Daniella Karagach says there is no scorekeeping in her marriage, even with both she and Pasha Pashkov competing on season 35 of Dancing With the Stars. Asked about the unusual setup after the Sept. 15 premiere, Karagach said her husband is her teammate, not her rival, and that the two have built a rhythm around helping each other instead of treating the ballroom like a head-to-head family contest.
That is why the keyword Pasha DWTS is drawing attention now: Karagach’s comments landed right after the season began, when viewers are already sorting out who is paired with whom and how the married pros handle the pressure. Karagach, 33, said Pashkov, 40, is her partner and her rock, and she said working together is “just never a competition.”
The couple’s answer is rooted in routine as much as in sentiment. Karagach said she and Pashkov share a 3-year-old daughter named Nikita, and that in practice they are either helping each other or stepping aside so the other can focus. She said the two do not feel the need to keep score in their romance, a line that fits the way they talk about life off the floor as much as the season itself.
That picture gets more complicated because season 35 is still a competition, just not one Karagach wants framed as a marriage test. She and Pashkov are on the same show with different partners, which means every week can bring a result that lifts one household and stings the other. Karagach did not hide from that reality; she simply said it is not how they see each other. “We go to our house and just unwind,” she said. “It’s just the best time. It doesn’t feel like a competition.”
The off-camera bond stretches beyond the married pair. Karagach, Pashkov, Ezra Frech and Amber Glenn have been spending time together, including dinner and time at home, and Frech called Pashkov and Glenn “unbelievable,” adding that the four are so in sync it feels as if he has known them his whole life. Frech also said the group is made up of “amazing human beings,” and called the experience “human,” language that matches the low-drama tone Karagach is trying to keep around the season.
The dance results are what make that attitude matter. Karagach and Frech’s tango to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” earned 20 points after the Sept. 15 premiere, leaving them in second place behind Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, who received 21. That early ranking gives season 35 an immediate scoreboard, but Karagach’s comments suggest the real story is whether a married pair can stay supportive while the numbers keep coming in. The next test is Amber Glenn and Pashkov on night two of the competition, where the same household balance will be asked to hold under a new set of judges’ scores.
