A ‘DWTS’ pro literally calls her celebrity dance partner a ‘squirrel’ and we can’t stop laughing (or unsee it)

If you have been keeping up with Dancing With the Stars season 33, it’s obvious that former Bachelor Joey Graziadei and his professional dance partner, Jenna Johnson, are frontrunners in the competition, inching closer and closer towards the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

For those who need a refresher, Joey and Jenna earned an impressive 28 out of 30 for their Contemporary to “Work Song” by Hozier during the 500th episode Dancing With the Stars last week, inspired by Riker Lynch and Allison Holker’s routine from Dancing With the Stars season 20. While it was not their highest score to date — as that was a 29 out of 30 for their Argentine Tango to “Ramalama (Bang Bang)” by Róisín Murphy during “Halloween Nightmares Night” the week prior — it was enough to punch their ticket into the semi-finals tomorrow (Nov. 19).

Nevertheless, their scores for the rest of the season are as follows:

• DWTS Premiere — Cha Cha to Tyler Hubbard’s “Dancin’ In The Country” (21/30)
• “Oscars Night” — Rumba to Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “Shallow” from A Star Is Born (22/30)
• “Soul Train Night” — Jive to The Isley Brothers’ “Shout” (34/40)
• “Hair Metal Night” — Tango to Scorpions’ “Rock You Like A Hurricane” (36/40)
• “Dedication Night” — Viennese Waltz to Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” (36/40)
• “Disney Night” — Samba to “Trashin’ The Camp” from Tarzan (25/30)

Believe it or not, a big reason for Joey and Jenna’s success in the ballroom is because of the connection they have behind the scenes, with the 29-year-old admitting that he can count on Jenna for just about anything. “It’s amazing to see how much I can lean on her, trust in her, and just know that she’ll make sure that it feels good for me when it comes the right time,” Joey previously told Good Morning America during some post-show press.

Well, it sounds like the raw and honest connection between Joey and Jenna has reached new heights recently, resulting in some silly name-calling. The Dancing With the Stars duo is so comfortable with one another, to the point where Jenna often calls Joey a “squirrel” — how hilarious is that?

The former Bachelor spilled the tea while speaking to Joe Vulpis on an episode of the Lightweights Podcast on Nov. 12. Here’s what he had to say:

“Jenna a lot of times calls me a squirrel, because I get easily distracted and something will happen,” Joey prefaced, prior to delving into the origin of this nickname:

“We were doing a TikTok today and someone opened the door and I like stopped. She’s like, ‘What are you doing?’ Like, ‘Stay in it,’ but I get easily distracted… I’ve just noticed that sometimes I just, when you add in different factors, it starts to mess with me a little bit.”

He added that as far as performances go, Joey manages to reel in his scatterbrained, easily-distracted self, telling Vulpis that he just listens to Jenna to drown out the noise. Given their success on the show, it looks like the rest of the Dancing With the Stars finalists should take a page out of Joey and Jenna’s playbook…

Nonetheless, with the semi-finals mere hours away, will Jenna and her ‘squirrel’ of a dance partner manage to coast their way to the finale of Dancing With the Stars season 33? To see for yourself, tune into brand-new episodes of the beloved competition series Tuesdays via ABC or Disney Plus, with next-day streaming available via Hulu as well.

Look out, Joey and Jenna. Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong may give you a run for your money!