Key Points
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Sarah Jane Nader is “honored” to be part of DWTS‘s third same-sex pair.
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The model and reality star has been paired with Hailey Bills, the niece of two-time Mirrorball Trophy winner Jenna Johnson.
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“It’s so cool to be the representation that I didn’t have growing up,” Nader tells Entertainment Weekly.
Sarah Jane Nader is ready to make her mark on the dance floor.
In some ways, theLove Thy Nader star is following in the footsteps of her older sister Brooks by competing for the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy. But there’s already one big difference: Sarah Jane has already cemented herself in Dancing With the Stars history as the third same-sex pair to compete on the U.S. edition of the show.
Asked how it feels to continue such a proud tradition, Nader, 23, tellsEntertainment Weeklythat it has “meant everything to me.”
She adds, “I think it’s so cool to be the representation that I didn’t have growing up.”
Nader, who has been partnered with 20-year-old DWTS pro Hailey Bills, has high hopes for their impact on the show. “I’m just so honored to be here and be doing this,” Nader says. “And I hope that in a few years it’s very normal that two girls are dancing together on this show.”
Nader also noted that the duo have begun meshing very well as dance partners.
“She’s a perfect mix, honestly. She’s the sweetest girl in the world — angel,” Nader shared. “But she’ll also get stern, which I need.”
Season 35 will mark Bills’ first as a full-time pro after performing as part of the season 34 dance troupe. Bills also has a notable family connection: her aunt, Jenna Johnson, was part of the show’s first same-sex pairing with Dance Moms alum JoJo Siwa. Johnson, a veteran of the competition and two-time winner, will be competing once again in season 35.
The season will be something of a family affair for Nader as well, who says she got some “great advice” from sister Brooks who competed on season 33.
“She really told me to just make it my own and be myself and enjoy every moment because it flies by,” she shares. “And just embrace the challenges and not take myself too seriously, which I think we’re definitely doing.”
As for who she is most nervous to be judged by, Nader admits, “They all scare the hell out of me.”
That said, she named judge Derek Hough as the most terrifying.
“I’m nervous for all of them, obviously, but if I had to pick one, maybe Derek, just because I know him so well, and I just want to make him proud,” she says.
DWTS got its first same-sex pair in season 30, when JoJo Siwa competed with Johnson. The second came the very next year when Shangela — also the first drag queen to compete on the show — danced with Gleb Savchenko.
Much like Nader, Siwa was excited to be part of such a special moment in the show’s history and couldn’t help but look ahead to the future.
“I think it breaks a wall that’s never been broken down before,” she said during a 2021 panel at the Television Critics Association. “It’s normal for a girl to dance with a guy, and I think that that’s really cool. But I think that it’s really special that, now, not only do I get to share with the world, ‘You get to love who you want to love,’ but also, ‘You get to dance with who you want to dance with.'”
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The DWTSseason 35 cast also includes Julia Stiles, Harry Shum Jr., Tatyana Ali, Tyler Cameron, Giada De Laurentiis, Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller, Taylor Hanson, Jenna Dewan, Guillermo Rodriguez, Jackson Olson, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Conner Leavitt, and Connor Wood.
The Dancing with the Stars two-night premiere airs Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
