Jenna Johnson is spilling some behind-the-scenes secrets of working on Dancing With the Stars.
“Do you get paid more for winning?” Kelly Stafford asked Johnson, 31, on the Monday, June 2, episode of her and Hank Winchester’s “The Morning After” podcast. Johnson replied, “No,” before explaining, “Whoever makes it to the finale, you all get paid up until then. And you do get a nice bonus.”
Stafford, 36, followed up with another question, asking Johnson if DWTS pros who get eliminated during the first week of a new season “don’t get paid for the next couple of rounds.” According to Johnson, “You’re guaranteed until a certain amount of weeks.”
She clarified, “I think there’s different contracts, so I can’t speak for everybody. But, if you make it all the way to the end, you’re getting paid the whole season, which is amazing. And you get a bonus on top of that for making it to the finale. If you win, it’s not like you win a million dollars and split it with your partner. You’re just getting a cute trophy together.”
Per multiple outlets, pro dancers on the ABC competition series reportedly earn a starting salary of $1,200 to $1,600 an episode, which can increase to a cap of around $100,000 per season. The pros’ salaries can vary based on their seniority on the show and how far they make it in the competition each season.
Johnson has made it into the final three with several of her partners since making her DWTS pro debut during season 23 in 2016. During the show’s special athlete-themed season in 2018, Johnson took home the mirrorball trophy with figure skater Adam Rippon.
Johnson came in second place twice in a row with her season 29 partner, Nev Schulman, and her season 30 partner, JoJo Siwa, before taking home her second mirrorball trophy with Joey Graziadei during DWTS’ most recent season 33 last year.
Iman Shumpert, Daniella Karagach, Tyra Banks, Jojo Siwa, Jenna Johnson. Eric McCandless/ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
Johnson is married to fellow DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy, who has won the competition three times himself. The couple tied the knot in 2019 and welcomed their son, Rome, in 2023.
On Monday’s podcast, Johnson shut down speculation that the DWTS pro have a say in which celebs they are partnered with. “They really want to keep it a secret until you meet them live. They want that genuine reaction,” she shared, referring to the pros being filmed meeting their partners during their first rehearsal sessions.
“I think people always think we know who we have and we’re keeping it a secret. Absolutely not. They do not tell us,” she added. “They really don’t even want us to know the cast. It gets leaked a lot, but they want it very hush, hush, until you walk in and you meet your partner.”
When asked who her dream partner would be, Johnson teased that her top pick is an Olympian whose identity she is keeping under wraps. However, Johnson did reveal she thinks former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce would make a great DWTS partner.
“That’s the person you want, who’s just open and willing and down to be like, ‘Let’s freaking down this. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m not gonna take myself too seriously. I just want to dance and have fun,’” she gushed.
Dancing With the Stars returns for season 34 this fall on ABC and Disney+.
