In PEOPLE’s exclusive sneak peek at the moment Amabile was introduced to Johnson, she freaks out when he walks through the door and she learns that she’ll be dancing alongside him for season 27.
Among the Bachelor Nation audience members who will be rooting for Grocery Store Joe Amabile on Dancing with the Stars is none other than his pro dancing partner, Jenna Johnson.
“Oh my gosh, Grocery Store Joe!” says an elated Johnson, 24.
But Amabile warns her that he has no experience in the ballroom.
“Oh, you’re excited, huh? Don’t be that excited,” he tells her as they share an embrace. “I don’t know how to dance.”
Reflecting on her adorable freak-out moment, Johnson admits, “I’m so embarrassed because I just fan-girled so hard, and he doesn’t even know who I am.”
After collecting herself, Johnson gives Amabile a warm handshake and officially introduces herself: “I’m Jenna. Hi, I’m sorry, you’re Joe. I’m such a fan.”
And now that he’s said goodbye to his Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise days and hello to dancing, he wants to get rid of his Bachelor Nation moniker.
“We gotta lose that nickname,” he says of being called Grocery Store Joe. “I want to be Dancing Joe now! That’s it. We gotta change it up!”
Catch Amabile on the Dancing with the Stars season 27 premiere on Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
How athletes have done on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars
Thirty-four years after winning the women’s gymnastics all-around gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, Houston’s Mary Lou Retton returns to competition tonight on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.
The 50-year-old Retton won’t be the only athlete in the contest as former Dallas Cowboys star DeMarcus Ware also will be competing.
Retton and Ware figure to have a good shot at winning the whole thing as athletes usually do well on the dance floor with previous stars like Emmitt Smith, Donald Driver, Hines Ward, Rashad Jennings, Laurie Hernandez, Shawn Johnson, Helio Castroneves, Kristi Yamaguchi and Adam Rippon winning it all.
Which ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Contestant Wll Score the First 10? The Cast Weighs In
The battle of the ballroom is about to begin! Season 27 of Dancing With the Stars kicks off on Monday, September 24, and Us Weekly recently caught up with the cast to play a friendly game of “Who’s Most Likely To.” Watch above!
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 27 Cast Revealed: Mary Lou Retton, ‘Grocery Store Joe’ and More Celebs
While the competition is fierce with former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton and former linebacker and defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys DeMarcus Ware, the cast agrees that R&B singer Tinashe will be getting the first 10 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli. “I would say Tinashe, she’s not messing around,” Nikki Glaser told Us. “That girl came to win and she probably will.”
So who would clap back at the judges if they don’t offer up a good score? Disney Channel star Milo Manheim says be on the lookout for Bachelor in Paradise star Joe Amabile. “He’s a really sweet guy, but he doesn’t take s—t from anyone,” Manheim, 17, told Us. “He’s not afraid to speak his mind.”
Over the course of production, viewers will often see the professional dancers and their partners form a close bond, but according to the cast they believe that Alan Bersten may get a little flirtatious with partner and model Alexis Ren. “She’s just so cute and they just have a fun flirty vibe,” Glaser, 34, told Us. “I’ve seen it happen already. I’m calling that one because I see it.”
Season 27 of Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC Monday, September 24, at 8 p.m. ET.
