Val Chmerkovskiy Feels Pressure Competing With Gabby Windey

Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy from Dancing With The Stars, Instagram

Last year, Val Chmerkovskiy surprised many Dancing With The Stars fans when he said that he planned to retire after Season 30. Fortunately, he changed his mind at some point in the past 12 months. Fans are glad to see he decided to come back for at least one more year.

Competing with a new partner always comes with an adjustment period. But this year, Val’s dance partner is Bachelor Nation’s Gabby Windey. The Bachelorette stars generally go pretty far in the competition. The Season 28 and 29 winners were both former Bachelorettes. In a recent interview, Val explained that competing with someone from Bachelor Nation comes with a lot of pressure. Keep reading to see why.

Val Chmerkovskiy & Gabby Windey hope to bring home the Mirrorball Trophy

During Elvis Night, Gabby and Val tied for first place along with Wayne Brady and Witney Carson and Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas. They’ve really solidified themselves as top contenders and have their eyes on the prize.

“Gabby and I are working hard,” Val recently told Parade.com. “There’s a very, very competitive cast this season. To be considered one of the couples on top is a huge compliment to us and all the work we’ve been doing.”

Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy from Dancing With The Stars, Instagram
Gabby Windey & Val Chmerkovskiy/Instagram

The Ukrainian dancer knows that Bachelor Nation has a very loyal fanbase and is always willing to show up when a member joins the cast of DWTS. However, that also throws a lot of pressure into the mix.

“I want to say no [there isn’t added pressure] because there’s always expectations, but to be fair, yes there is,” Val continued in the interview. “Kaitlyn [Bristowe] and Hannah [Brown] won the show fairly recently, which is something that we’re going up against ultimately. That puts a lot of pressure on us, it potentially puts a lot of pressure on Gabby, but the truth is I think Gabby has created her own lane within Bachelor Nation, if you will. She’s doing the same here on Dancing With The Stars.”

Can the pair pull ahead of the other two couples?

DWTS Season 31 viewers agree that Val Chmerkovskiy and Gabby Windey are definitely top competitors this year. But as Val pointed out, the competition is pretty fierce this year.

Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy from Dancing With The Stars, Instagram
Val Chmerkovskiy & Gabby Windey/Instagram

Tonight’s episode will be James Bond-themed and the pair are ready to bring the action into the ballroom. Val and Gabby will perform the Cha Cha to “Die Another Day” by Madonna. They have a lot of potential, but Wayne Brady and Charli D’Amelio always manage to impress the judges too.

At this point, anyone still has a chance of winning the Mirrorball Trophy. Fans will just have to wait and see what happens next.

Follow TV Shows Ace online for the latest DWTS Season 31 news! You won’t want to miss out on a single moment of the excitement.

Nikole Behrens
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