Tyson Beckford on ‘DWTS’ Exit: ‘Nothing the Judges Said Could Have Killed My Smile’
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Supermodel Tyson Beckford showed new sides to himself this season on Dancing With the Stars. Alas, his quest to win the newly named Len Goodman Mirror Ball trophy came to an end last night after he and pro dancer Jenna Johnson were voted off the show. The couple had scored a mere 20 points (out of a possible 40) for their Foxtrot to “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” by Stevie Wonder on Motown Night.
Before exiting the ballroom, the couple chatted with TV Insider after the live taping ended. Beckford was sorry to his journey come to an end, but he is happy that he accomplished certain goals. “I feel like America is so used to seeing me in music videos and in a couple of movies and TV shows, but they didn’t really get to see my personality till now,” Beckford says. “Every day on a show like this is grueling. You see someone not get the move or get the move and you see them get their dance scores and you still keep smiling. Nothing the judges said could have killed my smile. My spirit is still always going to be the same.”
Beckford certainly has something to smile about when it comes to Johnson’s praise. “I think Tyson is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met,” Johnson says. “He’s determined and in such great shape — mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
Johnson adds that this isn’t the last program that falls under the Disney/ABC umbrella in which Beckford should appear. “He needs to be the next action hero star for the next five to 10 years,” she says. “He has so many talents, and so I could see him really killing it in the Marvel Universe. Our next superhero should be Tyson Beckford.”
Disney/Eric McCandless
Last week, Johnson tapped into Beckford’s physical strength, which resulted in her being lifted into the air on more than one occasion during their routine. “That’s about having trust in your partner, and I did,” Johnson says. “I knew that he would have my back and he’s so strong. He’s truly the strongest person I’ve ever danced with. Any lift I asked him to do, Tyson would say, ‘Oh, yeah. I could do that.’ And he would — effortlessly.”
Both Beckford and Johnson lament that they won’t be performing an upcoming dance which they had already partially choreographed. “Next week was going to be insane,” Johnson shares. Adds Beckford: “We had something crazy for you guys.”
Don’t be surprised to see Johnson pop up on the dance floor again well before the season finale, when all the ejected couples traditionally return for one last dance. “We have a bunch of theme nights, and there’s a bunch of opening numbers [I can take part in],” she says. “I’ll be choreographing one actually in two weeks. I’m really excited about it.”
If and when Beckford returns for the finale, he doesn’t want to do just any obligatory twirl on the dance floor. “If they give us a chance to come back, we’ll give you what we wanted to give you this season,” he promises. “We’re definitely going to do that.”
One silver lining to having additional time right now is that Johnson will have even more time she can spend with her and husband Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s son Rome, who was born in January. (Chmerkovskiy remains in the DWTS competition along with celeb partner Xochitl Gomez.)
As for Beckford, he hopes to take the skills he learned from Johnson to his next project. “I can take those lifts [I’ve studied] into film, television…anywhere in the world,” he enthuses. “I mean, I could probably pick somebody up off the street and lift them up now that I know how to do it.”
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