Guillermo DWTS is still in the studio, and Witney Carson says Rodriguez keeps rehearsing even when she sits down. The update lands after their low-scoring paso doble on Viral Hits Night, when the pair survived elimination and bought themselves another week on Dancing With the Stars.
Witney Carson on Saturday
On Saturday, September 26, Carson wrote over a TikTok video that Rodriguez was “Anytime I sit down he keeps rehearsing,” and added, “Truly working so hard!” She also said, “I’m so proud and I am so blessed to have the kindest partner ever.”
The detail matters because Rodriguez is not treating week three like a victory lap. He is still drilling footwork in the studio, which is the only way a first-time dancer can keep pace once the live rounds tighten and the judging gets less forgiving.
Tuesday, September 22
Rodriguez and Carson were saved from elimination on Tuesday, September 22, despite low scores for their paso doble to Rihanna’s Where Have You Been. After the live show, Carson said, “I feel like we’re slowly winning them over,” while Rodriguez said, “We didn’t hear [any] bad comments, nothing.”
Rodriguez also said, “I feel way better. Last week, I was nervous a lot. This week I was nervous a little bit … but it was a great music [choice]. Witney chose it,” and added, “The most challenging part is to learn the steps. … I gotta memorize the step[s] and everything. I never danced before, but listen, I’m enjoying [it]. I’m learning, having a good time.”
Learning the steps
That admission explains why Carson keeps praising the work rate. Rodriguez said he had never danced before, and the problem he named was not performance pressure but memorization: the counts, the steps, the repetition. For a contestant learning from zero, rehearsal time is the product, not the background.
Carson has already linked that adjustment to the start of the season, saying Rodriguez was feeling really nervous when they were partnered. She also recalled telling him she was pregnant, and said he replied that it was relieving because she would just take a lot of breaks for food. She won season 34 with Robert Irwin and has said she wants to win again with Rodriguez, though the immediate job is simpler: get through week three cleanly and keep the routine from becoming the story instead of the score.
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, and the next question is the practical one: what routine will Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson bring to week three after surviving the judges’ low-end reaction and another round of rehearsal?
