Jordan Chiles finally got her the first perfect score of her career — and she’s glad it came from Dancing With the Stars.
“Oh my gosh, it felt so amazing,” Chiles, 24, told Us Weekly exclusively after the Prince Night performances on Tuesday, November 18. “Literally, I am happy that it was on Dancing With the Stars. I know it’s crazy to say.”
The gymnast added that she feels more motivated than ever, telling Us, “I feel like now I have more of an opportunity to feel more confident in going into my season [at UCLA], being like, ‘OK, if I was able to do it in heels on a ballroom floor in an uncomfortable position, I can do it on a mat.’”
Earlier in the episode, Chiles told her partner, Ezra Sosa, that she was hungry to earn all 10s from the judges.
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“I have never had a perfect score as a gymnast, so I’m waiting,” she said in footage from the duo’s rehearsals. “Dancing With the Stars, UCLA, which one’s it gonna be?”
While the pair prepared for their semi-final performances, the two-time Olympian added that “the competitor in me is definitely coming out.”
Chiles and Sosa, 24, held nothing back when they hit the dance floor. Their first routine — a jive to Prince‘s “Raspberry Beret” — earned 27 points out of 30. Later in the night, Chiles earned a perfect 30 after a fierce Argentine tango to “U Got the Look.”
“I was just very happy,” the athlete told Us on Tuesday. “But also, this is Ezra’s first as well, and just seeing his journey last year compared to this year, I’m just so happy I was able to get it with him.”
Sosa echoed his partner’s excitement over their “surreal” achievement. “I’ve always dreamed of this ever since I was a kid, and I feel so lucky that I get to share this with someone that I love so, so much,” he gushed.
After being saved from elimination — Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas were sent home on Tuesday night — Sosa already has big plans for Chiles’ three finale dances.
“We got some tricks up our sleeves,” he teased to Us, joking, “Well, she’s got most of the tricks. Me, not so much.”
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Not only has Chiles been working hard to earn her place in the DWTS finale, but she’s also been continuing her classes at UCLA and training for the gymnastics season. She opened up to Us on Tuesday about how she’s managed to balance it all.
“I think allowing my outside world in a little more, my team, my friends, my family, Ezra, just letting and allowing people to help me,” Chiles noted. “I, as a younger kid, never really liked help. I felt like it was something that I was going to hinder you, but no, help is OK. Help is fine. So just allowing those people and letting them just understand how I’m feeling, using my voice a little more, that’s how I’ve been able to balance it.”
The busy schedule hasn’t always been easy. “You can ask Ezra, I’ve had days where I’m just tired and I don’t know where my brain is at, but sometimes I work better like that,” Chiles continued. “I can retain it a little easier. But other than that, I’ve just been enjoying the experience. … I’m just having fun riding the wave.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
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