Dancing with the Stars pro Keo Motsepe firmly believes his celebrity partner, Jodie Sweetin, has what it takes to win Season 22.

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"Obviously I haven't worked with most of the other contestants, but I think for me, Jodie is special," Keo told Reality TV World in an exclusive interview.

"Our partnership is very special with our chemistry, the way we work together and have tenacity, passion and a love for dancing. She always says to me, 'I want to do this until the end and I want to give it everything I have to get to the end.' And that's the thing that pushes me even beyond my limits, to create stuff that's amazing for her all the time, to make her look amazing and let her shine all the time."

In his first three seasons on Dancing with the Stars -- beginning with Season 19 -- Keo never made it past Week 3 of the competition. His previous partners were Lolo Jones, Charlotte McKinney and Chaka Khan. Now that he's paired with Jodie, who stars on Fuller House, they're approaching the seventh week of competition. 

So why has Keo been more successful on Dancing with the Stars this season compared to his prior stints on the show?

"I think it's because Jodie and I work very well. I think the first day we met, it was just that 'click.' We were just like, 'Oh, okay!' And I remember saying to her, 'Do you want to be on the show? Because of course there is going to be fun and it's going to be awesome dancing with each other, but you're going to live with me, like, 24/7 every day," Keo explained.

"[I asked], 'Are you willing to do that? You don't know me! Are you willing to do that? And are you willing, after rehearsal, to have interviews and go to the ballroom and do camera-blocking and have cameras around you asking how you're feeling? Are you ready for stuff like that? I was baby-stepping her all the time."

Keo reiterated how Jodie needed to prepare herself for an invasion of her personal life and emotions -- not to mention criticism from the judges, audience reactions and production.

"I've always watched Dancing with the Stars, so many seasons. I'm not saying my previous partners weren't as [good] as Jodie, but I think it's just different because Jodie is just different. I think we work well together. My first season, when I came on the show, it was just like, 'Okay, you're the new kid on the block.' My second season with Charlotte was different. It was more fun; It was hot," Keo told Reality TV World.

"And you ask questions, like, 'What is your goal for the season? Why do you want to do the show?' So you get answers and then you work with that, because if [the celebrity] is not like, 'Yo, it's either the mirrorball or nothing,' then you just work with that because you don't want to make them feel like you don't want to be here. If that's what they want to do, just have a good time, then you make sure they have a good time -- or you work hard."

Keo added that Jodie has a very motivating fire inside of her, a passion that is contagious.

"Jodie is very hungry for this, and I'm also hungry for this. And I think we make a perfect match. We're both hungry," Keo noted.

Dancing with the Stars' next episode airs Monday night at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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