Xochitl Gomez just wants Val Chmerkovskiy to have fun!
While speaking exclusively to PEOPLE on Friday, Dancing with the stars the partners (who won their first perfect score of Season 32 last week) revealed they’re going through rehearsals with “lots of coffee” — and loving the experience.
“We’re excited about what we’re doing,” Chmerkovskiy, 37, tells PEOPLE. “That’s how you get through it. We love this thing.”
“That’s why we’re here,” he adds. “That’s why we do it at the level we do it. Because we love it.”
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Gomez, 17, says it helps that “Val is a very good teacher.”
“He knows when I’m having a hard time, so he kind of balances it out and doesn’t tell me, ‘Okay, we have to do it again and again and again,'” she says of DWTS pro. “If I’ve had enough, he’ll say, ‘Okay, let’s take a minute. Let’s use that time.'”
Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy won the first perfect score of the season.
Willard/Disney via Getty
On the other hand, Chmerkovskiy says that the Marvel star helped him find joy in DWTS again telling PEOPLE that “if [Gomez joined] me in the series like 10 seasons ago, that would be different.”
“That’s why, again, it’s so much fun,” he says. “Even the seasons where I was successful and had great races that even ended with a win, a lot of them were really stressful and not that fun. The product was great and I got to celebrate afterwards, but looking back I’m always like, ‘Damn, I wish I’d really enjoyed it a little more.’”
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“This time I’m really enjoying the moment and I’m really enjoying it,” he continues. “And I am not saying that we are bound for the final or that the trophy is ours. I’m just saying it’s been eight weeks now and it’s been eight weeks since—”
“—unbelievable,” interjects Gomez to his partner’s agreement.
Chmerkovskiy also says the actress has reignited his love for social media, and the joy is evident in their frequent posts together on TikTok and Instagram.
“She definitely re-introduced me to… I definitely fell out of love with social media for a long time. And then with Xochitl and this experience, she definitely put some joy back into that relationship,” she tells PEOPLE.
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The couple also reflected on their perfect score, which they earned by tango to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.”
“The first perfect score for the individual overall was so unexpected,” Gomez, who suffered an ankle injury in rehearsal earlier this month, tells PEOPLE. “I’ll be completely honest, that week wasn’t it, and I didn’t think 40 out of 40 was anywhere close.”
“Well, I mean, if it was just me being part of the number, I’d get us at least sixes, so…” Chmerkovskiy jokes before adding, “No, it was a tough day.”
Ultimately, all kidding aside, they both agree that the milestone was “really nice.”
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Chmerkovskiy shared more thoughts on the special moment in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“PERFECT RESULT!” he started. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you @_xochitl.gomez for trusting me and @dancingwiththestars for trusting Xochitl. What a privilege for me to have the season I’m having.”
“It’s been a lot of years,” he continued. “Ups and downs. Health challenges. So these days I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy the past few months, they’ve been a wonderful blessing.”
Gomez echoed her partner in the comments, writing, “SO PROUD OF US❣️🫶🌟.”
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Dancing with the stars airs Tuesdays at 8:00 PM ET on ABC and Disney+.
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Source: HIS Education