WEBVTT - Danielle Dances! (Week 1) 0:00:13.360 --> 0:00:18.200 Hello. It's Danielle Fishl, podcaster, TV director and mom of two, 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:22.720 but forever known to most as Tapanga from the nostalgic 0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:26.880 TGIA favorite Boy Meets World. Currently, though, I am competing 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:29.400 on season thirty four of Dancing with the Stars and 0:00:29.480 --> 0:00:33.199 I am having the time of my life. As a reminder, 0:00:33.320 --> 0:00:36.720 I have absolutely no experience in the field. I'm not 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:38.919 even sure I should be doing this, but one thing 0:00:39.080 --> 0:00:41.519 I am sure of. I'll be keeping you updated in 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:45.000 the form of this podcast, Danielle with the Stars, chronicling 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:50.760 my entire journey to win a Mirror Ball. This is 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:57.640 immediately following the press line which immediately followed the premiere 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:03.440 of Dancing with the Stars in thirty four. First of all, 0:01:03.560 --> 0:01:07.319 I would really like to say that I have only 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:13.000 been able to have this incredible of anexperience on Dancing 0:01:13.000 --> 0:01:16.760 with the Stars so far because of all of the 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:21.120 people around me who have just made this possible for me. 0:01:21.440 --> 0:01:25.600 From my husband, who has picked up one hundred percent 0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:28.840 of the stuff that I normally do for our household 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:31.520 and the kids, which is a lot. He has taken 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:34.640 one hundred percent of that on my kids, who have 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:39.200 been really understanding about my hours and my schedule, and 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:41.560 knowing that sometimes I may only be able to see 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:42.959 them when they wake up in the morning, that I 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:45.520 may not be home before they are down for the night. 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:50.200 And you know, people who help our family, like my 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:54.240 incredible nanny who when my husband is overworked and overloaded 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:56.720 with things because I'm not there, she has picked up 0:01:56.760 --> 0:02:00.440 the slack. It has been such like a team effort. 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:04.919 To Tara, our fantastic producer, who's coming to me here 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:07.600 late at night after a taping so that I can 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:10.120 do this podcast and bring all of this stuff to you, 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:14.880 my family, The words of support, the messages you guys 0:02:14.919 --> 0:02:17.880 have been sending me, the amount of texts and love 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:21.799 and direct messages and comments on our Instagram and our tiktoks, 0:02:22.639 --> 0:02:32.400 the love that I feel and the like the celebratory 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:36.720 nature of what I'm doing is just really really special, 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:38.640 and I want to thank you all so much. So 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:42.600 I didn't want to start on an emotional note, but 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:45.440 oh well, what are you gonna do? You know, a 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:50.800 girl's gotta cry once in a while. Man, what a 0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:55.000 show I You know, I have done some show and 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:57.440 tells over the last couple of weeks with people who 0:02:57.440 --> 0:02:59.880 were in rehearsal times at the same time as me. 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:07.239 But man, everybody came alive in that ballroom. The confetti, 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:12.960 the pyrotechnics, the lasers, the energy, our friends and our 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:16.800 family being there. It was Wow. It is it's so 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:20.440 fast paced. It's so busy. I have been here. I 0:03:20.520 --> 0:03:23.160 left my house this morning at six forty five. It's 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:27.280 now eight thirty pm. I have been in hair and 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:31.680 makeup since seven forty five. I've been in my dress 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:34.560 since one pm. Actually a little bit before one pm, 0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:39.240 like twelve thirty pm. It's and all day you're just going, going, going, 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:41.040 and you're doing hair, then you're doing makeup. Then they're 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:43.040 pulling you out. They're doing a camera blocking, and you 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:45.720 have to go all out for the camera blocking. They 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:47.920 want to like really make sure they see what the 0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:49.840 performance is going to be, to make sure they capture 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:54.120 all the right moments. There's opening numbers, the pros are dancing. 