Behind the playful TikToks and lighthearted banter, issues aren’t almost as easy for Corey Feldman and Jenna Johnson on “Dancing with the Stars” as followers may assume. Feldman could also be hamming it up on social media, however insiders, and now Jenna’s brother-in-law Maksim Chmerkovskiy, say the actress-turned-dance professional is dealing with a significant uphill battle together with her companion. Feldman has already missed 5 essential days of rehearsals main as much as the premiere, the place the pair’s Tango earned them a disappointing 9 out of 20, tying for the bottom rating of the evening.

In an interview with the Each day Mail, Chmerkovskiy admitted that whereas the present’s forged typically presents a united, cheerful entrance, the fact behind the scenes might be very totally different. “Clearly, Jenna has a little bit of an uphill climb with Corey,” he defined. “From the skin it would look simple to joke about, however I do know she’s having a way more troublesome time with this complete factor … We’re speaking a couple of reigning champ right here, put some respect on the title, all people.”

Chmerkovskiy, who attended the season premiere with spouse Peta Murgatroyd, insisted Feldman’s struggles have much less to do with age and extra with maintaining with the demanding choreography and intense “DWTS” schedule. “It’s not nearly you and your companion dancing,” he mentioned. “It is about this large behemoth of the whole lot that is taking place. The quantity of folks that you need to take care of, the quantity of interviews, and that is all between your rehearsal time and your remedy, and you are attempting to lick your wounds and all that stuff.”

Insiders additionally declare this season is already being described as “a sh-t present” with a number of stars failing to place within the effort wanted to compete severely. Feldman, in accordance with the supply, is amongst those that “do not appear as dedicated as others have up to now.”

And plainly Feldman’s conduct in the end caught as much as him. Not solely did he rating 15 factors for his or her cha-cha to “Child Acquired Again,” however he was eradicated within the second week of the fact competitors present.

This season’s “Dancing with the Stars” forged contains Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, actress Hilaria Baldwin, “Boy Meets World” alum Danielle Fishel, wildlife character Robert Irwin, TikTok creator Whitney Leavitt, actress Elaine Hendrix, and influencer Alix Earle. Based on professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd, who now co-hosts “The Penthouse with Peta” podcast, the inclusion of big-name digital personalities like Earle and Leavitt is not any accident.

“I imply, they’re undoubtedly pulling for the social media stars as a result of they noticed what occurred final season,” Murgatroyd instructed the Each day Mail. “That viewers is huge. The attain is large and it’s going to assist the present thrive and get the numbers it must.”

She added that leaning into on-line fan bases is a brilliant transfer for the franchise. “The present is ever-evolving. It’s a really totally different present than when Maks and I had been on season 10, when it was in its heyday with 24 million viewers.”

Regardless of the behind-the-scenes drama, Jenna Johnson admitted she was excited when she first discovered Corey Feldman can be her companion this season. The skilled dancer recalled her preliminary response when the “Misplaced Boys” actor walked into the rehearsal studio, sun shades on and confidence radiating.

“He’s an icon, and when he got here in with the sun shades on, I used to be like, ‘Oh sure, he means enterprise,’” Johnson shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “Certainly one of my favourite issues about Corey is his power, and he comes into the room with that charisma and that power. I actually love that, and I need to guarantee that I spotlight that in every dance that we do, as a result of it’s so particular about him. He’s actually electrical on the dance flooring and in our rehearsal house.”