Suni Lee and Jason Tartick. Getty Images (2)
Olympic medalist Sunisa “Suni” Lee told Jason Tartick that training for Dancing With the Stars was more difficult than the Olympics by a mile.
“I asked Suni Lee yesterday, ‘What was harder: preparing for the Olympics or Dancing With the Stars?’” Tartick, 35, told Dancing With the Stars cast member Jenna Johnson on the Monday, September 30, episode of his “Trading Secrets” podcast. “She didn’t even think, she just instantly snapped, ‘Oh, Dancing With the Stars.’ I’m like, ‘Wait, Dancing with the Stars is harder than preparing for the Olympics?’ She said, ‘It’s not even a question.’ It’s wild to hear that.”
Lee, 21, a six-time Olympic medalist, finished fifth on season 30 of Dancing with the Stars in 2021 with dance partner Sasha Farber one year after winning her first Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
In December 2021, Lee spoke to People about her time on the reality competition series, explaining what it was like to develop an entirely new skill set after years of gymnastics.
“I don’t think anything will ever compare to the work I put into the Olympics. But I have to say, probably Dancing With the Stars [was harder],” she told the outlet. “I didn’t expect it to go that way, and when I had to go into the gym every single day — or go into rehearsals — I was like, ‘Why is nothing clicking?’ So it was definitely harder that way.”
Sunisa Lee competes during the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Balance Beam Final at the Olympic Games on August 5, 2024 in Paris, France. Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Lee returned for her second Olympics with Team USA for the Paris 2024 games over the summer. She took home another gold medal for the women’s artistic all-around event, along with teammates Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Hezly Rivera.
Johnson, 30, who joined Dancing with the Stars as a dancer in 2014, concurred with Lee by telling Tartick on the podcast, “The life of a dancer is no joke.” She added, “It’s all out of passion, so I am such a huge advocate for all dancers who pursue it because it is so scary. They do the most to make a living.”
Johnson further explained that her Dancing With the Stars gig only takes up three months out of her year; for the nine months between seasons, she is preparing for the next Dancing With the Stars cycle.
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“There’s a lot of things you’re not in control of,” Johnson said. “Speaking personally, what I make sure that I’m doing in case I am brought on, I’m making sure that I am active. My body is my tool. So, doing physical therapy, making sure that I’m working out or staying in dance shape, stretching, all of that is really important to me.”
She added, “There is this, nowadays, pressure to be really active on social media. What’s your brand? Who’s tuning in? Are you doing enough? It’s wild how that is such a big part of our industry now, where you’d think that just your craft is enough. So, there is that pressure as well.”