ET was there as Dancing With the Stars contestant Calvin Johnson ratcheted up his rehearsal with pro partner Lindsay Arnold after being placed on the chopping block.

Despite being in danger of elimination this week, Johnson wowed the crowd and judges with a fiery Argentine tango that left Arnold referring to him as "a whole new, sexy man."

EXCLUSIVE: Lindsay Arnold on Calvin Johnson's Fiery 'DWTS' Tango

Now the dancing duo is ready to do whatever it takes to keep from being in that position again.

"I feel like every single week this guy has done something that people are shocked by," Arnold told ET. "He's even doing a new, crazy lift with me that I've never even done before. He'll try literally everything that I ask him."

Even with his eagerness, there was one thing that took some convincing.

"He had to do the knee slide, like a baseball slide, simple. I've never seen someone more terrified," Arnold revealed.

WATCH: Jana Kramer Can't Keep Her Hands to Herself in Steamy 'DWTS' Tango

"I didn't want to have to hit this hardwood floor," Johnson explained. "It's not forgiving."

Johnson, who is 6' 5", eventually solved the problem with some protective gear.

"He got knee pads, he got a butt pad," Arnold said. "He was fully decked out."

That can-do attitude brought Johnson plenty of success during his nine seasons with the Detroit Lions, and the six-time Pro Bowler compared DWTS to his days in the NFL.

READ: Lindsay Arnold Explains How Calvin Johnson Plans to Shatter Another One of Jerry Rice's Records

"There's many parallels," Johnson said. "You start a season kind of getting your feel, feeling your way through, and each week it gets more and more competitive."

Fans will see how much more competitive things get on Monday when Johnson and Arnold perform the jive to "Good Golly Miss Molly" at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.