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:57.400 The dressing rooms are kind of far from where the 0:03:57.400 --> 0:03:59.560 stage is, and your feet hurt, so you like want 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:01.680 to bring your slippers that they bought you, which is 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:04.520 very nice. And we have beautiful robes also that we 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:06.480 can wear. But it's so hot outside. I didn't want 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:08.880 to wear a robe. By the way, I'm so smelly 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:13.880 right now. I stink. I've been truly running back and 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:18.279 forth dancing my behind off, and I'm just like, I 0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:20.080 can't wait to go home and take a shower. I 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:24.880 also need to ice my hamstring. My leg is very swollen. 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:28.360 It was really starting to cramp up on me right 0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:32.040 before we went out to do our dance. And something 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:34.880 I have realized I'm gonna have to get used to 0:04:35.200 --> 0:04:39.360 if I'm going to be in this dance world is 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:44.279 that you have to go one hundred percent every time 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:48.560 you do your dance. As someone who started my career 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:51.960 as an actor at ten years old, actors don't do that. 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:55.440 We don't go one hundred percent until the camera is rolling, 0:04:55.520 --> 0:05:00.400 until we're live. You don't want to like kill something 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:02.720 that's naturally there, and one of the ways you feel 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:04.599 like you do that is by doing it over and 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:08.000 over again. But in this dance world, you give one 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:13.000 hundred percent every time. Well also physically, I can only 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:17.120 kick my legs super high so many times before I'm like, 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:21.400 this little leg needs a break. So my hamstring actually 0:05:21.600 --> 0:05:25.920 has a minor tear. I have been icing twice a 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:30.160 night epsom salt bath. In between, I'm taking an ibuprofen 0:05:30.240 --> 0:05:33.320 to help. And right before I went out for the 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:38.080 live show, after having gone all out for five other 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:43.120 runs for dress rehearsal and practice, my legs started really 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:46.120 getting tight and I was like, what am I gonna do? Like, 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:47.960 this is the time when I have to go What 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:49.559 am I gonna do? And I kept trying to stretch 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.040 a little bit, wasn't really working. It was really cramping, 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:56.080 and then adrenaline just took over in the middle of 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:58.520 the dance and I was able to do it. I 0:05:58.560 --> 0:06:00.760 still haven't been able to watch it, so I don't 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:03.200 know exactly what it looked like. I know it felt 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:08.360 really good. I trust Pasha implicitly. I trust him with everything, 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:12.960 and he swears that this was the best performance we've 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:15.520 ever done, and we've now done it over a thousand 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:18.320 times in the last couple of weeks, and he swears 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:20.680 that the live show was by far the best. So 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:23.400 I trust him. But I will also watch the tape 0:06:23.400 --> 0:06:26.279 myself and critique myself, even though he says that's useless 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:28.880 because we don't do tango again. But you're seeing my 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:32.279 perfectionism come through so that is what we danced tonight. 