Ezra Sosa is hoping dancer Jan Ravnik is going to spill the tea on pop superstar Taylor Swift during the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars.
“I asked if there’s an NDA, and he said, ‘No,’” Sosa, 24, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 3, after he was announced as a season 34 cast member. “So I said, ‘Oh this is gonna be fun for me.’”
Sosa will be partnered with Olympian Jordan Chiles on the upcoming season of the hit reality dance competition, revealing to Us that their pairing is “so easy.”
“I mean, we get along so well, to the point where it’s just casual,” he explained. “It doesn’t feel like I’m teaching her. It feels like we’re just going through this journey together, and I’m just teaching her how to dance.”
Chiles also expressed her excitement at being paired with Sosa, who is entering his fourth season of the show. (He participated as a member of the troupe for two seasons, and as a professional dancer in seasons 33 and 34).
“Honestly, I literally screamed the moment I walked in and found out he was my partner, because, you know, this is his second year as a pro,” Chiles explained to Us. “This is my first time ever doing Dancing With the Stars. So I think being able to learn off of each other and just have fun, I think, is the biggest thing. So I’m really excited. And our energy just matched so well. It’s crazy in practices.”
Sosa had plenty more to say about Chiles’ abilities — including how the Olympian is making him feel more at ease on the dance floor.
“I’m approaching this season with a little more confidence, that’s for sure,” he said. “But I definitely feel like having someone who is very capable is really going to showcase my ability to choreograph.”
It’s also easy for people to “forget I can dance,” he continued. “So I can actually show that side of myself, right? I am a dancer [so it’s] like, ‘Guys, I got this job for a reason.’”
While training for the show isn’t as “intense” as training for the Olympics, Chiles admitted she’s been doing “too, too many” splits in preparation for the season. Though the experiences are different, “I think it’s still the same worth ethic,” she added.
“Like, obviously working towards the Olympic Games isn’t going to be the same as working towards the Mirrorball,” Chiles explained. “I say to everybody, you know, being able to have the opportunity, like winning a Mirrorball or even getting to the final is like us getting to that last point of being in the Olympics.”
She added, “So it’s just going to be a fun experience, and again, [I’m] just going to have fun [and] enjoy the moment. I’m a competitive person, but at the end of the day, I just want to have fun.”
Sosa admitted he’s also competitive — something he thinks will help the pair succeed throughout the competition.
“She’s an Aries. I’m a Scorpio,” he said. “Together, we are very feisty.”
The 34th season of Dancing With the Stars will premiere on ABC and Disney+ on September 16 at 8 p.m. ET and will stream the following day on Hulu.