Becoming a contestant on Dancing with the Stars was once a pipe dream for actor Chandler Kinney, who watched the show with her family as a child. Today, she’s made history alongside her partner, Brandon Armstrong. Earlier in the season they made history as the first Black pair on the show to reach the furthest in the competition. Now, they are officially the first Black pair on the legendary show to reach the finals.

When joining the show, Kinney said she had no clue what her journey would hold, but she knew she wanted to push herself, challenging herself in ways she had never done before.

“As someone that grew up watching the show, I loved tuning in every week or going online and watching an episode or watching videos of dances just to make the week a little bit brighter,” Chandler told Blavity’s Shadow and Act ahead of the finale. “That was kind of like the entirety of my mentality going into this, and now, to be in this moment, and realize that it is so much bigger than a personal journey. It’s so much bigger than really anything that we’ve seen on the show to this point, or rather bigger than the outcome of what this show could be.”

She continued, “It’s a moment in history, and to be the one standing here, like a part of that moment, is unreal. I feel so honored and proud, and I’m stoked. I think it’s about time that we’ve had a Black couple make it to the finale. So that would be a dream. But even just to make it this far and have a freestyle that is a celebration and acknowledgment of that, I think, is a win in and of itself.”

How she’s learned new ways of expression as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars

The Pretty Little Liars: Summer School star said that joining the beloved television show as a contestant was a tall order, but it’s empowered her in ways she’s never experienced.

“It’s been so different because, as an actor, I am so accustomed to hiding behind characters,” Kinney shared. “You know, it’s never myself out for perception or judgment, and so that has felt very vulnerable and new and has come with its own ups and downs, but it also, I think, feels very empowering because it’s not another character’s strength or … individuality … that I’m displaying. It’s my own.”

“That’s been really an incredible experience, and it’s taught me so much more about myself than I ever even could imagine,” she added. 

How did she build the synergy with Brandon we witness on the ballroom floor as viewers?

Kinney called the best part of her Dancing with the Stars experience working alongside Brandon during their hours-long rehearsals.

“I feel so lucky,” she expressed. “I believe in the universe and how things happen for a reason, and why people are put in your life at a certain time, and I think Brandon is complete representation of that for me. I think he has given me a lift and a push in a time where I really needed it and has just become a big brother to me.”

“To compare that to like relationships that I create via my job as an actor on set, it’s similar in a lot of ways, just due to the nature of the job, you know, spending so much time together and pouring your heart and soul into something that’sbigger than you, and that you’re going to put out into the world, and that’s a very like specific process,” Kinney continued. “But I also think that there’s a big difference between Brandon and I specifically because we’re so dependent on each other, you know? And also, I’m coming in as someone who doesn’t know anything about what we’re doing, and he knows everything about what we’re doing. So, it’s very like teacher-student dynamic, with the added layer of like we really need each other to move forward each week. I need to be a good listener and show up, and he needs to meet me where I’m at.”

Is Broadway in Kinney’s near future?

With her first dip in the water in live performances, Kinney said she’s loved being a part of the experience, putting on a show with a live audience, and feeding off that energy. 

While she doesn’t know what lies ahead, Kinney stated the possibilities are endless.

“I don’t know in what context, if that is, you know, touring, if that is Broadway if that is whatever, it’s definitely opened my mind to it,” she said. “And I think, personally, I just went into this experience wanting to, you know, find a new part of myself and find a joy that I feel like I had been missing for a minute, and I feel like I was able to to accomplish that.”

Kinney concluded, “I think a huge part of that is doing something that scared me, and that I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to the other side of, or wasn’t sure how I would make it to the other side, and I think that really, to me, this is a much larger philosophical conversation, but I think that is one of the keys or secrets to life, you know, really running towards something that scares you. So I guess, personally, from a fulfillment level, I hope to seek out more opportunities that do that — that make me a bit nervous you know? And I don’t know what the other side is going tolook like, but I think, typically, the other side is quite beautiful.”

The Dancing with the Stars finale airs Tuesday on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.