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:35.800 We danced a tango to Kelly Clarkson's Stronger because it 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:39.200 was Anthem week and when they asked me what my 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:42.520 anthem was, it was a really quick answer. I'm a 0:06:42.600 --> 0:06:45.480 Kelly Clarkson fan. That song has always been a lot 0:06:45.520 --> 0:06:47.400 to me, but it really took on a whole new 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:50.280 meeting for me last year when I had breast cancer 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:52.000 and I used to listen to it on my way 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.119 to radiation, and I used to listen to it before 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:57.800 my surgeries, and the minute they said we need an 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:01.200 anthem song, that was the one that just to me immediately. 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:05.560 So I have really enjoyed Pasha's choreography. There are some 0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:08.440 really great moments where the part where she says stand 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:11.760 a little taller and I grow from a lunge, Like 0:07:11.840 --> 0:07:14.520 he's so smart in the way he does his choreography, 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:18.720 and so it was it was really great. In between 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:21.360 when we're doing our runs and we're trying to stay warm, 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:25.040 we're doing a lot of walking, we're doing some slight stretching. 0:07:25.960 --> 0:07:27.680 You don't want to sit for too long because you 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:30.040 just start to get achy and cramp up. But it's 0:07:30.080 --> 0:07:32.960 a long day Like I said, I've been here now 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:35.520 for thirteen hours, and I have been on my feet 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:38.720 for most of it. I have also been dancing for 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:43.160 quite a lot of it. My costume, my hair, my 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:48.240 makeup is just spectacular. I love it so much. I'm 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:52.480 wearing like a one shouldered Greek goddess gown that also 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:56.360 kind of reminds me of Ariel, which is so fun. 0:07:56.640 --> 0:08:00.280 My hair they wanted something very dramatic for Tanga, so 0:08:00.320 --> 0:08:02.360 we've got four braids on the top of my head 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:07.200 into a high pony. My makeup is green and gold 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:13.560 and super sparkly, really really fun. And then my jewelry. 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:18.960 I'm wearing actually a vintage Paddock Philippe watch that is 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:23.080 absolutely amazing. Shout out to Eric Wynd who sent it 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:24.920 to me. I sent him a picture of my dress 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:27.680 and I said, what's a gold watch that'll go with 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:29.440 this dress? And he sent this one to me and 0:08:29.560 --> 0:08:32.920 I am obsessed with it. I'm also wearing, as you 0:08:32.960 --> 0:08:36.800 guys know, my friend Jamie Forever fine jewelry. I'm wearing 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:39.840 all of her jewels, and then I've got this nice 0:08:39.840 --> 0:08:43.520 little turquoise number that I thought added some much needed color. 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:45.520 But I've also got these gorgeous earrings that are from 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:50.040 Jamie and my rehearsal shoes. These are not like special 0:08:50.360 --> 0:08:54.360 night dance shoes. They are the shoes they give us 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:57.280 that we rehearse in all throughout the week. And you 0:08:57.280 --> 0:08:59.319 would normally think like, oh, you're going to a fancy 0:08:59.360 --> 0:09:01.240 event or your to perform, don't you want a new 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:03.880 pair of shoes. Not when you're dancing on them. You 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:08.880 have to like, our feet are blistered and disgusting. I've 0:09:08.880 --> 0:09:11.240 always heard the dancers have ugly feet, and I can 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:16.000 attest dancers have hideous feet. They just do, and now 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:20.120 so do I because I am a dancer. So yeah, 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:25.080 we got our scores. Immediately came off the dance floor 0:09:25.640 --> 0:09:28.280 and Alfonso was there, and he was such a nice, 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:32.080 comforting presence. I've known Alfonso for a long time. We 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:36.240 actually have similar career trajectories in the idea that we 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:40.600 were iconic characters who have now tried to make a 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:43.200 name for ourselves outside of just those characters. I'm so 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:45.959 proud of him. I just think the world of him. 