WEBVTT - Dancing with…Val Chmerkovskiy

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<v Speaker 1>It's time for another Danielle with the Stars. I am

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<v Speaker 1>Danielle Fischel, a TV director, a podcaster to Panga on

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<v Speaker 1>Boy Meets World and its millennial reboot, plus a mom

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<v Speaker 1>of two. But right now I am a dedicated ballroom

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<v Speaker 1>dancer competing on season thirty four of Dancing with the Stars,

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<v Speaker 1>airing every Tuesday night on ABC and Disney Plus. I

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<v Speaker 1>know it's still weird for me too, And while I

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<v Speaker 1>chatcha salsa and foxtrot my little heart out, I am

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<v Speaker 1>recording this podcast, logging in my research and personal emotions

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<v Speaker 1>on trying to win my very own mirror Ball trophy,

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<v Speaker 1>and along the way, I'm talking to other contestants and

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<v Speaker 1>professionals in hopes that even just a small chat can

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<v Speaker 1>lead me in the right direction of success. And today

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<v Speaker 1>I know I'm onto something. He's the winner of three

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<v Speaker 1>mirror Ball trophies, leading Rumor Willis, Lori Hernandez, and Sochi

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<v Speaker 1>Gomez to the top spot. Over the whopping twenty seasons,

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<v Speaker 1>he has been a part of the show, and in

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<v Speaker 1>my opinion, there is no better week to talk to

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<v Speaker 1>him because he has been a part of a few

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<v Speaker 1>shocking eliminations himself also clocking in second or third place

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<v Speaker 1>finishes along the way. This season, he is paired with

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<v Speaker 1>social media Maven Alex Earl, helping her turn TikTok dance

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<v Speaker 1>skills into ballroom ballyho and they are killing it so far.

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<v Speaker 1>Please welcome to Danielle with the Stars. It's one of

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<v Speaker 1>the most talented and fashionable dancers in the game. Say

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<v Speaker 1>hello to Val Schmerkowsky. Wow, welcome. Hi. You are elusive

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<v Speaker 1>and hard to pin down. How many times have I

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<v Speaker 1>asked you to come on Danielle with the Stars the last.

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<v Speaker 2>Few weeks, so so many times.

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<v Speaker 1>I've pounded you. Stara has hounded you. Yeah, I'm so

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<v Speaker 1>honored you finally made it into my den of podcasting.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you. I was, you know, maybe I was dodging

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<v Speaker 2>you because I was a little intimidated.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I'm ready, Okay, great, I'm actually I was happy

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<v Speaker 1>to confirm that you're not avoiding me, But I think

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<v Speaker 1>maybe you just confirmed you were avoiding me. Okay, So

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<v Speaker 1>I don't want to start with something heavy, but I

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<v Speaker 1>kind of have to. Can we talk about last night's elimination?

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<v Speaker 1>Were you as shocked as I was?

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<v Speaker 3>Oh?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, I was very shocked. You know, Lauren to

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<v Speaker 2>me was a contender. Yeah, not just because of her

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<v Speaker 2>amazing dancing and just performance value. I mean, she's a

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<v Speaker 2>contender because of the massive fan base and just you know,

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<v Speaker 2>she's in it. She's a big star. Yeah, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>and I just thought that she was in it for

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<v Speaker 2>the long haul. But again, it's like you never know.

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<v Speaker 2>I was very shocked. You know, I feel again, respectfully

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<v Speaker 2>to you and your fellow celebrities. Yeah, my heart immediately

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<v Speaker 2>goes to the pro. You know, I feel for the

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<v Speaker 2>celeb obviously, but there's such a huge responsibility that is

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<v Speaker 2>put on the pro, so I my empathy was more

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<v Speaker 2>immediate with Brandon. Obviously, I feel bad for Lauren. But

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<v Speaker 2>you know, again, I just making sure that he, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>just knows that this isn't a reflection on his professional capabilities,

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<v Speaker 2>but rather, you know, things that potentially are out of

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<v Speaker 2>his control. Now, should he take some responsibility, of course

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<v Speaker 2>he will, regardless of what I tell him. But separating

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<v Speaker 2>those two things, like you know, understanding that your professional

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<v Speaker 2>integrity has nothing to do with this result, and if

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<v Speaker 2>you could separate that, because I know you're stressing about

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<v Speaker 2>that too, you know, just enjoy the hurt, loathing, the disappointment,

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<v Speaker 2>because it definitely is disappointing, but don't tie those two

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<v Speaker 2>things together.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and you have experience with that, especially the season

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<v Speaker 1>as well, because your wife Jenna week one, So did

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<v Speaker 1>you have a very similar conversation with her? I know

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<v Speaker 1>she she described herself to me as psychotically competitive. So

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<v Speaker 1>what was that conversation like between the two of you

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<v Speaker 1>when she went home week one?

