Whether or not you consider Dancing With The Stars “appointment television,” you’ve likely seen clips of teen music sensation JoJo Siwa absolutely tearing up the dancefloor in the competition’s latest season. Alongside dance partner Jenna Johnson, Siwa has expertly executed the Cha Cha to Gaga, dropped jaws as a jazzy Pennywise The Clown, and given the long-running ABC reality series some of its most-watched routines of all time.
Her dominance of the competition is no surprise considering she’s been performing most of her life. Siwa first appeared with her mom Jessalynn in Lifetime’s Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition when she was just 10 years old, then later joined the cast of the network’s infamous Dance Moms before going on to become a social media maven, a teen pop star, and a multi-faceted lifestyle brand unto herself.
In other words, JoJo is very busy. Yet somehow she’s found time to launch a new series with Peacock, Siwas Dance Pop Revolution, in which she and her mother hold auditions for the teen pop group that will open her next tour.
In support of that series, The A.V. Club decided to put JoJo and Jessalynn’s dance knowledge to the test with a game called “Dance Fad Or Fib?” We presented the mother-daughter duo with a series of dance moves, and they had to tell us whether it was real, or if it was a fake one we made up (bonus points if they came with some fake moves for it anyway). Will they be fooled by “The Alfredo”? Do they know about the Macarena-wannabe “The Ketchup Song?” Watch the video below to find out.
After the game, the pair spoke briefly about the Dancing With The Stars experience, which they say has been an absolute whirlwind. JoJo’s run on the show has been called “history-making” for featuring the competition’s first same-sex duo, and the star’s been proud of the positive message she’s been able to put out into the world, as well as the support she’s received from the LGBTQ+ community (she admits she’s seen the response on Twitter, which she’s thrilled about—“Twitter is a magical place!”). But she’s also just grateful for the opportunity to perform on a weekly basis for such a massive audience: “It’s such a blast. I literally am counting down the hours until I get to go to dance again!”
And, for Jessalyn, the competition presents an opportunity to see her daughter in a new light, to watch her grow up right before her eyes:
“I am so grateful for Dancing With The Stars. I had no idea when she said she was going to do it that it would be this magical! Beyond watching her dance, it’s like watching her grow as a person, [watching her] find herself even more, and be inspiring to everyone. It’s so good. I’m a fangirl, too!”
New episodes of Dancing With The Stars air every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern. JoJo and Jessalyn Siwa team up to co-host Siwas Dance Pop Revolution, which premiered on Peacock on November 4 with new episodes dropping every Thursday.