LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 13: Jordan Chiles of the UCLA Bruins competes on balance beam during “Meet The Bruins” 2026 at UCLA Pauley Pavilion on December 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
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The action never stops for U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles. Less than three weeks ago, the two-time Olympian was dancing for a worldwide audience in the finale of Dancing with the Stars. On December 13, Chiles was back competing in gymnastics.
Chiles and her dance partner Ezra Sosa finished third behind social media influencer Alix Earle (second) and Australian conservationist Robert Irwin (first). In a show’s history lined with many successful gymnastics contestants, Chiles’ finish was the third-strongest finish for a gymnast – behind only Laurie Hernandez (2016) and Shawn Johnson (2009).
Just 19 days later on Saturday, Dec. 14, Jordan Chiles competed in the annual UCLA intrasquad premiere meet: ‘Meet the Bruins.’ Chiles was victorious on Saturday in Westwood, helping her assigned intrasquad team to the win.
Despite the grueling 11 weeks of training she dedicated to Dancing with the Stars, Chiles didn’t miss a beat in her return to the collegiate gymnastics stage. Chiles competed on beam and floor at UCLA’s meet, the latter considered the most physically taxing apparatus of the four women’s events.
She stuck both passes, competing the full difficulty that helped her clinch a Big Ten floor championship in spring 2025. Even more impressively, Chiles admitted that – for the most part – she did not modify her gymnastics training schedule due to the show’s demands. Chiles said she only missed UCLA gymnastics training during the weeks she spent preparing for the Dancing with the Stars finale.
Chiles reflected on her busy schedule in a post-meet press conference. “My off-season, I was doing Dancing with the Stars” she laughed. “So, my offseason was great.”
The show was great for many reasons, including its influence on her gymnastics. Chiles has always had a penchant for musicality – especially in her fan-favorite floor routines – and she credits the show with helping her embrace and expand her musicality.
“Dancing with the Stars showed a different side of me that I didn’t think needed to be shown,” Chiles said.
The Dancing with the Stars influence is already evident for Chiles, even on balance beam. In Saturday’s competition, she infused elements from her and Ezra Sosa’s finale performance into her beam choreography. On floor, however, she ‘said goodbye’ to her revered Prince-themed floor routine – the one that won her the Big Ten title.
When pressed for more information about her highly anticipated new floor routine, Jordan toyed with the media. “I’m not going to tell you guys,” she said, smiling. But she did drop some easter eggs for fans eager to speculate.
“I’ve gotten older in my generations of music,” she said, alluding to an older music selection for the 2026 season. “That’s kind of a hint,” she added, sharing that the routine will mark a clear departure from the “cutesy” routines of her gymnastics past.
Above all, Jordan plans for the routine to be “passionate” and “confident.” Why? That’s legacy she wants to leave in her final NCAA season: her “last era of being a Bruin.”
Chiles and the No. 4 UCLA Bruins begin their season on Jan. 3, 2026 at a quad meet at the University of Washington. The Bruins will take on Washington, as well as visiting teams, No. 20 California and No. 17 Oregon State.
NCAA Gymnastics can track the action all season long – including schedules and streaming information – on Road To Nationals.