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<v Speaker 2>Difficult? Yeah, but also not the first time we've had

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<v Speaker 2>that conversation. I just think that the highs and lows

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<v Speaker 2>of the show and this industry in general. I mean

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<v Speaker 2>it's a reflection of being in the performing arts, but

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<v Speaker 2>then also in Hollywood. Then also just with the massive

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<v Speaker 2>appeal of the show right now, there's so many eyes,

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<v Speaker 2>so much just frequency around this project. It just it's hard.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, Plus, you were, you know what before used

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<v Speaker 2>to be, you were anxious about being validated once a

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<v Speaker 2>week in the form of judges' scores and potentially people's votes.

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<v Speaker 2>Now you are seeing direct validation or lack of in

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<v Speaker 2>every post that you post, right, and so you've you've

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<v Speaker 2>seen those views, you see in those comments, you've see

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<v Speaker 2>those likes. It's very hard not to pay attention to

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<v Speaker 2>the energy on on on social media. So yeah, with

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<v Speaker 2>all of that, there's a lot of pressure and so

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<v Speaker 2>you gotta, you gotta, you gotta have some some foundation

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<v Speaker 2>that can alleviate some of that stress. So the conversations

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<v Speaker 2>we've had, you know, we've had for many seasons now,

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<v Speaker 2>which is you know, there there's so much that you

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<v Speaker 2>can do. You are clearly good enough because last year

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<v Speaker 2>you have won in a very competitive season. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>this wasn't like a runaway win. This this is a battle,

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<v Speaker 2>and you know, just like this season is going to

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<v Speaker 2>be a battle. Last year she came out on top

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<v Speaker 2>and that was a really beautiful moment for our family. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>unfortunately this year that's not how it went. But yeah, yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>just keep moving.

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<v Speaker 1>It's interesting what you said talking about working in the

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<v Speaker 1>entertainment industry. We have such a weird dichotomy of needing

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<v Speaker 1>to be very vulnerable with people who are very willing

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<v Speaker 1>to be vulnerable and wear our hearts on our sleeve

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<v Speaker 1>for performance value, and yet also need to have a

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<v Speaker 1>thick skin, you know, which is hard to be both.

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<v Speaker 1>It's hard to be the type of person that can

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<v Speaker 1>leave it all out there and show you everything that

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<v Speaker 1>we're feeling and emote, and then also walk off the

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<v Speaker 1>dance floor and be like, I'm not going to let

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<v Speaker 1>that negative comment or those lack of likes or those whatever,

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<v Speaker 1>or this loss affect me.

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<v Speaker 2>It's yeah, I mean again, in the performing arts or

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<v Speaker 2>you know, you come from TV, I don't know if

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<v Speaker 2>you've done stage. I'm sure you have. You know, you

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<v Speaker 2>become vulnerable playing a character that then you go backstage

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<v Speaker 2>and you don't have to talk about it, you don't

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<v Speaker 2>have to reveal your natural self. Here. You're doing all

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<v Speaker 2>of that in a span of five minutes in front

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<v Speaker 2>of millions of people live and also you are setting

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<v Speaker 2>up the conversation in your package. Then you are going

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<v Speaker 2>all in revealing yourself. Again, if you want to have

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<v Speaker 2>a strong performance, you have to really throw yourself into it.

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<v Speaker 2>And then immediately it's like, how do you feel about that? Well,

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<v Speaker 2>I mean I don't. I can't even barely breathe. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>it's really hard to again, just all all of these

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<v Speaker 2>nights are so packed with intensity and just so many

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<v Speaker 2>emotions high low. Regardless, it's important to to have a

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<v Speaker 2>routine of the compression and like just just yeah, just

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<v Speaker 2>snapping out of it.

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<v Speaker 1>What is your decompression routine after a live show?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh?

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<v Speaker 1>Do you go eat?

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<v Speaker 2>I do? I eat pasta? That's my comfort food.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess, yeah, what kind of pasta?

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<v Speaker 2>I'm a basic? Yeah, I'm like, you mean the special

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<v Speaker 2>sticks to of course, you got to get the garlic bread.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, so that's that's good. Anything else do you try

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<v Speaker 1>to do? You have a hard time coming down. I

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't able to go to sleep until one am last night.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm on such an adrenaline high. I don't know how

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<v Speaker 1>to calm my body down.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, no, same, I stay up pretty late. Yeah, I

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<v Speaker 2>mean again, I preach more than I do, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>as far as decompress. Don't trust so much, don't you know?