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:49.000 So he was a really comforting face to see. Carrie 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:51.920 Anne was so missed. She was sick tonight she's never 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:54.719 missed a show, and she wasn't there tonight, So there 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:56.960 were only two judges, which means our scores were out 0:09:56.960 --> 0:10:00.439 of twenty. I knew going into it that the judges 0:10:00.480 --> 0:10:03.679 were going to be scoring lower than usual. Derek has 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:06.480 been very upfront about that. On his social media. He 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:08.959 was saying that last year they felt like they came 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:11.160 out of the gate swinging a little hot with high 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:15.320 scores like sevens and eights, and then two, three, four 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:18.320 weeks into the season when the audience can tell that 0:10:18.400 --> 0:10:21.600 the celebrities are getting better every single week, but the 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:24.640 scores aren't getting better or they're still only getting sevens 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:27.880 and eights, because can we really give somebody a ten? 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:32.280 And week three, so they said they knew that the 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:34.560 mistake was that they weren't starting low enough that they 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:39.880 needed to be harsher. I honestly told myself going into it, 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:45.160 if you get two fours, just count that like a win. Well, 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:46.840 I actually was thinking it was gonna be three fours, 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:49.320 so I was thinking twelve, and then when I found 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:50.640 out it was two judges, I was like, oh wow, 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:52.760 getting an eight is going to feel really bad, even 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:54.760 though it's only out of twenty. So the fact that 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:56.800 I got two six's, that I got a twelve out 0:10:56.800 --> 0:11:01.360 of twenty, I am. Honestly, I'm thrilled. I have no 0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:05.080 dance experience. For someone who three weeks ago had never 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:06.920 taken a dance class, to come out and do a 0:11:06.920 --> 0:11:10.720 tango and have Derek Cuff and Bruno give me two 0:11:10.760 --> 0:11:16.640 sixes feels like an absolute win. So I'm happy about that. 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:20.000 I know they said some very nice compliments about my dancing, 0:11:20.080 --> 0:11:21.880 and I love that Derek said it was like a 0:11:21.880 --> 0:11:24.920 breath of fresh air. That really means a lot. Keeping 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:28.280 my shoulders down. Yeah, you're preaching to the choir friends. 0:11:28.360 --> 0:11:31.120 I have been working on these darned shoulders for a 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:34.480 long time, and Pasha keep saying it too. And I 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:37.280 probably should have reminded myself of the shoulders right before 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:41.320 I went out. Right before I went out, I had 0:11:41.320 --> 0:11:43.720 paid attention to my package, which, as you know, Sabrina 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:46.760 Bryan specifically told me, don't watch your package because you 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:48.440 never know what's going to be in there. And I 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.080 had watched my package and I saw that it was 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:54.120 about my cancer journey. And I looked over and I 0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:58.440 saw that writer and Will and my husband and my kids, 0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:00.880 and my mom and my dad and my dad's wife. 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:03.600 We're all sitting in the audience, and I started to 0:12:03.600 --> 0:12:07.080 feel myself get emotional, and I was like, Serena told 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:09.000 you not to watch your package. You just watched your package. 0:12:09.120 --> 0:12:12.280 Lock in with Pasha. Just lock in with Pasha and 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:15.160 pretend that no one else is here. And that's exactly 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:18.040 what I did. I pretended there was not a single 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:21.280 soul in the place. It was just me and Pasha, 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.480 and I was gonna be glued to him and locked 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:27.240 into him, and I was like, wow, Okay, that felt 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:29.960 really good. We finished, and then I felt this huge 0:12:30.080 --> 0:12:33.560 surge of relief, like there it's done. And then I 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:37.160 could start feeling all of the feels, and so, yeah, 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:40.040 I was happy with I was happy with their scores. 