Entertainment
Sarah Jane Nader Says DWTS Gave Her More Respect for Brooks
Following her own early elimination from Dancing With the Stars, Sarah Jane Nader admitted she has a new perspective about her sister Brooks Nader‘s time on the show.
“I don’t think she thought I would get eliminated on the first night,” Sarah Jane, 24, exclusively told Us after part two of the season 35 premiere on Wednesday, September 16.
Sarah Jane recalled the advice she received from Brooks, 29, who previously appeared on season 33 of the ballroom dance show. “She said it’s not an easy competition … so I think that I did have an insider look,” she said. “I didn’t come in thinking I’m just going to float through this.”
The reality star went on to praise her older sister, who she saw “work really hard” with pro Gleb Savchenko. (Brooks finished her season in ninth place.)
Dancing With the Stars makes the contestants work to climb the leaderboard — but some pairs have received remarkably low scores over the years. Dancing With the Stars debuted on ABC in 2005 as viewers tuned in week after week to see celebrities learn ballroom styles with professional dancers in an epic — and often […]
“I will say I have gained respect for her for making it as far as she did, obviously,” Sarah Jane told Us.
As for how Brooks reacted to her elimination, Sarah Jane said, “She already texted me. She was like, ‘I thought you did a great job and I’m really proud of you.’ As much as I wanted to beat her score, I am really grateful that she was guiding me through this.”
For their first dance of the season, Sarah Jane and pro Hailey Bills performed a jive to “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne. Their score of 14 out of 30 put them on the bottom of the leaderboard before being sent home.
“Our last night was honestly amazing. We had so much fun out there and, of course, we wanted to stay longer,” Sarah Jane told Us. “We had so many fun plans for iconic dances, but we got to know each other, which is, like, the most amazing thing ever.”
Dancing With the Stars is headed back to the ballroom with a star-studded cast for season 35. The complete lineup of celebrity contestants and pro dancers for the milestone season was unveiled during the Wednesday, September 2, episode of Good Morning America. The newly confirmed participants join Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins, Jackson Olson and Guillermo Rodriguez, […]
Sarah Jane was grateful that she could “make history” with Bills, 20, as the second same-sex pairing on DWTS. “[It] was such an honor,” she gushed. “And Hailey and I took it so seriously and we really gave it our all. So I really wouldn’t change anything about this experience.”
Bills, for her part, was grateful for the opportunity to compete as a pro for the first time after appearing in the troupe last season.
“I had all the feelings. Of course, I’m going to be nervous. That’s just normal,” she noted. “But I was more so excited. We’ve gained such a good friendship and I was just so excited to show that on TV and I hope that we were able to do that. I was honestly just excited and just grateful to be in this position, especially with her as my partner.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
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