Actress Alexa PenaVega revealed she and husband Carlos PenaVega had to set “boundaries” with their partners as a newly married couple when they appeared on Dancing With the Stars in season 21.
“It was early in our marriage, and we literally said [to each other that] we don’t know how spouses do this show without doing it the way we did,” the Spy Kids alum, 36, told former DWTS pro Cheryl Burke on the Monday, November 4, episode of her “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast. “So we fully understood the dynamics of the show.”
The couple married in 2014 and appeared on DWTS the following year. Carlos, 35, was partnered with pro dancer Witney Carson, while Alexa was with three-time Mirrorball champ Mark Ballas.
“Like, if Carlos was doing this and I was watching this girl dance with him all close and the rehearsals or whatever, it would be so hard,” Alexa continued. “And for Carlos, at that season of his life, he was such a jealous man that even though he understood the dynamic, it was still hard for him. And you know how it is: It is incredibly flirty. You know how it’s like super flirty backstage and whatever,” she shared with Cheryl.
Alexa stood her ground when it came to her professional partnership with Mark, 38, not wanting to appear to cross any lines.
“If it was ever flirty, I’d just be, like, ‘I don’t do that.’ I was a little mean, but it was only to set good boundaries,” she revealed. “And then we figured it out, and we ended up having a really great partnership.”
The Never Too Late to Celebrate star said her commitment to her husband made for some uncomfortable moments while filming the sometimes steamy dance competition, which has led to some pros and their celebrity partners hooking up in real life.
“I know it was really kind of rocky for everybody because when we went on the show, we literally said, ‘Look, we’re a married couple. You guys are our partners, and we are so excited to team up with you, but that doesn’t mean we ditch our marriage and this becomes our No. 1. Our marriage is still first,’” Alexa explained.
The Hallmark Channel star praised Mark and Witney, 31, for being understanding of her and Carlos’ situation. However, Alexa claimed DWTS producers weren’t as supportive, as they were “trying to make it like, ‘Alexa only cares about her husband. She doesn’t care about the competition at all.’”
Ultimately, Alexa and Mark finished in sixth place, with Carlos and Witney right ahead of them, exiting the show in fifth place.
The Christmas Made to Order star said she still enjoys watching DWTS, but still views her time on the show as “difficult.”
“The show is just so fun to watch, and it feels good. Like, who doesn’t love a good feel-good story where they’re not great at dancing, but look at how far they’ve come. Like, that’s awesome. I love the premise of it,” Alexa said. “It’s just the behind-the-scenes can be tough, but it was as difficult as it was fun because there were really, really high highs.”
