Emma Slater Says It's 'So Easy To Be Myself' With DWTS Partner Trevor Donovan

Eric McCandless/ABC

The chemistry between Emma Slater and Trevor Donovan on Dancing with the Stars just won't let up.

"It's so easy to be myself with Trevor," Slater, 33, told reporters including PEOPLE after Monday's "Bond Night" performance.

Following last week's steamy rumba, viewers seem to be paying extra attention to the pair's relationship, both on-screen and off, as the competition develops. The performance even had co-host Alfonso Ribeiro questioning their seemingly perfect chemistry.

When asked about it, the two said simply that they "trust" the way they've built together over the course of the season.

"I'm really grateful that you come in every single day, and you don't know exactly what I'm gonna throw at you, but you just trust me anyway," Slater told Donovan Monday.

The 90210 star, 43, added: "I know she's not gonna let me go out there doing something wrong. She sets the bar high, and she expects it, and I appreciate that."

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ABC/Christopher Willard Emma Slater and Trevor-Donovan

While Donovan came into DWTS with "no expectations," and even a fear of dancing, the pair has since earned the title of this season's dark horses, according to judge Derek Hough.

Slater seemed thrilled at the title, saying that being the underdog is often easier than being a front-runner. "It was really powerful for him to say that," she said.

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For Donovan, the praise came as a welcome surprise. "I feel like things are coming together," he said, adding that he thinks he has a "good shot" at winning the mirrorball in seven weeks' time.

As fans have noticed the palpable chemistry between the duo, Slater, who recently split from fellow pro dancer Sasha Farber, has kept her focus on the need for passion to drive every good performance.

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ABC/Christopher Willard Emma Slater and Trevor Donovan

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"When it's a rumba, people expect passion, people expect that steam and you really have to tell a story," she said of their "Elvis Night" routine.

"I know we have this great connection, this great chemistry. I really fought hard to achieve the environment for us to just be ourselves and be expressive."

She added that it "was a dance that really needed it, and it felt really good in the moment."

As questions came flooding in, Donovan seemed to hint at there being more than meets the eye between the two. He stunned Slater into silence, saying: "If you're really doing a good job acting, it all comes from the truth so there's something real in every performance."

Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Disney+.