Since she's worked with the judges, Jennifer Lopez, Derek Hough , and Ne-Yo, for two seasons, Jenna can pretty much tap into their thinking. "I know the three of them look for certain things, and they respond to certain things pretty routinely," she says.
And while you might be ride-or-die with one or two WoD contestants (hiii Briar Nolet and Poppin John), Jenna isn't playing favorites. "It sounds clich, but my goal was for them all to do their very best and to feel good about their performance, so whatever happens, they walk off that stage knowing that they brought it," she says. "Because there's nothing worse than getting to The Cut round, performing, and not feeling like you performed to your best." (Yeah, especially when that performance is front of J.Lo.)
Speaking of J.Lo, here's everything you need to know about her and her fellow WoD judges:
Even though Jenna is every contestant's "biggest cheerleader," she-like the rest of the world-can't get over the Crazy 8's , an all-female Junior team group. "They are just really wild to watch, and they're just unforgettable and super cute," she says. "They're tiny, but mighty. There's a certain buzz in the audience and the room when they come on stage because you know you're gonna get something wild."
In fact, she says that if World of Dance and the Crazy 8's had been around when she was younger, "I would've been like, 'Mom, move to Anaheim Hills, California and enroll me in this dance studio. I wanna be in the Crazy 8's.'"
Jenna might not have power over space and time (sigh), but she's doing pretty well for herself, anyway. She's currently filming Mixtape, a new musical series on Netflix, and dating boyfriend Steve Kazee, an actor/musician with Broadway creds. "He's incredibly talented, one of the most talented people I've ever met," she says. "He's kind of one of those people that's annoyingly talented at everything. He's just made of talent-he's bursting with it." Awww, but Jenna's still got him beat in the dancing department (obvs).
And even though she's got so much good stuff going on right now, Jenna still misses "everything" about World of Dance. And she means **everything**. "I loved the dancers. I loved being able to be a part of their journey... and a part of these dancers really just trying to achieve their dream," she says. "And the hope that was felt backstage-the emotion, the excitement, the feeling that this could be their shot."
Oh, and btw, Jenna knows you miss her, too. "I really appreciate all the love from the World of Dance fans, and I hope to make them happy," she says. "...It feels really nice to be missed, and I believe some of the things that people are missing-or telling me they are missing-they will see in this episode."
If anyone knows what those dancers are going through, it's Jenna. "This is the best of the best competition because these dancers have been working, some of them their whole lives, for this chance," she says. "This is the biggest thing that has happened to every one of those dancers... they are really intending to give the best performance of their life. And just knowing that-we are so lucky to bear witness to that moment."
