NEED TO KNOW
Alix Earle is getting candid about preparations for her Dancing with the Stars debut.
During a get-ready-with-me video she posted on Sept. 7 ahead of Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM Ball, the TikTok star — who is set to compete alongside pro Val Chmerkovskiy on season 34 of DWTS — teased her debut on the show.
“For dance, we finally have it down from start to finish,” she told her followers.
“I can’t do the whole dance from start to finish without, like, heaving,” she admitted in the clip. “I seriously think I need to, like, start going on runs or something. We do 15 seconds and I’m like, ‘I have to sit on the floor and take a break.’ But I think now having our dance completed is just making it, for some reason, feel a lot more real to me.”
Continued the creator: “I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh. Like, this is what I’m doing out there on television for millions of people to see.”
At a press event on Sept. 3 following the full cast reveal, Earle and Chmerkovskiy spoke to PEOPLE about their pairing and what fans could expect from the season of competition ahead of them.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
When asked whether Earle’s boyfriend, Houston Texans player Braxton Berrios, would be in the audience to support her live, the social media star said a clash in their schedules was going to make it hard for him to come in person.
“He’s stuck in football world right now, so unfortunately, he won’t be able to come,” said Earle of Berrios, 29, whose team is scheduled to play the night before her first show.
But she added that she was “hoping that maybe I can get to Houston for a weekend or so and go support him.”
Recounting the press day in a video she posted to TikTok earlier this week, Earle revealed that she woke up at 3 a.m. for the reveal.
“I only had three hours of sleep before this, so I was getting a little delusional,” said the creator. “I don’t think you understand — by the end [of the press line], I was dissociating so much.”
But Earle said that Chmerkovskiy kept her grounded throughout the experience: “Val has such a fun, funny personality, so it’s fun doing questions with him, which is really exciting because obviously we’ll be doing that all season.”
And in a clip she posted from rehearsals this week, Earle showed off some of her moves with Chmerkovskiy as they have started to get into the rhythm of the dances.
Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic
“Your patience is very appreciated,” she captioned the video, tagging her dance partner.
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Earle first confirmed her spot as a DWTS competitor in May during an appearance on Good Morning America. As a self-proclaimed “fan of the show,” the star was in attendance when DWTS filmed its milestone 500th episode, telling her millions of TikTok followers that she was “so excited” to be in the audience.
“I have been watching it every week religiously. And I heard that going to the show live is really fun,” she said, noting that she has been a dancer since her childhood.
“I also grew up dancing, so I just love a good performance,” added Earle. “But a lot of people didn’t know that about me. I was dancing competitively until my junior, senior year of high school.”
Sharing the DWTS stage with Earle this season are several other social media stars, including The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast members Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt. They’ll be facing names from across the entertainment industry: Hilaria Baldwin, Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying, gold medalist Jordan Chiles, Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui and more.
Dancing with the Stars season 34 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and simulcast on Disney+. The show streams the next day on Hulu.
