Val Chmerkovskiy says he was flattered by Ciara Miller’s public push to have him as her Dancing With the Stars partner, but he made one thing clear: he is not the person picking the pairs. Speaking at the 33rd Annual Race to Erase MS Gala on June 5, he said he felt “so humbled” after seeing Miller’s video and wanted to thank her for the shoutout.
The exchange is landing now because Miller has already been cast in season 35 of Dancing With the Stars, and the show’s partnerships are still being set. Chmerkovskiy’s response gives the season an early burst of attention before the formal pairings are announced, especially since the contestant has been openly naming her preferred pro.
Miller first told Erin Lim Rhodes on May 4 that she had been campaigning for Chmerkovskiy. “I’ve been campaigning for Val,” she said, adding that she had been “sending out some emails” and “putting my word in” while waiting to see where the show would place her. She had already said in an April 22 video that she was excited to join season 35 and felt she was opening “a new chapter.”
Chmerkovskiy’s reaction was warm, but it also underscored the gap between a contestant’s wish list and the show’s casting process. He thanked Miller for what he called “a huge compliment,” then added, “I am not the one in charge of casting.” Jenna Johnson, who is also part of the DWTS family, had said she wanted to dance with Miller or Maura Higgins, which only added to the conversation around who might land where.
Miller has said she is eager to learn the cha cha, a waltz and a box step, and she has described the move to season 35 as the right moment for her. Whether that momentum turns into a pairing with Chmerkovskiy is still unresolved, and that is now the question hanging over one of the season’s first public casting storylines.
