Chandler Kinney and her dance floor partner Brandon Armstrong are quickly becoming fan favorites with their undeniable chemistry and smooth performances on Season 33 of ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ Their latest Rumba to ‘What Was I Made For?’ mesmerized everyone, and they’re now sitting at the top of the leaderboard.
Given their special connection, some fans have wondered if Chandler and Brandon are secretly dating. But we can confirm they are strictly dance partners, with no romance involved. In fact, Armstrong got engaged to his girlfriend, Brylee Ivers, in March 2022, and they tied the knot on July 30, 2022.
Since Brandon clearly isn’t Chandler’s boyfriend, who could be the special someone in this talented dancer’s life?
Matt Cornett: Chandler Kinney’s Co-Star Turned Boyfriend? The Dating Rumors Explained
Chandler Kinney was reported to be in a relationship with Matt Cornett, her ‘Zombies 3’ co-star and rumored boyfriend. They reportedly met on the sets of the third installment of the ‘Zombies’ franchise in 2021, fueling romance rumors. Matt was added to the cast in the threequel while Chandler was already a part of the franchise since the second film.
While the couple was indeed reported to be dating by multiple tabloids, we’re not sure they’re together anymore. In fact, we’re unsure if they were genuinely dating in the first place because neither Kinney nor Cornett ever officially confirmed it. However, the signs were always there that they were more than just friends, especially among the eagle-eyed fans.
In August 2021, a user who goes by ‘caswen4life’ shared Chandler and Cornett’s candid pictures on Tumblr and wrote:
This is Matt Cornett and Chandler Kinney today.
If these rumors are true and they are dating I am very happy for them❤️❤️
Also I’m happy that him and Brook the Trump supporter are done
In 2022, the rumored couple could be seen dancing to “Aint seen nothin” from ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.’ This does not necessarily prove Cornett is/was Kinney’s boyfriend, but the duo was often goofing around on TikTok around this time.
Per US Magazine, ‘Zombies 3’ costar Chandler Kinney and Matt Cornett sparked further dating rumors after fans noticed the two were on the SAG strike picket lines together in July 2023.
Earlier, Kinney was romantically linked to Joshua Bassett after she featured in his music video for “Telling Myself,” which was released in March 2021. She also took to Instagram to share a cute picture of the duo, urging her followers to stream his song: “hiiii go stream @joshuatbassett’s EP and watch the telling myself mv for clear skin k byeeee ❤️🍭” However, they were never confirmed to be in a relationship.
So, what’s her relationship status in 2024? Well, the actress has not come forward to confirm if she’s single or dating, but based on her social media activity, Chandler Kinney appears to be single, at least publicly.
Likewise, Matt Cornett, too, appears to be single right now. But before supposedly dating Chandler Kinney, he had been in a long-distance relationship with model Brookelynn Elizabeth since 2018. They were still together till January 2020, at the very least, when Elizabeth posted him on her IG with the caption: “Time to kick long distances butt again.” However, they’ve reportedly unfollowed each other since, confirming their split. Matt last appeared on Brookelynn’s Instagram in February 2020.
Chandler Kinney Dazzles with Rumba Performance on Dancing with the Stars!
On ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 33, Episode 2, Chandler Kinney and her partner Brandon Armstrong performed a Rumba, a slow and sensual dance that can be pretty challenging to execute. They danced to Billie Eilish’s ‘What Was I Made For?’ from the ‘Barbie’ movie, which fit perfectly with the emotional vibe of the Rumba. Chandler stood out, showing off her charisma and exceptional musicality. Her movements were incredibly smooth and flowed beautifully throughout the performance.
The judges were, unsurprisingly, pretty impressed! Bruno Tonioli said Chandler made the tricky Rumba look effortless, calling it “brilliant.” Carrie Ann Inaba loved how she connected emotionally with the audience, which is rare for someone this early on. She did mention Chandler could focus a bit more on partnering with Brandon.
Derek Hough was so impressed that he barely had anything to critique about Chandler—his feedback was mostly aimed at Brandon, which couldn’t be a bigger compliment. They scored 24 out of 30, making them the top couple of the night. After combining their score from last week, they’re sitting pretty at the top of the leaderboard with 47 points!
This latest episode had a movie theme, with all the couples dancing to iconic movie soundtracks. It was a pretty intense week since the scores from both the first and second episodes decided who would stay. Unfortunately, Anna Delvey & Ezra Sosa and Tori Spelling & Pasha Pashkov were eliminated. Chandler and Brandon are standing out as front-runners, but they’ve got some tough competition with dancers like Dwight Howard and Joey Graziadei close behind.
The next episodes are set for October 7 and 8, so more awesome performances are coming. Chandler and Brandon are in a great spot as things get more competitive!