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:43.640 Would I have liked them to be higher, Sure, But honestly, 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:48.760 watching dance after dance after dance, it is a stacked season. 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:53.040 The competition is fierce. I have been a fan of 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:56.440 this show for a very long time, and without any 0:12:56.480 --> 0:12:59.719 disrespect to any other contestants or any other seasons, I 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:03.680 don't remember ever watching a premiere where I'm like, oh, so, 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:06.800 just everybody's better than the next person. Like it's just 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:11.559 every single performance is stellar, and the pros are so 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:14.800 good at bringing out their personality trait, the celeb's personality 0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:17.520 traits and letting them shine in their own unique ways. 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:21.400 And we're such a diverse group from all different facets 0:13:21.440 --> 0:13:24.160 of the entertainment industry, and we all bring different things 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:27.440 to the table. So it really does just go to 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:30.720 show you how important the voting is, Like that's really 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:33.480 what separates who's going to win and who's going to 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:36.840 go forward the next week is like whether or not 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:39.319 your fans are connecting with you and are making sure 0:13:39.440 --> 0:13:54.760 they vote every week. Pasha was really happy with our scores. 0:13:55.640 --> 0:13:59.240 Pasha was really happy in general. I always assume he's 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:03.480 being nice to me and that he secretly has more notes, 0:14:03.760 --> 0:14:06.560 but he really reiterated to me over and over again 0:14:06.600 --> 0:14:09.400 tonight how much he thinks this was by far my 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:12.440 best performance. And the good news for him is that 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:15.559 he now knows for sure, even though he always suspected, 0:14:15.640 --> 0:14:19.600 he knows for sure that I thrive under pressure, that 0:14:20.240 --> 0:14:22.480 I don't buckle. And that's always the hardest part for 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:25.000 a pro dancer on the first night is you have 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:27.040 no idea how your celeb is going to react. You've 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:31.600 got moving cameras everywhere, pyrotechnics, confetti, their family, and the 0:14:31.640 --> 0:14:35.840 audience noises happening at weird times. Everything just feels a 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:37.920 little different, and it's very easy for your knees to 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:39.800 buckle and for you to be like, what am I doing. 0:14:40.320 --> 0:14:42.880 As a matter of fact, my dress rehearsal that did happen, 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:46.720 So yesterday we got to do three runs of it. 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:50.520 All three runs of my dance, while not perfect, definitely 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:52.160 things I was like, here are some things I want 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:55.160 to improve on. We're all pretty darn good, and I 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:58.840 had really no nerves. I felt really great. I felt 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:00.960 super locked in, I felt very channeled, I felt like 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:04.320 my energy was focused. I felt great. And then this 0:15:04.400 --> 0:15:06.560 morning we came in and we did it two more 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:10.360 times and both of those went pretty well. But at 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:13.480 this point, like I mentioned, as an actor, I'm not 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:15.720 used to having to give it my all. Now I've 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:18.720 done it five times over two days at like almost 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:21.520 one hundred percent, I started to kind of feel that 0:15:21.520 --> 0:15:24.080 my one hundred percent was now like an eighty percent 0:15:24.200 --> 0:15:28.280 or maybe even a seventy percent, and that was like, okay, 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:30.320 I just need to get to this. I just need 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:32.960 to get to this live show. And then we did 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:36.440 a dress rehearsal. It's the first time, the only time, 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:40.120 you get to dance your dance in your costume, so 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:43.640 of course that feels different. You're now moving, not in 0:15:43.760 --> 0:15:47.320 yoga pants or shorts or ten isshoes or socks. You're 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:49.960 in your heels, You're in your very fancy dress. You've 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:53.040 never done any of these