NEWSAlexa PenaVega and Husband Carlos 'Set Boundaries' With Their 'DWTS' Partners Since Things Can Get 'Super Flirty Backstage'
Alexa PenaVega revealed she and husband Carlos set 'boundaries' when on 'DWTS' to ensure their marriage stayed their 'first priority.'
Alexa and Carlos PenaVega knew Dancing With the Stars can be a breeding ground for hookups, which is why the spouses agreed on a few rules when they signed up to compete separately on Season 21 in 2015.
The Spy Kids alum gave the scoop on the experience while on the Monday, November 4, episode of Cheryl Burke's "S--, Lies, and Spray Tans" podcast.
Alexa and Carlos PenaVega both competed on 'Dancing With the Stars' 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," the actress, 36, spilled. "So we fully understood the dynamics of the show."
"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," Alexa continued. "And for Carlos, at that season of his life, he was such a jealous man that even though he understood the dynamic, it was still hard for him. And you know how it is: It is incredibly flirty. You know how it's like super flirty backstage and whatever."
The actress revealed they 'set boundaries' for their dance partners.
To ensure the show didn't affect their marriage, they gave a few guidelines to their dance partners.
"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," she confessed of her relationship with Mark Ballas. "And then we figured it out, and we ended up having a really great partnership."
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The couple share three children, with their fourth child, a girl, being a stillborn.
"But I know it was really kind of rocky for everybody," she admitted, "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.'"
The stars married in 2014.
While Mark and Carlos' partner, Witney Carson, were completely understanding of the boundaries, Alexa revealed DWTS producers were "trying to make it like, ‘Alexa only cares about her husband. She doesn’t care about the competition at all.'"
Despite experiencing some drama, The Tomorrow People star doesn't regret competing on the series, where she finished in sixth place and her husband placed fifth.
"The behind-the-scenes can be tough," she acknowledged. "But it was as difficult as it was fun because there were really, really high highs."
