Jordan Chiles talks balancing her senior year at UCLA and competing on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

It's been a busy fall for UCLA senior Jordan Chiles. Over the last couple of months, the Bruin gymnast has been juggling books, the balance beam and the ballroom - the one on ABC's reality competition show "Dancing With the Stars."

"I've just had a fun experience," Chiles told UCLA's Newsroom about joining the season 34 cast of the prime-time show, where celebrities get paired with professional dancers to learn weekly routines in pursuit of a mirrorball trophy. "My partner, Ezra (Sosa), has been remarkable, and I've just enjoyed literally everything about it. It's a dream come true. As a little kid, I watched the show, and to be on it just means everything."

Those who've been watching and cheering on Chiles already know that she and Sosa are serious competition for the other teams. Just last week, the pair tied for the top spot on the leaderboard (rankings), despite stiff competition from wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin (son of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin and sister to season 21 "DWTS" winner Bindi Irwin) and reality star Whitney Leavitt.

While she's got her eye on the prize, Chiles, an African American studies major, has also spent fall quarter training with her UCLA gymnastics teammates as the Bruins prepare for the 2026 NCAA season. She opened up about her experiences handling it all with Newsroom.

Some of your Bruin gymnastics teammates have been able to go to "Dancing with the Stars" tapings with you. What's it been like having them there supporting you for that, and what have they said about it?

I think the biggest thing for me about this show is just having the support. The show already is a huge reality TV show, and everybody has eyes on you. And knowing that my teammates (have been) able to come to the shows just means everything, because I'm not always there - especially on Mondays and Tuesdays - to do practice with them. And so having their support in the crowd just means everything.

The girls are having a magnificent time. A few times, I was able to bring some of the pros that they wanted me to - they would text me, like, 'Hey, can we meet so and so?' I think it's really cool just to let them have that opportunity of being in that space. So they really enjoyed it, and they had fun, for sure.

Is it true that some of the pro dancers came to gymnastics practice at UCLA?

Yes, some of the pro dancers definitely did. My own partner, Ezra, was able to come and watch. And then Val (Chmerkovskiy) did as well. As kids, we always want to support one another, but knowing that we can have (those) who we look up to come and support us just means everything. So, they really enjoyed it. We call it 'celebrity Sundays' because the majority of the time they come in on Sundays. So, it's really cool just to see them light up and have fun with it.

Have you taught your teammates any of your routines?

I have not taught them any of my routines, but I did see that Val was teaching Tiana (Sumanasekera) the whisk. That was really cool, because they got to learn the hip action of "Dancing With the Stars." I have not taught them anything, though. They keep asking me and I'm like, "Uh, let me find a day that I could process which dance that you guys can learn." [laughs]

You're juggling so much with school, the show and the team. How are you managing it all?

This quarter, I told my coaches and my academic counselor, "Hey, can we make sure everything is online? Because that's going to be the easiest for me." And so, I have all of my stuff online. I've just been trying to make sure I do as much homework as possible, especially if they're asynchronous, and I can just kind of go at my own pace. But (balancing it all has) been really fun. It's my senior year, so I'm trying to enjoy the best of it and just really finish everything out as strongly as possible.

What are you most excited about as a senior Bruin?

Knowing that it's my senior year, being able to take the past three years of my career and just understanding that, yes, they were fast, but I got to enjoy them and really dive deep into the relationships and friendships that I've built with my team and my coaches, and know that I'm always going to be a Bruin no matter what - it's going to be bittersweet for sure. I'm definitely going to take a lot out of it and be very, very thankful that I had the opportunities that I did.

What have been some of the most standout moments - so far - of being on "Dancing With the Stars"?

There are a lot of different things that I feel like you don't think would be on a reality TV show, and it's the behind-the-scenes work, the way that the crew works, the way that wardrobe works, the way that it's all family oriented, and that we all really come together and make sure - we all know that this is a competition, but at the end of it, as long as we can support each other outside (is important). I've just had a fun experience. My partner, Ezra, has been remarkable, and I've just enjoyed literally everything about it.

That's cool to hear that even though it's a competition, it's got a family environment behind the scenes.

Yes, for sure. We all know that it is a competition - obviously, we all want to win a mirror ball - but I think the best thing is just being able to have that relationship with everyone, whether it's a celebrity, whether it's a pro, whether it's the show crew, and that's what makes it really fun and enjoyable.

Catch Chiles and her partner Sosa on Tuesday nights starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Voting occurs during the East Coast broadcast of the show, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT at this link.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.