steps in this way. And 0:15:54.160 --> 0:15:58.400 I made a tiny little mistake that I have never 0:15:58.480 --> 0:16:01.560 done before in our dance. I started my spin out 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:05.160 on one count too early. And once I started a 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:09.360 spin out one count too early, I caught up on time, 0:16:09.440 --> 0:16:10.880 but that was in my head that I had just 0:16:10.880 --> 0:16:13.240 made a mistake. And then that mistake turned into me 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:15.120 not whipping my head at the time that I was 0:16:15.160 --> 0:16:17.600 supposed to, So then I'd made a second mistake. Then 0:16:17.680 --> 0:16:19.360 that one was in my head, and the next thing 0:16:19.360 --> 0:16:23.080 I knew, I was taking a step with the wrong foot. 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:27.040 And of all the rehearsals, the one you don't want 0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:30.720 to go terribly is the dress rehearsal. It's like, all 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:33.880 systems go, here's your one last chance to nail it. 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:37.760 And it was the first one that wasn't great, and 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:41.000 then I thought, again, is that gonna be in my head? 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:42.840 Like am I going to be able to overcome this? 0:16:42.960 --> 0:16:46.080 That this is? I just had a bad one, and 0:16:46.120 --> 0:16:47.880 Pasha was like, let's get it out of our system, 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:50.440 like come over here, let's practice. We practiced again. I 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.120 got it and I was like, Okay, I feel pretty good. 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:57.680 So I was super relieved that the live show. Although 0:16:57.720 --> 0:16:59.400 if I were to watch back, I'm sure I would 0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:02.000 find flow and what I did, but I was super 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:04.720 happy that, like I didn't take a wrong step, I 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:07.280 didn't hit something at the wrong time at least, you know, 0:17:07.400 --> 0:17:10.600 my shoulders may have been up, but everything else was 0:17:10.920 --> 0:17:15.400 pretty darn good. The amount of dances, I mean, Hilaria 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:20.520 Baldwin's salsa is she could be a pro, Like she 0:17:20.640 --> 0:17:25.400 could easily be out there as a professional dancer. It's unbelievable. 0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:28.760 And today was Gleb's birthday, Happy Birthday, Clob, so we 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:32.480 celebrated him. I think tomorrow is Scott's birthday, so we 0:17:32.560 --> 0:17:35.280 celebrated him as well. We have lots of birthdays. The 0:17:35.320 --> 0:17:38.160 Sunday is BRIT's birthday. We got to seeing Happy Birthday 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:41.359 and there were some cakes and it was really nice. 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:46.280 But yeah, I mean Ezra and Jordan, I mean starting 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:49.119 off the night is no easy feat. I feel like 0:17:49.240 --> 0:17:52.160 their scores were definitely lower than they should have been. 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:57.000 They got two fives, and I mean she's just spectacular, 0:17:57.240 --> 0:18:00.359 so that in performance was incredible. I am still yet 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:04.639 to see Robert's dance, which just feels like such a shame. 0:18:04.760 --> 0:18:07.199 How have I not seen it? I heard it was amazing, 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:10.560 I heard the feedback, I heard the scores. I'm desperate 0:18:10.600 --> 0:18:12.320 to see it. I can't wait to go home and 0:18:12.359 --> 0:18:14.600 watch the tape and see what everybody's dances look like 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:21.919 on camera. Elaine Hendrix so inspiring, so beautiful, moves so well. 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:27.600 I just absolutely love her. Whitney Levitt, are you kidding me? 0:18:28.119 --> 0:18:31.880 With that grace and that elegance and that long, beautiful neck. 0:18:31.960 --> 0:18:34.680 Nobody told her to keep her shoulders down because she's 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:38.160 just so graceful. And I love that song. Choice Golden 0:18:38.280 --> 0:18:41.000 is obviously everyone's favorite song right now, so I thought 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:45.760 that was really smart. Andy Richter his booty slapping, he's 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:50.440 so funny. Baron Davis, his personality's got that big smile. 0:18:50.640 --> 0:18:54.720 He's dancing, he looked so great. Honestly, I'm also not 0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:58.160 I'm impressed with all of the celebrities, but what this 0:18:58.359 --> 0:19:04.359 experience has really shown me these professional dancers who take 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:07.679 those of us who some of us have experienced, some 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:11.400 of us don't, but they just find ways to make 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:15.439 us shine every single week, and they take a back seat. 