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<v Speaker 2>But I was trussing the entire time already about next week.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's what's hard. It's like you become your own word,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, your biggest competition. When people are like, who's

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<v Speaker 2>your biggest competition? I mean there's obvious answers, but the bigger,

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<v Speaker 2>more honest answer is that it's yourself. As cliche as

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<v Speaker 2>it sounds, but you're only as good as your last performance,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, So after a night like last night for Us,

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<v Speaker 2>which was our best performance yet. Such a great moment.

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<v Speaker 2>It's very short lived because now I'm like, Okay, how

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<v Speaker 2>do I a moment? Yeah? So yeah, it's stressful.

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<v Speaker 1>Can we talk a little bit about Andy Richt's appeal?

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<v Speaker 1>The world has just fallen in love with him? How

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<v Speaker 1>much of that? Again, you mentioned that your empathy and

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<v Speaker 1>all of your your thoughts go to the pro I

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<v Speaker 1>also want to praise Emma.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>How much of what the audience sees about the celebrity,

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<v Speaker 1>how much of that is able to be shaped by you? Guys?

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<v Speaker 1>How quickly do you get to know your partners and say,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm able to spot this very specific thing that I

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<v Speaker 1>think America will fall in love with, and how do

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<v Speaker 1>you bring that to life?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah? So much. I think we have a lot to

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<v Speaker 2>deal with that. I mean, Emma give her nickname magician

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<v Speaker 2>because she just like makes something, you know, kind of

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<v Speaker 2>out of something that very few would would would would

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<v Speaker 2>create so many, you know, so many dynamic performances with Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>But as far as Andy, yeah, I think she's want

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<v Speaker 2>a great job creating his story, you know, and introducing

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<v Speaker 2>different parts and layers of him to our audience. I

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<v Speaker 2>think she does that really well every year, and she's

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<v Speaker 2>just emotionally invested, you know. I think that's that's a

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<v Speaker 2>big part of what makes a pro successful on our

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<v Speaker 2>show is besides the expertise and the and the knowledge,

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<v Speaker 2>you gotta be really you gotta really love people. Yea,

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<v Speaker 2>you gotta love people. You gotta want to connect with people.

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<v Speaker 2>And Emma's one of those pros that really is emotionally

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<v Speaker 2>invested in her partners. And I think, yeah, and that's

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<v Speaker 2>why that happens. But yeah, I mean she's also got

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<v Speaker 2>a great sense of humor. He's obviously got an incredible

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<v Speaker 2>creative sense of humor and is also down to play.

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<v Speaker 2>But but again, yeah, he's he's relatable because he's every

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<v Speaker 2>man every man and and even our female demographic is

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<v Speaker 2>watching him and sees the uncle or the grandfather or

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<v Speaker 2>the father or the brother or whatever. Yeah, the guy

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<v Speaker 2>in there in their family that's down to play. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, And I think that's what's so beautiful about

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<v Speaker 2>him is he's not a perfect dancer, but he's attempting

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<v Speaker 2>it holdheartedly and I think effort, curiosity, enthusiasm goes a

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<v Speaker 2>long way.

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<v Speaker 1>Totally as someone who is both a technically incredible dancer

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<v Speaker 1>and also a wonderful performer. Would you rather have the

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<v Speaker 1>best dance of the night or someone's favorite dance of

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<v Speaker 1>the night.

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<v Speaker 2>Mmmm, that's great. I'd rather have someone's favorite yeah night. Yeah, okay,

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<v Speaker 2>I do it for the people. For the scores, right,

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<v Speaker 2>it sounded.

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<v Speaker 1>So that was good. Put that on, Put that on

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<v Speaker 1>a T shirt.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, scores they matter, but obviously they matter. They you

0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:03.079
<v Speaker 2>know the position, you know, you know you don't want

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<v Speaker 2>to be eliminated, but I just want to be I

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<v Speaker 2>want to steal the night. You know. That's how I

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<v Speaker 2>call I just right now. It's hard because there's so

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<v Speaker 2>many great couples and so many of them, it's hard

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<v Speaker 2>to do that. But yeah, I'm just trying to steal

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<v Speaker 2>the show with a performance that people love and want

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<v Speaker 2>to watch again, whether the scores in line or not.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, I try to balance both, but that would

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<v Speaker 2>be more important to.

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<v Speaker 1>Me, okay. Carrie Anne said this past week that there

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<v Speaker 1>seemed to be two camps on the show, those with

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<v Speaker 1>prior dance experience who walked in here already very impressive,

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<v Speaker 1>and those who knew nothing but are learning every week

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<v Speaker 1>and hopefully getting better. Where would you rather be strategy wise?

