Dancing with the Stars 24: Rashad Jennings on Memorable Year dance

Monday night’s Dancing with the Stars episode was powerful for many reasons, but at the top of the list was seeing Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater’s contemporary dance themed around the most memorable year of his life — a time when he realized what he wanted out of life before joining the NFL. He wanted to care for his father, and he told a story about how he was able to forge a closer bond with the man, who has become one of his biggest supporters.

While the routine drew the first 10’s of the season last night and glowing reviews from the judges and viewers, it was ultimately about so much more than that for the running back. Speaking to E! News, here is what Jennings had to say about going out on the stage and performing this routine:

“It felt really good to do this number and to dance for my father, and having my whole family here—mom, dad, both of my brothers—the people that were there before all of this…It’s just a dream, to be able to play in the NFL … All the things that happened, the people that can attest—because a lot of people just see me now—but to have the homegrown, loving family, the reason that I’ve been able to have unconditional and expression there is what really, really was my tens.”

What Jennings has done in just a relatively short amount of time with this competition is rather remarkable. After all, going into this season we were not altogether certain that any man this season was going to be a threat to either Simone Biles or Heather Morris; as a matter of fact, we’re not sure if we had Jennings on the show ranked higher preseason than Normani Kordei or Nancy Kerrigan.

Now, however, we are starting to think that he’s got a real shot to win this whole thing. He’s got one of the best routines in recent memory under his belt already, and it’s crazy to think that this is the case given that we’re just a handful of episodes in. There is still so much more time for him to grow and improve.

If you haven’t seen Rashad and Emma’s routine yet, you can do so below. Meanwhile, be sure to check out our full review from Monday’s episode. (Photo: ABC.)