Former Dancing With the Stars contestants Carlos and Alexa PenaVega are opening up about the intense backstage friction that defined their historic run on Season 21 in the fall of 2015. Speaking on the October 22, 2026 episode of their LexLos podcast, the married actors revealed that competing directly against one another sparked significant jealousy and marital stress, a dynamic further complicated by an alleged behind-the-scenes feud between their respective professional dance partners, Witney Carson and Mark Ballas.

The couple, who married in 2014 and made television history as the first—and so far only—married pair to compete against each other on the reality series, entered the competition hoping to share the experience side by side. Instead, according to Page Six, the pair found themselves strictly separated during rehearsals and driven apart by their own competitive instincts.

Alleged Tension Between Pro Partners

During the podcast retrospective, Alexa PenaVega, 38, explained that the couple's plan to rehearse together was immediately derailed by friction between Ballas, 40, who was paired with Alexa, and Carson, 33, who was partnered with Carlos, 37.

“At the time, Witney and Mark were not getting along at all. They refused to be in the same room together,” Alexa stated on the podcast, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. “The whole point of doing the show was, ‘We’re going to go in, and we’re going to do this together as much as possible.’ And the second we go in, boom, Mark and Witney refused to be in a room together.”

Alexa added that the standoff forced her and her husband to remain divided throughout the production schedule. “We thought we were going to be rehearsing in the same room, and now we have to be so separate. We have to dance around whatever’s going on with them,” she noted.

While the PenaVegas did not specify what triggered the disagreement between the two ballroom veterans, TV Insider reports that longtime viewers have speculated about tension between the dancers for years. Fans previously pointed out perceived awkwardness during the Season 21 introductory package when both pros arrived at the couple's house, and noted that the two dancers do not follow each other on Instagram. One year prior, during Season 19, Carson and Ballas had generated viewer buzz after sharing a kiss during a pro routine, and Carson had also appeared in one of Ballas' music videos. By the fall of 2015, amid Season 21, both pros were moving forward in their personal lives: Carson became engaged to her high school sweetheart, Carson McAllister, in October 2015, and Ballas proposed to his now-wife, BC Jean, the following month.

According to Miami Herald and Page Six, representatives for Carson, Ballas, and Dancing With the Stars have not publicly responded to requests for comment regarding the alleged Season 21 conflict. In a subsequent podcast discussion covered on October 25, 2026, Carlos also recalled getting into an emotional argument with Ballas' mother during the competition, admitting the timing was poor, though reports do not link that exchange to the standoff between the two pros. Despite any past friction, both Carson and Ballas have maintained professional working relationships on the show, with both returning for Season 35. Carson, who won Season 34 alongside Robert Irwin, was eliminated with partner Guillermo Rodriguez on October 13 during "Super Bowl Night," while Ballas remains in contention for the Season 35 Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy with partner Maura Higgins.

Marital Strain and Rehearsal Pressures

Beyond navigating the divide between their professional instructors, the PenaVegas admitted that the structure of the competition took a heavy toll on their newlywed dynamic. According to Entertainment Weekly, Carlos took responsibility for allowing his competitive drive and jealousy to strain their relationship, acknowledging he struggled with watching his wife dance closely with another partner even while he was doing the exact same thing with Carson.

The pressure was compounded by their differing experiences learning choreography. Alexa praised her husband's natural ability to pick up routines effortlessly, while admitting she struggled to retain steps from hour to hour. Carlos noted that both he and Ballas were fiercely determined to win, describing Ballas as a creative choreographer whose out-of-the-box concepts required heavy labor. Meanwhile, Carlos praised his own partnership with Carson, saying they had a strong work ethic and plenty of fun despite the grueling schedule.

Industry coverage of how the couple's Season 21 run concluded varies slightly across outlets. According to Page Six, Alexa and Ballas finished in sixth place, while Carlos and Carson advanced to the finale and placed fourth behind Season 21 champions Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough. However, Entertainment Weekly notes that Alexa was eliminated in Week 9 and Carlos finished in fourth place, while other retrospective accounts differ on whether a fourth-place finish constituted part of the official finale.

Elimination Claims and Producer Pushback

The couple's podcast reflections also touched on broader production mechanics, sparking a separate debate over how eliminations are handled on the ABC and Disney+ series. As reported by TV Insider, Alexa recalled fellow Season 21 contestant Hayes Grier suggesting backstage that the competition was "rigged" after he became the sixth person eliminated despite boasting millions of social media followers. Alexa added that while she believes viewer votes count, "the show is also produced," and noted that winner Bindi Irwin had a "top-notch" personal narrative.

Carlos further claimed that production knows who is going home prior to the live announcement because travel arrangements for next-day press in New York had to be booked in advance. According to the couple, eliminated pairs during their season were scheduled to appear on The View the following morning. Alexa and Carlos alleged that Ballas knew of their impending elimination ahead of time because a contact at The View alerted him that their names were on the next day's guest list.

When a clip of Alexa's remarks circulated on TikTok, current Dancing With the Stars host Alfonso Ribeiro stepped into the comments to refute any suggestion of vote manipulation, according to E! Online. “No chance,” Ribeiro wrote. “We want everyone who’s popular to stay on. It’s basic logic.” Ribeiro's defense aligns with previous statements from BBC Studios’ President of Unscripted TV and DWTS producer Ryan O’Dowd, who told Deadline in May 2025 that the program has never and would never manipulate audience votes in order to protect the credibility of the competition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What caused the alleged feud between Witney Carson and Mark Ballas?

Neither Carlos and Alexa PenaVega nor the media reports covering their podcast specified the exact disagreement that caused Carson and Ballas to avoid sharing a rehearsal room during Season 21.

Have Witney Carson or Mark Ballas responded to the PenaVegas' claims?

No. As of the latest reporting, representatives for Carson, Ballas, and the network have not issued a public comment regarding the Season 21 rehearsal allegations.

How did the competition affect Carlos and Alexa PenaVega's marriage?

Carlos acknowledged on their podcast that his intense competitiveness and jealousy over seeing Alexa dance with another partner created significant emotional strain during the season, which was worsened by their inability to rehearse together as planned.

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