By Caitlin Hornik

Copyright independent

On Dancing With the Stars, the lines have been known to blur between dance partners and romantic partners.

Over the years, the ballroom has borne several high-profile relationships, from short-lived flings to long-lasting marriages. The show’s intimate rehearsals, weeks of close contact, and emotionally charged performances have made it a breeding ground for chemistry.

Professional dancer Daniella Karagach knows that chemistry can make or break partners on the show vying for audience votes — but she also knows how to draw strong boundaries. “You are always going to develop chemistry with your partner,” Karagach tells The Independent. “But it’s our job to sell it.”

Karagach, 32, is married to fellow professional dancer and DWTS castmate Pasha Pashkov. The two share a daughter, Nikita, born in 2023. Karagach is about to start her sixth season as a professional dancer on the show, partnered this year with The Traitors’ Dylan Efron (brother of Hollywood star Zac Efron).

To those watching at home, it might seem odd for two virtual strangers to be thrust against each other performing intimate choreography. But for Karagach as a professional ballroom dancer, it’s second nature. “For us growing up, you are taught to look into each other’s eyes and be nose to nose at six years old,” Karagach explains. “For me, if you don’t go close enough to each other, you’re not selling the moment. It’s very touchy-feely. You look into each other’s eyes, you create that confidence, and then if you’re not a dancer, you’re like, ‘All right, these, these guys are close. That means they’re in love.’ It’s so funny to me.”

Each season, it’s almost inevitable that at least one pairing ignites dating rumors. In season 33, that spotlight fell on pro dancer Gleb Savchenko and model Brooks Nader, whose connection carried off the dance floor into an on-and-off romance that lasted until April 2025

However, with that kind of attention comes caution — last season, The Bachelor alum Joey Graziadei even asked to be paired with someone in a “successful and healthy relationship” to avoid any showmance rumors. Graziadei is engaged to The Bachelor winner Kelsey Anderson, while Johnson is married to fellow DWTS pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy.

“It was something that I thought about coming in,” Graziadei explained in a podcast appearance last year. “I said I wanted to be in a situation that I was comfortable, that I didn’t have to worry about a lot of this noise, so I asked when I got on the show to be paired with someone that was in a successful and healthy relationship.”

The decision paid off: he and Johnson went on to win the Mirrorball Trophy.

Karagach notes that most partnerships are less about romance and more about building a deep platonic bond forged through the long hours of daily rehearsal. “This is why people vote for you because you have to create this chemistry with your partner,” Karagach says. “Again, it doesn’t have to be romantic chemistry. It could be a solid friendship.

“That’s why you have to be secure in your situation,” she adds. “Whatever you’re coming into this with, you have to be so secure — and that’s a trust thing. You have to trust your partner, your spouse, or whoever you’re with that this is a job. I can’t say this for everyone, but this is just my personal thing — if you’re not secure, then it will shake things up, but if you are, then you’re in a good place.”

For Karagach, that security comes from more than 15 years with Pashkov. The couple, who renewed their vows in July to celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary, share a unique understanding of the ballroom dancing world. “I’m happy that we had that going into reality TV, ‘cause I feel like reality TV could be really hard on some people,” she says.

“My family will always be my priority and I think because we’re so locked into our fam, like nothing can really happen. And, you know, like we’re just so secure in ourselves as well. I’m confident in myself. Pash is confident in himself. We have a lot of self-worth in that department.”

For viewers, the blurred lines between ballroom chemistry and real-life romance will always be part of the show’s allure. But for Karagach and her fellow pros, DWTS is ultimately a craft — one that demands discipline, trust, and the ability to tell a story through movement.

“For us as professional dancers, we think about it as a job; this is our gig; this is our acting job,” she says. “There are moments where dances are gonna be more fun. There are gonna be moments where dances are gonna be more romantic — you just have to sell the piece.”

Dancing with the Stars premieres on September 16 with episodes airing on ABC and Disney+, with streaming available on Hulu the next day.