“But when it's two adults putting on a show,” he noted, “because they know they can manipulate the algorithm to give them more likes and more views and more this—I just don't like anything that's inauthentic.”

“So if it's authentic,” he concluded. “I love that.”

Val also spoke to the importance of chemistry between the pro and their celebrity partner—though with an important caveat.

“When they say chemistry, a lot of times that term chemistry has been hijacked by romance,” he reflected. “And chemistry doesn't always have to have a sexual essence behind it. Chemistry is camaraderie. Chemistry is compatibility. Chemistry is friendship. When you trust somebody, you open up to somebody.”

And he thought the perfect example of that vulnerability between pairs could be seen this season in his wife Jenna’s partnership with Bachelor alum Joey Graziadei.

“I think Jenna and Joey had great chemistry because he was emotionally available and gave himself into the project,” he explained. “And she took that and also revealed herself in the process.”