Why Jen Affleck Deserves More Credit On DWTS

The competition has begun on Season 34 of Dancing With The Stars, with a varied cast ready to hit the ballroom floor and strut their stuff. For the first time in the reality TV show’s history, there are two competitors from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck.

For Jen, the competition is a first in more ways than one. In her first dance this season, both judges and viewers were shocked to learn how soon she’d started the season after having her third child.

Jen Joked About Her Post-Partum Body

Jen is no stranger to dancing, as she makes her living as an influencer, a large part of which is doing dance TikToks with the rest of her friend group, collectively known as “MomTok.” Learning ballroom dancing, however, takes her dancing to an entirely new level.

The season is going to be an even bigger challenge for Jen, as the timing so happened to work out that she filmed the first episode just two months after giving birth. To her credit, Jen was good-natured about it, joking that even if her body hadn’t bounced back yet, her head was in the game:

I have three kids under three and my newborn is eight weeks [old], so I don’t know if my pelvic floor is ready, but I’m ready.

The Judges Commended Jen On Her Energy

This season, Jen is paired with pro dancer Jan Ravnik, who most recently worked as a backup dancer on Taylor Swift’s last tour. For their first dance, the two performed a salsa to Bad Bunny’s song “NUEVAYoL.” Though the duo scored a 12 out of 20, the judges certainly had praise for Jen hitting the dance floor so recently after giving birth.

Host Julianne Hough was so taken aback by the timeline that she asked Jen a second time to confirm the details:

OK, let me get this straight. You had a baby eight weeks ago, and you just did that? But not only did you have a baby eight weeks ago, you have three babies under three?!

Jen confirmed that this was the case. “Yes, three under three. Yes, I love them!” she said.

She did acknowledge that there were still some physical challenges with which she was grappling. “It’s a lot. My body hurts. I’m still recovering from giving birth, but I’m having so much fun, and I’m doing it for my kids, so in the future, they can do this too,” she added.

Though Jen’s season got off to a warm start, she’ll certainly have some stiff competition in the upcoming episodes. The cast is extremely varied this season, with her competitors including Hilaria Baldwin (The Baldwins), Jordan Chiles (Olympic Gymnastics), Baron Davis (NBA/Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Alix Earle (TikTok/Hot Mess with Alix Earle), Dylan Efron (Down to Earth with Zac Efron), Corey Feldman (The Two Coreys), Danielle Fishel (Boy Meets World), Elaine Hendrix (Dynasty), Scott Hoying (Pentatonix: The Sing-Off), Robert Irwin (Crikey! It’s the Irwins), Lauren Jauregui (Fifth Harmony/X Factor USA), Whitney Leavitt (The Secret Lives of Mormon Lives), and Andy Richter (Late Night with Conan O’Brien).

New episodes of Dancing with the Stars will air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney+.