Love & War

week 1: premiere

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Francesca "Frankie" Gomez had just won Love Island with her now-boyfriend, Rob Rausch, and was already on to her next big adventure: Dancing with the Stars. Having been a gymnast for nearly her entire life, she was no stranger to physical challenges, but dance was a different animal altogether. Though she had picked up a few basic dance moves through ballet for her gymnastic routines, this would be her first true foray into competitive ballroom dancing. She knew it wouldn't be easy.

Walking up to the entrance of the rehearsal studio, Frankie couldn't help but feel a little nervous. On the other side of that door was her dance partner, who would be joining her on her Mirrorball journey. She pushed it open and revealed...

Val Chmerkovskiy, a three-time Mirrorball champion and reigning champion from his win with Xochitl Gomez last season.

Frankie squealed and rushed forward to give him a big hug. "Hi! It's so nice to meet you!" she smiled, her excitement bubbling over. "I'm a huge fan."

Val laughed, returning her hug. "It's nice to meet you too. My wife and I just finished watching your season of Love Island," he said with a grin. "So, tell me about your dance background."

Frankie paused for a second, thinking. "I've been doing gymnastics since I was about two, and I did that all the way through high school. I still keep up with it when I can. The only dance I've really done is ballet for my gymnastics routines... so, I don't really know much else," she admitted.

Frankie's Confessional:
"It's a little scary knowing I'll be doing something I've never really done before. But I feel better knowing that Val has worked with younger contestants like Xochitl, Zendaya, and Laurie Hernandez. He's got a way with people like me."

Val nodded thoughtfully. "How good are you at picking up new routines?"

"Pretty good," she said with a small shrug.

"Alright, for week one, we're doing the Cha Cha. It's a fun, high-energy dance that will let you show some of that personality. We're going to focus on sharp footwork and confidence," Val said. "This routine is a bit more challenging because I want to set the bar high for you, and I know as an athlete, you're competitive. You're going to rise to it. Let me know if you have any questions, okay?"

Frankie smiled a little shakily. "Okay," she said, trying to calm her nerves, and the two of them dove straight into their first rehearsal.

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A couple of days later, Val had taught Frankie the entire Cha Cha routine, but now they needed to refine her technique and speed.

"You're doing really well for someone who's never danced before," he told her. "But you're going a little too slow. It feels... timid."

Frankie bit her lip. "I guess I'm just nervous about performing on national TV. It's kind of throwing me off."

"I get it," Val said, nodding in understanding. "The Cha Cha is all about confidence. Let me tell you a secret: the thing about confidence is that no one knows if it's real or not. On Tuesday, just pretend like we're back here in the studio. You've got this."

"Okay," she smiled, feeling a little more at ease. "I'll try."

Val's Confessional:
"Frankie has a lot of energy, but she struggles to channel it into the dance. She's a perfectionist, so she wants to take things slowly, but the Cha Cha requires a lot of energy and sharpness. We're working on getting her to let go a little."

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Premiere Night

The big night had arrived. Ten couples had performed, and the highest score so far was a 23. Frankie and Val were up next.

"Up next, she shook up the villa, but can she shake up the ballroom? Frankie Gomez and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy are ready to Cha Cha their way down to the dance floor!" Julianne Hough announced as the camera panned to Frankie and Val striking a pose.

As their intro package played, Frankie and Val got into position. A remix of popular social media songs filled the room, a nod to Frankie's time on Love Island, and Frankie Cha Cha'd with as much energy as she could muster, trying her best to keep up with the rhythm.

When their routine ended, Frankie and Val shared a celebratory hug. As they made their way over to the judges, the camera panned to Frankie's friends and family in the audience—Rob, Xolo, Leah, Serena, JaNa, Miguel, Kordell, Kenny, Liv, Kendall, and Kaylor—cheering her on.

Bruno leaped out of his seat, ripping off his jacket and pointing it dramatically at Frankie. "That was fabulous, young lady! You can't tell me you've never danced before!" When Frankie shyly shook her head, he gasped. "Well, you owned the dance floor today, honey."

Carrie Ann was next. "Bruno's right. You looked so at home out there that it's hard to believe this was your first time dancing. Your timing was a little off at one point, but you fought to get it back on track, and I could really see the effort. Overall, great job, especially for your first week."

Finally, Derek chimed in. "When you said you'd never danced before, I thought, 'Okay, expectations are low.' But lil' mama, you killed it. Like Carrie Ann said, there was a little timing issue, but aside from that? Amazing."

"Why don't you head on up to Julianne for your scores?" Alfonso Ribeiro suggested.

The couple nodded, thanking the judges as they made their way up to the terrace to meet Julianne Hough.

"So, Frankie, what was going through your mind while you were performing?" Julianne asked.

"Honestly, I was trying to let muscle memory take over so I wouldn't overthink it. But when I started focusing on the counts, that's when I got mixed up," Frankie admitted.

"Yeah, she's actually a natural dancer, but I think she just gets a little nervous," Val added with a grin.

"I think the judges noticed that too," Julianne agreed. "Alright, let's get to your scores!"

"8!" Carrie Ann shouted.

"7!" Derek announced.

"8!" Bruno declared.

"That's a 23 for Frankie and Val!" Julianne said with a smile. "That's the highest score of the night so far!"

The show continued with Stephen and Rylee as well as Anna and Ezra, and Frankie and Val held their spot at the top of the leaderboard, tied with Chandler and Brandon. It was a non-elimination week, so everyone was safe, but Frankie couldn't help but feel like she was already proving herself.

♡❀♡

I want Frankie to have a similar arc to Joey's because he was the unexpected winner, and despite the fact that I wanted Chandler to win, I'm not mad that Joey won. 

Vote in the comments for the double elimination. Who do you want to see gone next episode?

Jenn and Sasha

Dwight and Daniela

Frankie and Val

Joey and Jenna

Ilona and Alan 

Chandler and Brandon

Danny and Whitney

Stephen and Riley

Anna and Ezra

Tori and Pasha 

Eric and Britt

Reggie and Emma

Brooks and Gleb