Jenna Dewan Gets a New ‘DWTS’ Partner for Dedication Night

Jenna Dewan will have a different professional partner when Dancing With the Stars returns for Dedication Night. Alan Bersten is set to dance with the actor on the October 20 episode while her regular partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, serves a one-week suspension.

The temporary pairing gives Dewan little time to adjust before a personally significant routine. She is expected to honor her mother, Nancy, during the themed broadcast. Page Six reported that the pair will perform a Viennese waltz to “Unchained Melody,” while E! News independently identified Bersten as Dewan’s replacement partner for the week.

Why Val Chmerkovskiy will miss the episode

BBC Studios said Chmerkovskiy would sit out the next show because of a social media post directed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba. The post followed Inaba’s critique of a samba performed by Chmerkovskiy’s wife, Jenna Johnson, and her celebrity partner Harry Shum Jr. during the October 13 episode.

Inaba deducted points after determining that the routine included a lift, a move barred under the dance style’s competition rules. Chmerkovskiy then posted a reference to Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars confrontation, wording that producers called inappropriate and inconsistent with the show’s standards.

Chmerkovskiy later apologized publicly. He said his impulse had been to defend his wife, but acknowledged that the reference was a poor decision and that Inaba did not deserve to be pulled into the dispute. He also urged viewers to support Inaba, Dewan and the wider cast during his absence.

Alan Bersten steps back into the ballroom

Bersten is available after he and celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis were eliminated earlier in the season. His return creates a short-notice partnership rather than a permanent reshuffle, with Chmerkovskiy’s suspension limited to one week.

For Dewan, the immediate challenge is preserving the emotional focus of a tribute routine while adapting to another dancer’s timing and rehearsal style. The change also places extra attention on Dedication Night, an episode usually built around the contestants’ personal stories rather than off-camera controversy.

Chmerkovskiy said he plans to watch and cheer the team on. That leaves Dewan and Bersten to carry the performance in the ballroom, with the show’s response to the incident now translated into a visible change on the dance floor.