Alexa PenaVega Says 'Dancing With The Stars' Is Hard On Spouses: 'Incredibly Flirty'

While recently appearing on the “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast, the actor discussed how she and her husband, Carlos PenaVega, “set big boundaries” for themselves while competing on the reality show to avoid any drama.

The pair, who tied the knot in 2014, both competed separately on “DWTS” Season 21 in 2015.

“It was early in our marriage, and we literally said [to each other that] we don’t know how spouses do this show without doing it the way we did,” Alexa PenaVega told “Spray Tans” host and former “DWTS” professional dancer Cheryl Burke during the episode, which was released on Nov. 3.

The “Twister” actor said the new experience on the show was a breeding ground for “jealousy” and “insecurities” to form between her and her husband.

“Our marriage was still so young, and we were still learning so much, and Carlos was so jealous and also battling his insecurities. I felt like I had to be there for him,” PenaVega said. “He didn’t do anything bad, but if you see your spouse not feeling good or feeling jealousy — even though there was no reason he should’ve felt that back in the day, and he’ll tell you the same thing [that he was] just so young and dumb — it just took a toll on me.”

The “Spy Kids” star then recalled certain moments that proved to be “so hard” during their tenure on “DWTS.”

“Like, if Carlos was doing this and I was watching this girl dance with him all close and the rehearsals or whatever, it would be so hard,” she continued. “And for Carlos, at that season of his life, he was such a jealous man that even though he understood the dynamic [of the show], it was still hard for him. And you know how it is — it is incredibly flirty.”

Carlos and Alexa PenaVega competed separately on Season 21 of “Dancing With the Stars” in 2015.

Paul Archuleta via Getty Images

PenaVega revealed that things became “really kind of rocky for everybody,” including the couple’s respective partners, Mark Ballas and Witney Carson, because of the boundaries they implemented during their tenure on the show.

″[It] was super hard for everyone around us. You know how it’s, like, super flirty backstage and whatever,” she said. “I know it was really kind of rocky for everybody, because when we went on the show, we literally said, ‘Look, we’re a married couple. You guys are our partners, and we are so excited to team up with you, but that doesn’t mean we ditch our marriage and this becomes our No. 1. Our marriage is still first.’”

Noting that she “got along great” with Ballas, PenaVega added of her former dance partner, “If it was ever flirty, I’d just be like, ‘I don’t do that.’ I was a little mean, but it was only to set good boundaries. And then we figured it out, and we ended up having a really great partnership.”

But according to PenaVega, it was “less Witney and Mark” and “more the producers” who were “trying to make it, like, ‘Alexa only cares about her husband. She doesn’t care about the competition at all.’”

She went on to share that the pushback “hurt [her] feelings,” particularly when Alfonso Ribeiro, who was a guest judge on “DWTS” at the time and now co-hosts the show alongside Julianne Hough, told PenaVega that she needed to “focus more on the show” and “put more effort and energy in my partner [Mark].”

She recalled being taken aback when Ribeiro told her, “You and Mark can win this. You and Carlos cannot.”

PenaVega ended up finishing in sixth place while her husband made it to fourth place.