jenna dewan dancing with the stars: Shum Jr. Defends
Harry Shum Jr. pushed back on the idea that prior dance experience guarantees success on Dancing With the Stars, after earning the top score in the season 35…
LOS ANGELES — Harry Shum Jr. is brushing off the idea that prior dance experience gives contestants an easy path on jenna dewan dancing with the stars, saying the competition is about more than clean footwork. The Glee alum said after the season 35 premiere on Tuesday that people with dance backgrounds do not always last long on the show.
Shum Jr. and partner Jenna Johnson opened their run with a Cha-Cha to “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire and scored 21 out of 30 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli. That put them at the top of the leaderboard after night one. Quick start. Real pressure.
Speaking to E! News on Tuesday, Shum Jr. said the show rewards more than ability alone. “I think a lot of people who had dance backgrounds don't make it very far,” he said. “That tells you everything you need to know about what the show is. It's beyond just dancing.”
He added that the format pushes contestants to tell a story on the floor. “It's like storytelling—who you are, your personality, your connection between, not just your partner, but with the audience. That's what I love about the show. Because I used to see it as dancing only, and when I watched last season, I was like, 'Oh, there's just so much more.'”
The response matters because dance experience has become one of the show’s most debated talking points every season. Fans often zero in on whether a celebrity’s background gives them an edge, especially when the judges’ scores start separating the field early. Shum Jr. tried to take that debate off the table by saying he never had the proper training and that the show forced him to learn under pressure.
Why his answer lands now
He said he has felt that pressure before. “Being here to have someone to tell me exactly what I'm doing wrong—because even on those jobs, it was always just I was just trying to survive, I was just trying to pick up as fast as I could so I wouldn't get fired,” he explained. “I always felt anxiety over it, and that's kind of why I stopped.”
That gives his debut a sharper edge than a routine premiere recap. Shum Jr. is not framing himself as a polished ringer, even with past work as a backup dancer for Beyoncé during her 2004 Ladies First tour and his later role as dancer Mike Chang on Glee from 2009 to 2011.
His pairing with Jenna Johnson also adds a familiar competitive angle for the season. The premiere score puts the duo in a strong early position, but it also raises expectations going into the next round, where score swings can happen fast and viewer reaction starts to matter more.
ABC’s season 35 premiere has already put the spotlight on who comes in with dance polish and who has to build week by week. For Shum Jr., the opening-night number gave him the kind of score that can keep a pair near the top — 21 out of 30 — while the judges and audience decide whether his story, not just his steps, will carry him forward.
Source: abcnews.com
