Bachelor Nation, and I think that was like the perfect momentum going into the season. And then I think just in general, the celebrities were so likable and so active on social media, and I think that's when this younger demographic of like TikTok got involved, where every week a lift or a dance was going viral and then everyone was trying to do it more people were tuning in. It was nuts. Like I've been on the show for a while for ten years, and I've never felt the magnitude that it was the season. It was crazy, but so exciting, Like it's just really exciting that everybody's talking about it, and not just like grandma's and moms, but like dads and younger kids and people are tuning in, which it's really really awesome.
Yeah, hopefully you get like you get a younger audience on the tour. I mean sometimes sometimes those meet and greets sometimes there, Joe Well right now, no, I'm not isolating anybody, but you will have you will have some very.
Aggressive older women.
Yeah, Joey, you're you at this. I mean you are probably I would say, in a lot, you know, in a long time, for a while, the most loved bachelor we've had.
Yeah, I lead.
Maybe for sure, that's just a fast season.
Yeah.
Maybe. Ever, what what do you think it is?
I've I don't know.
I mean, I think I've gotten very lucky, and even here that always just is like I just deflected every single time. I think Jenni started about a million times we deflect that of people saying.
I'm a love bachelor. I don't know how all this happened.
I still think back in how crazy this year was, and I know it's kind of a usual progression where if you do well on The Bachelor, they do ask you to Dance with the Stars. But like we talked about before, I didn't even know if I wanted to do it because I was excited to get back to figure out what I want to do with my life.
But it just was one of those opportunities that was so hard to say no to.
And now then I've done it, it was the best decision I could have made because it just has given me a full other way to express myself of Joey outside of The Bachelor too, And I don't know, just this show has been amazing, and in this year in general, just to see the amount of love and support I've gotten from the Bachelor Nation fan base from now this new fan base from Dancing with the Stars, it just gives me a lot of confidence that had a good year.
I got very lucky. It is really all I keep saying.
But it's it's been a very very fun one.
What was the advice that Charity gave you going on the show? Coming like off as a lead in a serious relationship, because I know that's kind of a different dynamic than when someone goes on and their single or you know, we stall like Cannon Brown went on after her season and it was just it's just different.
Yeah, I definitely talked to her a lot.
And Dot was the person I talked to most about that, actually, because I think he was in the tougher role. As much as it is for the person that's going through it, it's actually the person that's not in it and has to kind of be at home and put their life on pause too. So I talked to Dot and a lot about that and just got some advice. And I think Charity did a really good job like prepped me for how much it was going to be, like how busy you were actually going to be, and how much of a grind it would be. But Dotten did a really good job just explaining to me how much, you know, the things that Cherry did that help, the things that he thought were really important to make sure that in the relationship you were still putting the time and effort into it. And it wasn't always easy, but the main thing that we just always did was stay present when we were with each other, and as soon as I got back from practice, I just tried to have that little decompressed time before I actually put all my energy and effort back into the relationship because we were just going NonStop and then whenever I got the time, I put as much into it. But I mean, Kelsey had to be extremely understanding and go through this whole process with me. But luckily we found ways to incorporate her and I think she just truthfully enjoyed the process and at the end of it, I mean, we couldn't be happier. So it all worked out, but definitely not the easiest process when you're in a relationship, for sure.
Yeah, Jenna, let's ask you about that. You know, so you're married, Yeah, beautiful baby boy. When I was on the show, we didn't really you know, sexual chemistry wasn't really a thing because I couldn't stap took.
Me, you know, because you were in a relationship when you went on the show, and then were you married, Jenna, she was engaged, Okay, I was engaged.
But you know what, Joe I was talking with Joey about this. I didn't feel like we ever got annihilated into the amount that Joey and I did this season. So I wasn't prepared for the response because when we were partners, like everyone was just so supportive and excited. I don't know, maybe if it's because you want the lead and people weren't.
Like no, no, because I couldn't move. I couldn't move.
People were like, just just I think that has to be it is it is.
You were like, just help help this, help this poor man, and I and I came on.
The truth is. The truth is Joey was the lead. He was the Bachelor. I can't I my, I would say, like.
My, and youged you you weren't engaged.
No, But my reputation from the Bachelor was more like lovable, like super handsome and charming, but lovable, like ale loser, almost like oh.
