Professional dancer from Dancing With the Stars, Jan Ravnik, shared his thoughts exclusively with Us Weekly regarding the judges’ attention on him throughout this season’s critiques.
Ravnik, who is 30 years old, made his debut on DWTS in the season 34 premiere, partnering with Jen Affleck, star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. His choreography has sparked discussions during evaluations by judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli. During Disney Night on October 7, Inaba encouraged Ravnik to elevate the challenge in their routines since their jazz performance was not “over the top” for her.
He humorously remarked to Us, “They’re just obsessed with me or something. I mean, look, I am new so I’m gonna take every note that they’re giving to me. I don’t think it’s in a bad way that they’re always saying.”
Ravnik expressed happiness about the attention their jazz routine to Aladdin’s “Friend Like Me” received on Disney Night, which achieved a score of 23 out of 30 from the judges.
“A score of 7, 8, 8 is amazing. Absolutely great,” he smiled. “She worked so hard, and even if we receive three sixes, we won’t let it bother us, because she performed excellently.”
Affleck, at 26, shared her partner’s enthusiasm, asserting that she would take pride in her performance regardless of the judges’ reactions.
“I have put in more effort this week than ever before, and no matter the scores, I would have exited the stage smiling because I nailed my back walkover and completed the routine to the best of my ability,” she told Us.
Viewers of Dancing With the Stars also witnessed snippets of Mormon Wives star’s family life, as she and her husband Zac Affleck took their three children—Nora, 3, Luca, 2, and Penelope, just 3 months—to Disneyland ahead of the theme night. She later revealed that experiencing mom guilt has been “so real” during her demanding DWTS training.
“Regardless of whether I am participating in Dancing With the Stars, mom guilt will always be a part of my life. It’s a true indication that you are a caring mom, wanting to improve for yourself, your kids, and everyone around you,” she stated to Us.
On his end, Ravnik is making quite an impact in his debut season in the ballroom. Before joining DWTS, he was a featured dancer on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and has collaborated with other pop legends like Bruno Mars and Paula Abdul throughout his career.
“I’ve traveled globally with the Eras Tour, and now I’m excited to step onto the ballroom stage for Dancing With the Stars,” he proclaimed back in August. “The mirrorball trophy never goes out of season, and we are prepared to win it.”
Jan Ravnik and Jen Affleck on “Dancing With the Stars” Disney Night in October 2025. Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty Images
In a shocking turn of events on Disney Night of Dancing With the Stars, Hilaria Baldwin and her partner Gleb Savchenko became the fourth couple eliminated this season. Hilaria later expressed her gratitude to her husband Alec Baldwin and family for supporting her DWTS journey in an exclusive conversation with Us.
“He’s so supportive. I’m very thankful to have him in my corner,” she said. “He always tells me, ‘You’ve been there for me through a lot, and now I’m here for you.’ It’s been an amazing journey.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, with episodes available for streaming the next day on Hulu.
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