Jenna Dewan reacts after critics says consider 'DWTS' rigged if she wins

Jenna Dewan is responding to fans who questioned her casting on Dancing With the Stars because of her long dance career.

The Step Up star, 45, was announced as a contestant for the show’s 35th season. However, some viewers argued that her experience as a professional dancer, including her past work as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, gives her an unfair advantage.

Dewan has now pushed back on those claims, explaining that her experience does not include ballroom dancing.

“I do not know how to ballroom dance,” she said. “Let’s be clear. It’s two different languages,” Dewan told Entertainment Weekly.

Dewan explained that while her training has helped her learn choreography and perform, she has had to change many of the habits she developed through hip-hop and contemporary dance.

“There is a certain sense of unlearning for me,” she said. “I had to unlearn a lot of — I don’t want to say bad habits — but just habits of the style that I’m used to.”

She added that DWTS is giving her “a new technique, brand new technique” and said learning something unfamiliar was part of the reason she wanted to join the show.

“I really wanted to challenge myself,” Dewan said.

Her professional partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, also acknowledged that Dewan has “incredible talent,” but said that comes with much higher expectations.

“It’s naive to think that this show is just about dance,” he said. “It’s about the human experience and the human journey.”

Fans on X have continued to question the casting.

Some are calling it "unfair" because of Dewan’s professional dance background while others are saying they would consider the show "rigged" if the Step Up star wins.