My god, don't say that about yourself.
But that's kind of that was kind of it, because like I went home night one and everyone was like, we love him.
It was more of a that was kind of like an underdog for sure, like.
Trust me, I think I'm great, Like I'm not like Joey, like Joey Joey the flex. Like I would step and be like, yeah, it makes sense, people love me fucking awesome.
But but that's kind of why. That's what I think it was.
But like for you guys, yeah, there's so many rumors you just have you know, you have just had a kid.
How do you handle all that?
Again, I've been on the show for a while, so it's nothing that I'm not used to. It usually happens on the other end where sure, but VAL's been with I've also been with like a lot of gay guys or a girl, so I haven't really had people like speculating or putting that on me. If anything, it's been roles reversed, so I've had to be like the understanding and supportive one and just be like, oh, what you know? This is crazy. So this was the first time that I feel like it was a lot for me to deal with because I was just like, are people psychotic? I am married, I have a child. It was just wild to me. But I think it was the initial shock of it, Like GMA was the worst day because we were so excited. We had been practicing already for like a week and a half or something, and I was like so excited about this partnership, about being with him, people's reactions to him being on the show. I was so proud that I was paired with him, and we posted everybody post their photos of like this is my partner for the season, and I'll never forget. We did a picture. My hand was on his chest heaven for a bit. Everyone was like, let's kill her.
It was crazy and you're probably thinking, like if they're freaking out about this photo, like we're in and for it. When we actually started dancing together, conversation we.
Had and we two going into the Yeah, you're like.
Wait till his hand touches my waist, like people are gonna pass.
Out again, I think also and Joe, I'm sure you know this, but his dancers were like, this is our craft that we're not There's no intention other than like we're creating beautiful, gorgeous shapes. This is technique. This is like what ballroom entails to like have these moments or to be close to one another. So I think GMA was like a really hard day for me because it hit me, oh man, this is what the season is gonna be like. But after week one and the initial shock was over and I think they saw like our interactions with each other, everything died down and then it was so supportive again. You get those like feu trolls or haters throughout the season, but yeah, that was that was really hard, just because I had never been in that position before so heavily. But yeah, and then it was just supportive and so awesome, and I really felt again like I did with you, joe the love and the passion of Bachelor Nation, like really supporting us, and it was incredible.
Well, Joey, didn't, did I see something that said you specifically asked for someone who was in a relationship where you like, I literally did everything I could hear and it's still backfired.
Well, I did that for a lot of reasons.
I did that to give Kelsey confidence because, as she said, I don't know why anyone would think there was anything going on when she literally is married and has a kid. So that was in my mind of like, that's just going to give more confidence for everyone around us. It gives Kelsey confidence that I'm in this just for dancing, and I tried as much as I could to prep for that, because I did I didn't want that to be noise. But as she said, we got shocked by it with how quickly it happened initially, and I did everything I could, But at the end of the day, we were so excited that after the first two weeks. I think people started to get invested in the fact that they enjoyed watching our dances, they journey, they actually wanted to focus on that. And also I think they just got the vibe very quickly that we just were brother and sister and just enjoying this entire experience and we had our our own like chemistry and quirks that they saw were finally what they should have been paying attention to the entire time.
But yeah, I didn't.
Expect it, but you know, we did what we could and we we kind of made it through in the beginning, but it worked out.
At the end of the day.
I also think, I mean it is difficult though for like you know, the straight mail that goes on the show and you're kind of like, you know, like I've never danced before, you know, like that you know, with with a woman so close, and then you're kind of like, you know, sometimes it's like whoa this is?
You're not making what you're saying.
I would say, the okay, So I would say I have the mentality of an audience member where if I'm watching the Art of Dance, I'm like, wow, they're they're getting pretty close, you know, where like you.
Know, yeah, interaction, and within the first couple of practice was like, you're going to have to touch me and get close to me because.
It was initially is you just it's not something you would do. It's never been in the spot.
It's like typically with a colleague, you're not breaking that barrier of physical touch.
But yeah, I was making in the beginning.
I wasn't following, but yeah, you're making sense. I understand.
It's like acting or something like when you do those scenes, it's storytelling. You have to be believable, and I think the audience wants to see a dance that's going to make them feel something or that that's powerful enough to stand out. So that's that's the best way I can explain, is like two actors doing the job and telling a story.
