Honestly, it feels like a lifetime ago that a 19-year-old girl with a massive braid and a killer ballroom stance first stepped onto the Memphis audition stage. Long before she was a household name winning Mirrorball trophies, So You Think You Can Dance Jenna Johnson was a polarizing underdog who simply could not catch a break with the voting public.
If you watched Season 10 back in 2013, you remember the "Jenna cycle." She would perform a technically flawless routine, the judges would rave, and then—without fail—she’d end up in the bottom. It happened five or six times. It became a running joke, or maybe a running tragedy, depending on who you asked. Nigel Lythgoe famously caught heat for repeatedly saving her over other "fan favorites," yet he stood his ground because, frankly, the girl could dance circles around almost anyone else in that building.
The Season 10 Struggle: Why the Audience Didn't "Get" Her
It’s wild to think about now, but Jenna was the girl people loved to complain about. The internet was brutal. In 2013, the common refrain on message boards was that she lacked "personality" or "connection."
Looking back, that feels like a huge misunderstanding of what Jenna was bringing to the floor. She wasn't just a ballroom dancer; she was a technician. Partnered with contemporary dancer Tucker Knox, she delivered performances that were often the highlight of the night. But while contemporary dancers usually get the "soulful" edit, ballroom dancers—especially the ones as polished as Jenna—sometimes come across as "performative" or "stiff" to the untrained eye.
The Turning Point
The night Jenna was finally sent home was, ironically, the night she delivered one of the most iconic routines in the show’s history.
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She performed a jazz routine with All-Star Mark Kanemura to the song "I Am the Best" by 2NE1. It was weird. It was avant-garde. It involved a bizarre long braid and enough hair-flipping to cause a neck injury. In those two minutes, the "technical" Jenna disappeared and a superstar emerged. She was eliminated that same night, finishing in the Top 8, but she left the show with the exact kind of momentum that usually leads to a long-term contract.
Coming Back as an All-Star Mentor
The show knew they had a gem, even if the Season 10 voters were slow to realize it. Jenna didn't just disappear into the world of professional ballroom competitions. She came back to the So You Think You Can Dance stage as an All-Star, and this is where we really saw her evolve.
- Season 13 (The Next Generation): Jenna mentored Jake Monreal, a pint-sized ballroom prodigy. Watching her shift into a teacher role was fascinating. She was tough but incredibly protective. They made it to the Top 8, mimicking her own placement.
- Season 14: This was the year Jenna truly "won" the show in the eyes of the public. She was paired with Kiki Nyemchek, a Latin ballroom specialist. Their chemistry was electric. Kiki ended up placing fourth, but Jenna’s choreography that season proved she wasn't just a dancer—she was a visionary.
It’s kind of poetic that she went from being the girl the judges had to save every week to being the mentor who was virtually carrying her partners to the finale.
Life After the SYTYCD Stage
We can't talk about So You Think You Can Dance Jenna Johnson without mentioning the massive shadow of Dancing with the Stars. Most people today know her as the pro who won with Adam Rippon in Season 26 or more recently with Joey Graziadei in Season 33.
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But SYTYCD was the crucible. It’s where she learned to handle the pressure of live TV and, more importantly, how to deal with an audience that doesn't always like you at first. She’s been very open recently about the mental health struggles she faced during those early years—dealing with body image issues and the crushing weight of public criticism.
The Chmerkovskiy Connection
Of course, her life changed forever when she met Val Chmerkovskiy. Their relationship is basically dance royalty lore at this point. They’re married now, they have a son named Rome, and they even competed against each other for the Mirrorball. But Jenna has always maintained her own identity. She isn't just "Val’s wife." She is the technician from Provo, Utah, who fought her way through the "bottom three" more times than any other dancer in history.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Journey
There’s a misconception that Jenna had an "easy" path because she’s so talented. Honestly, it was the opposite. Because she was so good, the expectations were higher. When she didn't show "vulnerability" in Season 10, she was penalized for it.
The real lesson from Jenna's time on SYTYCD is about resilience. Most people would have crumbled after being in the bottom two weeks in a row. She did it for nearly two months and still delivered "performance of the night" quality work every single Tuesday.
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Actionable Takeaways for Dancers and Fans
If you're a fan of the show or a dancer yourself, there's a lot to learn from Jenna's trajectory:
- Technicality is the Floor, Not the Ceiling: Jenna’s technique kept her in the competition when the votes didn't. You have to have the skills to back up the "personality."
- Embrace the "Weird": Her routine with Mark Kanemura is still talked about a decade later because it was risky. If you're stuck in a rut, do something that scares you.
- Longevity is a Choice: Jenna didn't let a Top 8 exit define her. She used the platform to build a career that has lasted over 12 years in the spotlight.
If you want to see where it all started, go back and watch her "Clarity" routine with Tucker Knox or that legendary Mark Kanemura jazz piece. It’s a masterclass in how to handle a "down" moment with absolute grace.
Keep an eye on her choreography in upcoming projects, as she’s transitioned from being the student to one of the most respected teachers in the industry. Whether she's on a tour bus or the DWTS floor, the DNA of a SYTYCD underdog is still there, driving everything she does.