Jordan Chiles and her pro-dancing partner Ezra Sosa delivered a standout Week 2 jive, tying for the highest score with a 22/30. This was definitely a mesmerizing U-turn from her performance in week 1, where the judges – Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough – scored them 10/20. Their demand was to see a more prominent version of the dance form that they were trying to highlight, and in this case, it was Salsa. But with the Jive in the second week, the duo truly pushed through. This even garnered a reaction from Shawn Johnson.

Following their performance in the second week of DWTS season 34, Chiles and Sosa had a brief conversation with Entertainment Tonight. And the reporter showed them a message that Chiles received from the former US artistic gymnast and DWTS season 8 champion. Needless to say, Chiles and her partner got pretty hyped up with the shout-out.

The 33-year-old star, via Entertainment Tonight, said, “Hey, Jordan! So excited you’re on ‘Dancing With The Stars’. You are so fierce. You’re going to crush it. And you have the most amazing partner. I’ll be rooting for you, and voting for you the entire time.”

And Chiles’ response? Well, she was absolutely beguiled. She said, “Oh my gosh, Shawn! I love you so much. And honestly, you are an icon. I love you so much,” and proceeded to thank the former DWTS champion. Even Sosa was left dumbstruck by the shout-out. But all he said was, “That’s amazing!” 

But that’s not all! Jordan Chiles was also compared to the legendary Tina Turner following her week 2 performance. That’s simply one of the greatest compliments a dance competitor can receive. And this happened because of just one thing – the way she turned criticism into courage from week 1. 

Jordan Chiles has learned her lesson from DWTS week 1 way too well

Talking to Carrie Ann in an interview with Extra TV, Chiles said, “I think honestly, week one was really just to show like, hey, this is me. We’re here, and you know, going forward, we knew that week two was going to be obviously bigger and better because the Jive is something that I really enjoyed. It wasn’t like Oh, this is going to be a hard thing. I’m an athlete. I’m always on my toes. So I was like Oh, this is perfect. This is what I’m going to do. And I just really enjoyed it.” 

Perfecting one of the five Latin dances is no small feat. Jive is usually a lively, upbeat dance demanding incredible footwork. And that’s something that the Olympian has been practising for a long time. As a gymnast, Chiles would chase after perfection. But dance is a different story altogether. She doesn’t really have to adhere to the perfect choreography in dance. She can change stuff and portray her story. In the end, she made some moves that she truly enjoyed. 

But now, the competition is turning up a notch. More teams will get eliminated in the third week. And Jordan Chiles will have to work harder to stay in the competition. Do you think she can manage that? What are your thoughts on Johnson’s message to her fellow gymnast and DWTS contender?