Yeah, so what was the first meeting? Like, then with you two, I want to hear what your thoughts are on the first meeting.
Okay, hey, Joey came in. He was so nervous, so nervous and like sweat shorts. What do you call those?
Like I was in basketball shorts, shorts. I was just in short.
No one told me that I was just going on dance shoes on day one, So I'm like in a normal tennis attire out because that's what I have.
I was just I was in my Lulu Lemon shirt and shorts.
And I was just about to I thought we were just gonna meet really quickly, and all of a sudden, I throw on dancing shoes and I have to like literally learn steps.
Like I'm ready to slay.
Let's ballroom shoes with shorts, And yeah, I was very nervous for that.
Yeah he was really really nervous, but he was just so sweet. And then it was very weird because this hasn't ever happened to me before. But we met in the morning at very early, like eight am, and then we that same day had to go to the promo shoe and this is like an eight hour shoot where you're in full I'm in a full rhinestone outfit. He's in like ballroom attire for the first time, and they're like, okay, freestyle, just dance for like five minutes, me dancing, smile, look like you're comfortable. Now you two dance, and it's just it's so it's a very vulnerable experience. Yeah, you're like so awkward, but I think that's that's when we realized that we would get along and have an awesome season because we just like laughed the whole time, and I think we felt really comfortable with each other. So it ended up being a really really fun day. But yeah, very vibes from eight am being.
Like, oh my, I was petrified because I got there and I just got put in a studio and all of a sudden, I meet her and I didn't really know much about what the whole experience is going to be like. And then she said we got thrust it into the full experience right away on day one. But that was the biggest part that I remembered was it was sometime in the middle of that shoot and then we were like three hours in and I was having the best time, and I fully lost that feeling of nerves. She like, I had the freestyle and dance in front of like forty pp well for about a minute and a half, and it was literally Jenna was the one coaching me, and I would not have been able to do that unless she was there.
So then it was great. It was great.
I was like literally milliar rocking and just dancing to myself full time. But it was necessary to have her in it, and it definitely made that day.
A lot more fun.
Do you feel like playing tennis helped you at least with like coordination and I mean you're an instructor yourself, like the ability to take instruction.
Yeah.
I think that we said from the beginning that the tennis side, the footwork was probably nice to be able to be a little light on my feet. But the biggest thing was being a coach really helps you be a decent student.
So I really I think that was my fault.
Talked too much about all this stuff, but like I was using metaphors, I was trying always to ask her questions about like why is this the case? And I really tried to understand everything so that when she was explaining stuff, I really grasped it. And I think I annoyed her initially, but then she realized it was going to be a big difference.
From it too.
I think that is the reason why he was so successful on this s is because he understood what he needed to ask or what he should be feeling. And I feel like as a coach to you kind of have to lose your ego when you're a student of knowing that this person giving you critiques. They're not doing it for personal reasons. This is just to help you get better. So yeah, he did ask a lot of questions. But I loved seeing his mind work and be like, Okay, this is why I need to do this so she can feel this. Like it was. It was really awesome to see him so invested in that.
Okay, but on that initial on that initial meet, right when when Joey first walks in the door, Jenna, you definitely are are are sizing up his ability like in the in the in the in that first five minutes. Oh yeah, we're on a scale of one through ten. Right, where did you put him compare to like somebody like Neve, Like, where was Joey on that scale?
Honestly, to start, they were very similar. Okay, Neve had more dance experience. He wasn't a dancer at all, but he was like really invested in the dance community, so he was able to pick up shapes really well. And I would say that our first meets were very similar. Like he is not a dancer naturally, but he could pick up and he has natural rhythm, which is game changing. He understands music, musicality, rhythms, and that helps so much when you have somebody like that two hours to do three cls in moves.
At one point I forget what it was, but it was been like the first two practices and she did dog you want she I did some steps.
She's like that took Joe to week six to get that step. Awesome, I mean a little better than that guy. That's good.
It was it was like week four Jenna walked into practice. She goes, I know what it is. I just can never let you go.
I have to have full of I got to keep hold of you the whole time because whenever I.
Was off whatever, running wild, whatever, I was free on the dance.
It was just like, yeah, it's just not safe for anyone.