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:20.280 I think the biggest compliment Pasha has ever given me 0:19:20.680 --> 0:19:22.960 is the last couple of days, while we were rehearsing, 0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:25.680 he'd be like watching video and he'd be zooming in 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:28.159 and I'd be looking at him, like, Wow, you're really 0:19:28.480 --> 0:19:31.040 really trying to find something wrong. Huh, Like what are 0:19:31.080 --> 0:19:33.399 you looking at? And he said, oh, no, no, I'm sorry, 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:36.680 I'm not looking at you. Right now, I actually get 0:19:36.680 --> 0:19:39.280 to dance with you, like I get to do a 0:19:39.320 --> 0:19:42.560 performance because I don't have to worry about you. He said, 0:19:42.560 --> 0:19:45.480 you're balanced, You're on your own foot. He's like, and 0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:48.639 so now I'm judging my own performance and I'm finding 0:19:48.680 --> 0:19:53.760 ways to make what I do better. And I like 0:19:54.160 --> 0:19:57.560 knowing he felt comfortable and he felt that he was 0:19:57.640 --> 0:20:00.360 able to do. That was the biggest compliment and made 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:03.760 me so happy. I really just wanted to make him proud. Tonight, 0:20:03.960 --> 0:20:07.000 I think I did. It was a really great night 0:20:07.119 --> 0:20:09.480 my kids. I can't believe my six and my four 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:12.000 year old were able to make it the whole two hours. 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:14.040 I did see them plugging their ears a couple of 0:20:14.040 --> 0:20:17.639 times because boy, those confetti cannons are loud, but it 0:20:17.680 --> 0:20:19.440 was fun. They got on the floor, they were picking 0:20:19.480 --> 0:20:22.280 up confetti and tossing it. And then when they left, 0:20:22.480 --> 0:20:25.399 I said goodbye to them, and my youngest Keaton said, Mommy, 0:20:25.480 --> 0:20:30.560 two things, One I love you and two I really 0:20:31.080 --> 0:20:37.200 like your dancing, which just made my heart burst. So 0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:39.960 I can't wait to keep doing this. Next week is 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:44.480 a double elimination, which makes me very nervous. I don't 0:20:44.480 --> 0:20:47.880 want two people to go home. I don't want one 0:20:47.920 --> 0:20:49.960 of those people to be me. I hope one of 0:20:49.960 --> 0:20:53.679 those people is not me. Tomorrow, I'm back at the 0:20:53.720 --> 0:20:57.840 rehearsal space Bright and Early Tango is in my rearview mirror. 0:20:57.920 --> 0:21:00.199 I have to let go anything I didn't nail with 0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:03.040 that one and try to tackle a new dance, which 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:05.520 I'm very much looking forward to. We're going to do 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:10.560 a Latin dance, so it's going to be spicy. Pasha 0:21:10.600 --> 0:21:13.000 really wants to bring out like a different side of 0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:17.959 my personality every week. So today was a little intense tango. 0:21:18.119 --> 0:21:20.840 Next week, I think we want to be a little spicy, 0:21:21.040 --> 0:21:25.600 a little hot, and we'll see, we'll see what we 0:21:25.640 --> 0:21:30.200 have in store for tonight. I am nursing some injuries. 0:21:31.320 --> 0:21:36.720 My leg is extremely swollen. My hamstring is battered, like 0:21:36.800 --> 0:21:39.960 truly battered. I am going to go home. I'm going 0:21:40.040 --> 0:21:42.800 to ice for twenty minutes. Then I'm going to take 0:21:42.840 --> 0:21:46.440 a lukewarm epsom salt bath for twenty minutes, and then 0:21:46.520 --> 0:21:49.640 I'm going to ice again for twenty minutes, and I'm 0:21:49.680 --> 0:21:53.280 going to take an ibuprofen before bed. And then tomorrow 0:21:53.359 --> 0:21:55.119 I will wake up and I will put back on 0:21:55.160 --> 0:21:58.240 my compression leggings to help with my swelling, and I 0:21:58.359 --> 0:22:01.920 will start dancing my second week dance in my compression leggings, 0:22:01.960 --> 0:22:05.919 which have become my best friend and also my mortal enemy. 0:22:06.359 --> 0:22:10.359 I feel really ready for week two. I'm excited about it. 0:22:10.680 --> 0:22:12.760 I'm ready to like wake up and be like, okay, 0:22:12.880 --> 0:22:16.280 starting from scratch, show me something else. I think We've 0:22:16.320 --> 0:22:18.800 got a couple of tricks up our sleeve. I'm mostly 0:22:18.920 --> 0:22:22.040 just hoping that my right hamstring is not a main 0:22:22.119 --> 0:22:27.320 player in next week's dance. I already know some tricks 0:22:27.320 --> 0:22:28.760 that we're going to do for next week, and it 0:22:28.840 --> 0:22:30.800 seems as though my right hamstring will get a little 0:22:30.800 --> 0:22:33.760 bit of a break, which is all I'm asking for 0:22:33.880 --> 0:22:37.399 right now. My back will not though. I think we're uh. 0:22:37.520 --> 0:22:39.960 I think we're going to incorporate another big dip. We 0:22:40.000 --> 0:22:41.720 had a big dip at the end of tonight's dance, 0:22:41.760 --> 0:22:44.240 which was really fun. I think we're going to incorporate 0:22:44.240 --> 0:22:48.200 another big dip into next week's dance too, So we'll see. 0:22:49.160 --> 0:22:51.920 Next time you hear from me, I will be sitting 0:22:52.119 --> 0:22:57.800 with the one and only Maxim Schmerkovski. I cannot wait 0:22:58.359 --> 0:23:02.439 to talk to him. He will have watched my performance. 0:23:02.600 --> 0:23:05.000