Kaitlyn Bristowe was totally starstruck seeing Zac Efron at Dancing With the Stars — just like Us.
“I’m not gonna talk about the fact that I was probably making Zac Efron uncomfortable,” Bristowe, 40, joked during the Thursday, November 20, episode of the “Dancing With the Stars Official Podcast” while recapping the Prince Night performances.
Zac, 38, was spotted in the audience for the first time all season on Tuesday, November 18, cheering for his brother Dylan Efron and pro Daniella Karagach, who successfully secured a place in the upcoming finale.
Bristowe admitted on the podcast that she was overwhelmed while sitting “directly across” from Zac in the ballroom. “He’s my teenage heartthrob,” the season 29 winner added.
Fellow mirrorball champ Joey Graziadei was happy to see the actor “finally” make an appearance to support his brother. “Zac’s gotta be one of the biggest stars we’ve had in the ballroom, for sure,” the former Bachelor said. “I’m sure he’s wanted to [be there] the entire time, I’m guessing there was a version of him that wanted to wait because he wanted [Dylan] to have his experience.”
Bristowe agreed, teasing, “I know how close they are because I’m a creep and follow them. But … Dylan probably feels like he lives in that shadow and this is his moment, so Zac was probably being the hottest, sweetest guy ever and saying, ‘This is your moment.’”
Throughout season 34, Dylan has spoken candidly about having his older brother in his corner. “My dad is super excited,” he told Us Weekly exclusively in September. “He has little kids, [ages] 4 and 5. They’re all super excited. My mom was honestly just shocked. She’s just like, ‘Where’d this come from?’ My brother is supportive.”
Fans hoped to catch a glimpse of Zac earlier on in the competition, but Dylan insisted to Extra last month that the High School Musical star “is supporting me every day” despite his absence from the live tapings.
On Tuesday night, Zac watched Dylan perform both a tango and a cha-cha. At one point, the camera caught Zac appearing to discuss Dylan’s scores with their mother, Starla Baskett. (Dylan earned a 27 out of 30 for his tango and 28 out of 30 points for his cha-cha.)
Both Bristowe and Graziadei were impressed by Dylan’s performances. “There was so much improvement,” Bristowe said of Dylan, who previously danced a cha-cha on the first episode of the season. “His hips are phenomenal. They don’t lie and they aren’t stiff, and they really know what they’re doing. … I was really proud of him tonight.”
After being saved from another elimination — Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas were sent home just one week before the season finale — Dylan gushed over having his brother there to see him dance in person.
“It means everything. I grew up watching him do stuff like this,” Dylan told Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday. “Looking over, my family’s there, my girlfriend. Just seeing all of them together, that’s my support.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
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