Adele Zaikman may have left Dancing With the Stars earlier than she wanted, but her summer in the franchise appears to have produced something considerably more lasting than one night in the Season 35 ballroom.
The 24-year-old DWTS pro is reportedly dating fellow Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro contestant Allen Genkin, 36. A source told Us Weekly that the two dancers are dating after competing together on the inaugural season of the ABC spinoff.
Neither Zaikman nor Genkin has publicly confirmed the relationship. Only days before the report appeared, Zaikman described both of them as single while happily acknowledging that fans had been trying to pair them up. “I will let you know if something happens,” she teased during a recent interview, according to TV Insider.
Three days later, the dating report arrived. Since The Next Pro ended, Zaikman and Genkin have repeatedly danced together, taught a packed Los Angeles class, reunited during the DWTS premiere and posted routines that have done little to quiet the romantic speculation already surrounding them.
Fans Were Shipping Adele and Allen Before the Dating Report
During a Sept. 19 appearance on Fire Chats: The Mindfire Pod, Zaikman discussed getting to dance with Genkin again during her first week as an official Dancing With the Stars professional. “Dancing with Allen is just amazing. It’s the best feeling ever,” she said of their reunion in the ballroom.
When host Carrie Berk suggested that they should simply date, Zaikman blushed and acknowledged that fans had already been making the same suggestion. “You’re not the only one! We get so many messages every single day of people shipping us. But I get it,” she said.
At that point, however, Zaikman still described both dancers as single. “I will let you know if something happens,” she teased. She also said she and Genkin were “very close,” adding, “I love Allen. He’s an amazing human being. Just being around him, you get good energy. He’s the best.”
Their Post-Show Dance Class Kept the Speculation Going
View this post on Instagram
Zaikman and Genkin had already found reasons to keep working together once The Next Pro ended. On Sept. 14, Zaikman posted footage from a class the pair taught together at Playground in Los Angeles. She said 100 dancers attended and that the event even had a waiting list, while thanking Genkin for what she called an amazing class.
“Dancing with you is always so special!” she wrote alongside the Instagram Reel. Genkin responded with one of the running jokes that followed Zaikman through The Next Pro. Judge Derek Hough had compared her dancing to a Rolls-Royce during the competition because she “danced expensive,” and Genkin commented that he was grateful to dance with “the most expensive car on the market.”
In July, they performed together during the “Stories Without Words” episode of The Next Pro, when Genkin choreographed an emotional rumba inspired by his late mother. People reported that Zaikman danced the routine with him as he told the story of losing his mother when he was 15.
The judges praised both its storytelling and their partnership, with Shirley Ballas calling it the best routine of the night. The official ABC archive identifies the episode as “Stories Without Words,” a challenge built around contestants telling personal stories through choreography.
Allen Called Adele ‘One of a Kind’ Before the Romance Report
During the Sept. 15 episode of The Joe Vulpis Podcast, he discussed his experience on The Next Pro and the people he met during the competition. Asked about Zaikman, Genkin called her “special.” “She’s one of a kind. Beautiful person inside and out. I love working with her, man. She’s the best,” he said.
When Genkin left the competition in fourth place during the semifinal round, Zaikman wrote that he had been one of the most supportive members of the cast, regularly cooking for the dancers, checking on them and helping make the group feel at home.
Us reported that Zaikman told Genkin he had been “such a huge part” of her own journey and that her experience would not have been the same without him. Genkin finished fourth, while Zaikman reached the finale and won the inaugural season, earning the promised professional position on Dancing With the Stars.
An ‘Acquainted’ Routine Added More Fuel to the Rumors
View this post on Instagram
If Zaikman and Genkin were hoping to quiet down dating speculation, their Sept. 22 routine was not especially effective. Genkin posted a close-contact dance with Zaikman to The Weeknd’s “Acquainted” on Instagram. His caption continued the Rolls-Royce joke while borrowing from the song title: “Rolls Royce, girl I’m so glad we’re acquainted.”
The choreography brought the two dancers extremely close and ended with what Us described as a near-kiss. Fellow DWTS professional Emma Slater joined viewers wondering whether the routine was saying more than either dancer had publicly admitted, commenting, “Y’all together?”
They Reunited in the Ballroom After Adele Won ‘The Next Pro’
Winning The Next Pro moved Zaikman directly into the main show’s Season 35 cast. ABC paired her with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives personality Conner Leavitt for her first season as a professional.
Her competitive debut did not last long. Zaikman and Leavitt received 12 out of 30 for their salsa during the first night of the premiere and became the season’s first eliminated couple.
As WOG reported, Leavitt later said the most difficult part was not the score itself but the way people used his exit to revisit mistakes from his past.
Zaikman’s ballroom week nevertheless included another appearance with Genkin. He returned alongside fellow Next Pro contestants Selena Hamilton and Erik Linder for a salsa bumper to Shakira’s “Dai Dai” during the two-night premiere.
She may have been eliminated as a competing pro on her first night, but her victory on The Next Pro still secured her position within the franchise. ABC currently lists Zaikman on its official cast page as a professional dancer.