But on that promo day, was that the first time you guys meet all the competition.
You like slowly started to meet some of the people.
They tried to keep it under wraps, but like I met Danny when I got to the hotel because we were staying at the same spot and then I saw I think Phage and a few other people were shooting at the same time we were, So you just start to find people in passing.
But yeah, then you just you end up figuring out who it is and a pretty sure amount of time.
Are the two of you like sizing other people up? Like, are you like okay, like they're probably gonna be good, like.
Even if they even if they say no. The answers Yes, it's a.
Competition, you know what I mean. You want to like speculate on how things are going to play out.
You're getting snippets. You're like seeing people in the promo shoot as well, so like that one, Oh, she has really nice arms, or she looks like she has some dance moves, So you're definitely sizing it up. But I wouldn't say until the first episode or the first show you really get a glimpse of how everyone's going to do, because that they have to show up live and that's when they have to like be on camera and deal with an audience and how all of that affects them. So I feel like the first episode is really telling of how everyone's journeys are going to go.
I mean, that was important.
We talked about that a lot, she said, she said, I don't even know how you're going to be until we get out there on that premiere day.
Like you could be confident.
We could feel great about this dance, but until you get in front of the We were first too, so until you get in front of the flights and you hear those clicks, like, you have no idea if you're going to even be a contender until that moment right then, and that was that was scary.
We had Jen on at the end of her season and this was like, right, I think right as she was finding out she was on Dance with the Stars are right before around that time, and Joe was telling her like, the three clicks are the scariest moment of your life. He's like, you could feel amazing, but he was like, just you wait until you hear the three clicks and it's just dead silent.
Yeah, it's that should be. That's like for anybody that's been on the show, that severe PTSD.
For sure.
So then Joey, how do you feel as someone who comes on with zero dance experience about someone like Chandler who comes on with a lot of dance experience, Like, is it hard feeling like you're comparing yourself to each other? How do you how does that even work in a competition setting where like everyone's abilities on night one are so different it's unfair.
Well, I remember, I remember, I remember when we started and you start doing show and tells and you start talking to the other couples and the other pros, and I just remember all the pros were like lown away from Chandler right from the get though, and said, how like, no, like, not only is she have dance experience, she might be one of the best that's ever been on the show.
From the beginning of how like strong she was, she.
Should just grow up a dancer, Like did she?
She took a long break from it, but she was I think she did some professional trained dancing at a young age. I think she went to like a school and she was like very much in it and then took a long break from it. But the biggest difference with Chandler that was so intimidating was she wasn't just a great dancer. She could perform, like she could actually emote in her face and like that's hard to do because you can be a really great dancer, but you don't know how to like really.
Just get the smile.
That's hard while and she.
Was amazing at that right away, and we were like, oh, like, we are not going to contend with that was kind of the mindset.
Initially.
I never said that I do.
I don't, because again, everyone else was talking about it. But what she said that I held on too, which is a big part of this whole entire show, is people do want to watch your journey. And I think it was so impressive that Chandler still improved throughout the entire competition. You look at her first answer. At last, she got so much better, and that's incredible when you were that good from the beginning. But I think a lot of people do fall in love with the idea of someone that starts with no experience and how they can kind of build it up. But it was so funny we laugh about it all the time in this experience that people thought I was a dancer. By like week five, They're like, oh, Joey has dance experience. And I don't know when that that started.
Because expectation became a lot.
I was like expected to be as good as Chandler every week, and I was like, this girl is actually an answer, and I have no idea what I'm doing out here.
If I didn't have her choreographing something, I would look like an idiot, but you could.
I see Dan, I've been on the team dance with Chandler, and I saw how quickly she picked stuff up, and I was like, oh, we are on different playing fields here. You get a lot more You're gonna put a lot more energy into this runs.
How does that work with scoring?
Then? Well, you know what, don't answer that. Well, we'll leave that. Let's leave that question hanging.
I'm gonna end the episode here, then we'll pick it up so then you know, if our listeners do want to hear the answer to that, you're gonna have to listen to episode part two. So thank you everybody for tuning in to a Bachelor happy hour. Make sure you tune into part two. We're gonna we're gonna have Joey and Jenna back on, and don't.
Read to subscribe. Thanks for listening.
Bye,
