Before this season of ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ ballroom professional Witney Carson didn’t know who Danny Amendola was.

‘I remember calling my brother and saying, ‘Yes, I have a footballer, his name is Danny Amen, something like that?’ And he was like, ‘Are you serious, Witney?’” she told HuffPost in a recent interview. “They were all just going crazy.”

One thing she did know about pairing up with the former New England Patriots wide receiver on the reality dance competition show: It helps to have an athlete.

“They have a great record on the show,” Carson said of the athletes who have competed for the mirrorball trophy. “Their commitment and work ethic are so great. And that also applies to Danny. He is very committed and works extremely hard.”

Amendola, a two-time Super Bowl champion, isn’t the only athlete who has gone far this season. Together with him, gymnast Steven Nedoroscik and rugby player Ilona Maher reach the semifinals, along with actor Chandler Kinney and former “Bachelor” Joey Graziadei.

The footballer and Carson showed themselves strong enough this season by scoring 20 out of 30 with a tango to ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ by Shaboozey and ending up in the middle of the rankings.

Carson said it took some time to research Amendola’s dancing abilities.

“I really wanted to emphasize how athletic he was” in the third week, she said, when the pair danced a lively jive to “Danger Zone” in a “Top Gun” tribute and Amendola emerged as a serious contender.

The buzz surrounding the pair only grew louder the following week, when they delivered a moving contemporary performance on X Ambassadors’ “Unsteady.” The dance featured a lift with Amendola pulling Carson off the ground with one leg, which went viral after fans on social media tried to recreate it.

Carson called both dances a turning point in the season where “people could really be in awe of (Amendola), with his power and his storytelling.”

Now in her 14th season with one mirror ball under her belt, Carson is ready to take on any challenge on the show – but she admitted last week to the ‘instant dances’, where each couple discovered the singing and dancing style they would perform live have to do. , made her “so nervous.”

For Carson, the hardest part was not knowing the music in advance.

“I didn’t know when it was going to end, where it was going to start, all the musical cues that I’m so used to… I had a very stressful week, and I think all the pros agreed,” she said, adding that she was “very proud” of all the celebrity contestants who had made it through the dances.

Amendola, Carson said, is “always very positive” when it comes to preparing for new elements in the show.

“It’s like, accept the challenge, love the challenge, knock it down and go for it,” she said. “And that’s how he approaches every situation.”

And the challenges will keep coming: Heading into semifinals week, Carson and Amendola prepare a Viennese waltz and a salsa in hopes of a chance to compete for the mirrorball trophy.

“Going into the semi-finals, it’s a little bit more pressure for me as a choreographer, just to continue to provide wow factors for everyone,” she said. “I’m going to take the challenge that Danny has put in my head at this point and just really go for it because we really have no other option. It really comes down to the wire. Everyone is very, very good. Anyone could go to the final, anyone could win it, I think, at this point.”