The newest season of Dancing with the Stars on ABC hit the ground running in the 2023 TV schedule with new celebrities hoping to win the newly-titled Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, and Xochitl Gomez already has the distinction of being the youngest competitor. The 17-year-old MCU actress is partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy for Season 32. They got off to a strong start in the premiere and could keep that streak going with Latin Night on October 3. She spoke with CinemaBlend about all things DWTS, including her Zendaya inspiration and the “Little Marvelette” nickname courtesy of Bruno Tonioli.
In the Season 32 premiere (available streaming for Disney+ subscribers now), the America Chavez actress shared that she was excited to work with Val Chmerkovskiy after seeing how he worked with Zendaya back in Season 16. Zendaya – who of course is also a Marvel star – was only 16 when she competed on DWTS. When I spoke with Xochitl Gomez, I asked what about Zendaya and Val’s partnership made her so excited to work with him as a pro. She explained:
Well, I love their journey. I mean, that’s first. Straight out of the gate. I loved how much he had to go and think out of the box, because I think that’s really hard when you get assigned with a partner that’s definitely so different than you and you’re barely starting out and stuff. I feel like that can be kind of tricky, and he handled it really well. I admire him for that, and I hope that this week we get to do really well. He did a really good job of choreography.
Their journey was certainly successful, as Zendaya came in second place with Val Chmerkovskiy back in 2013, so being inspired by their partnership can only be a good thing for Xochitl Gomez. In fact, her pro dance partner is already a two-time champion, winning with actress Rumer Willis in Season 20 and 16-year-old gymnast Laurie Hernandez in Season 23. Hernandez is the youngest person ever to win DWTS.
It remains to be seen if Xochitl Gomez will become the next teenage DWTS champion, but she went on to cite Laurie Hernandez as well as Zendaya as inspirations for dancing with Val, saying:
it wasn’t until like a week before I was going to meet my partner [that] they said that I was the youngest person. And I was like, ‘Cool. Okay, we’re good.’ … It is pretty exciting that, again – the same thing with Zendaya and Laurie [Hernandez] – you have to really think outside of the box. With certain dances that can be pretty intimate and lean into the more romantic side, I think [it] is pretty powerful to just show really good technique and really good choreography, which I don’t think Val has any problem with that.
Performances on Dancing with the Stars often lean into romance with choreography to love songs, but that of course isn’t the case when the competitors are teenagers. Val Chmerkovskiy, who is married to fellow DWTS pro dancer Jenna Johnson, could be a winning partner for Xochitl Gomez.
The pressure was on the actress right away in Season 32, as she was the very first celebrity to perform in the premiere. She did the cha cha with her partner to Galantis’ “Peanut Butter Jelly,” and they scored a solid 18 after getting a six from each judge. Bruno Tonioli was on his feet for his feedback, and declared that Gomez was “our Little Marvelette!” When asked, she made it clear that she’s a fan:
Oh my gosh, the the Little Marvelette was so funny! I was like dying laughing. I actually contemplated making that my caption. I should have! I don’t know why I didn’t. I got just nervous. But I thought it was really funny and cute. I appreciated it, honestly.
Given that Xochitl Gomez debuted in the MCU as part of the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cast just last year, the “Little Marvelette” couldn’t be a more fitting nickname for the actress. Only time will tell if it catches on; if she keeps scoring well, she could be on DWTS for the long run. For Latin Night, she’ll perform a salsa with Val to Camila Cabello’s “Don’t Go Yet,” and she shared just how excited she was when she found which song she got for the dance:
I got to pitch a few songs, but when I heard it was that one, I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. This is perfect!’ Especially after last week. I mean, last week, I got to do Galantis EDM song. It was amazing. I really enjoyed that song. It’s like one of my favorite songs that just immediately gets me going. So getting to have this song, which is another song that is just so powerful. It’s powerful in a different way. I’m just very lucky that I got to have such a number.
Gomez can show off a different set of moves with a salsa than she did with her Week 1 cha cha, which was quite a way to kick off Season 32. If you missed the premiere (or just want to revisit the first celebrity performance), take a look at the dance that earned a solid 18:
Latin Night of Dancing with the Stars Season 32 will air on ABC and stream live on Disney+ starting at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 3. You can also catch up afterward with a Hulu subscription, but tuning in live means having the chance to vote for your favorite celebrities to remain in the running for the mirrorball trophy.