Sasha Farber Says He Wanted to 'Be a Gentleman' After Julianne Hough Asked Why He Didn’t Kiss Jenn Tran on DWTS (Exclusive)

Farber said the forehead kiss was "elegant [and] classy" after Hough called him out, and later told PEOPLE why he opted for the forehead

Jenn Tran Sasha Farber Dancing With The Stars
Jenn Tran, Sasha Farber on 'Dancing With The Stars'. Photo:

Eric McCandless/Disney

Sasha Farber has the perfect response to the Dancing with the Stars' judges questions about why he didn't kiss his partner Jenn Tran after their Disney Night performance.

On the Oct. 22 episode of DWTS, Farber, 40, and Tran, 26, performed a Rumba to "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid, and as the number ended, Farber gave Tran a sweet kiss on her forehead — which sent the panel of judges off.

"Is it weird for me to say that I ship this?" Derek Hough asked, and his sister agreed.

"A kiss on the forehead? Sasha, come on," Julianne Hough goaded him.

Farber said that the forehead kiss was "elegant [and] classy," and after the show, he told PEOPLE more of his reasoning behind the gesture.

"I thought, 'We have such an incredible bond. We work so well together,'" Farber said. "This dance was a classy, elegant rumba. It'd be weird if I was like, 'Ra-ra-ra,' so I just thought I'd be a gentleman, give you a kiss on the forehead."

"That was very nice of you, thanks," Tran said in response.

Jenn Tran Sasha Farber Dancing With The Stars
Jenn Tran, Sasha Farber on Dancing With The Stars.

Eric McCandless/Disney

Farber also gave Tran credit for her performance this week — which earned her a 27/30 — as he said, "She had a really hard dance, which is a rumba, one of the hardest dances, and she did so good."

"I had fun this week," Tran said.

Jenn Tran Sasha Farber Dancing With The Stars
Jenn Tran, Sasha Farber on Dancing With The Stars.

Eric McCandless/Disney

In the rehearsal package ahead of their dance, Farber said he wanted the dance to be "elegant, classy, beautiful — everything that [Jenn] is," and he told her, "You really do make this competition so much fun for me."

Another part of their preparation this week was a sweet "first date" riding swan boats in Echo Park Lake in L.A. During the outing, Tran teased her partner and asked if he was trying to "hold my hand."

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Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+ and streams the next day on Hulu and Disney+.

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