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<v Speaker 1>And what do you think is kind of the spirit

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<v Speaker 1>of the show.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, the show is a balance and act of

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<v Speaker 2>both of those things. We just spoke about Andy and

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<v Speaker 2>the you know, he might not look like him, but

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<v Speaker 2>believe it or not, he's not a trained dancer. Surprised,

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<v Speaker 2>But I think our show is not just about dance.

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<v Speaker 2>It's about performance. It's about connection, you know, And so

0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:15.680
<v Speaker 2>that's the great equalizer, you know. So yes, you could

0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:21.760
<v Speaker 2>come in with a lifelong dance education in your in

0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:26.520
<v Speaker 2>your you know bag, but if you're not someone that

0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:31.040
<v Speaker 2>that makes people gravitate to you, then none of that matters.

0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:34.480
<v Speaker 2>So I think I think that's that's what's great about

0:13:34.559 --> 0:13:39.600
<v Speaker 2>dances and art in general. It is like sometimes something honest,

0:13:40.280 --> 0:13:44.319
<v Speaker 2>something less but honest is more impactful than more and

0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:48.800
<v Speaker 2>just you know, it doesn't mean much to you. Sometimes

0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:51.400
<v Speaker 2>it's a disadvantage. I'll say that. I mean, again, it

0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:54.360
<v Speaker 2>doesn't sound like you know, it sounds like a hot take.

0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:57.640
<v Speaker 2>But sometimes having dance experience is a disadvantage because there's

0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:02.880
<v Speaker 2>charm in the imperfection, there is relatability in the imperfection,

0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:05.640
<v Speaker 2>you know, And I that's why I want to clean

0:14:06.000 --> 0:14:08.000
<v Speaker 2>you know, when we were working with Alex even like,

0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:13.600
<v Speaker 2>I try to also embrace her imperfections because I think

0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:17.640
<v Speaker 2>that's what makes that performance even more entertaining, rather than

0:14:18.240 --> 0:14:19.600
<v Speaker 2>clean her into.

0:14:20.560 --> 0:14:23.720
<v Speaker 1>No polished perfect Danie.

0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:25.840
<v Speaker 2>That it's numb. So I never want to do that.

0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:28.040
<v Speaker 2>But it's a balance. I mean again, it's a balance

0:14:28.080 --> 0:14:30.840
<v Speaker 2>and act. It's hard for the judges, but I think

0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:34.240
<v Speaker 2>for them, uh, you know, whether it's two camps that

0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:36.280
<v Speaker 2>the show's divice, I don't know about that comment, but

0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:40.960
<v Speaker 2>it's in general, I think you're judging based on relativity

0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:45.040
<v Speaker 2>to that person's yeah, you know where they at. So

0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:48.480
<v Speaker 2>if for Andy, I feel like it's not the same

0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:53.040
<v Speaker 2>standard as Hilario and and I don't think there's anything

0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:56.120
<v Speaker 2>wrong with that, right exactly, we're being graded on a curve.

0:14:56.320 --> 0:15:11.040
<v Speaker 1>Yes, correct, correct. I want to talk a little bit

0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:13.800
<v Speaker 1>about Alex. Can you set the record straight here? You

0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:16.600
<v Speaker 1>guys have already done it. You guys get along, you

0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:18.720
<v Speaker 1>guys like each other, right, Yeah.

0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:21.200
<v Speaker 2>I think she's all right most of the time.

0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:24.040
<v Speaker 1>There's that sarcasm that keeps getting you guys into travel.

0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:27.600
<v Speaker 2>Well listen, you know again, my sarcasm has been getting

0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:28.800
<v Speaker 2>me in trouble my whole life.

0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:29.640
<v Speaker 1>It's not going to stop.

0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:34.840
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And you know, context never reveals itself on social media,

0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:39.640
<v Speaker 2>so I'm sure I don't blame the speculations. Yeah, but no,

0:15:39.800 --> 0:15:46.200
<v Speaker 2>of course I like each other. I I'm grateful to Alex.

0:15:46.320 --> 0:15:49.160
<v Speaker 2>You know, I think she's a remarkable talent. The fact

0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:51.480
<v Speaker 2>that I have the opportunity to work with that talent

0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:53.640
<v Speaker 2>there is a huge privilege of mine, you know. So

0:15:54.040 --> 0:15:56.000
<v Speaker 2>those are the things that don't you know, they're not

0:15:56.120 --> 0:15:58.160
<v Speaker 2>just right, that's not as funny.

0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:00.600
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, exactly, come across.

0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:03.680
<v Speaker 2>So yeah, So no, I don't just like her. I

0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:08.440
<v Speaker 2>am really proud of her, grateful to be her partner, teacher,

0:16:09.000 --> 0:16:12.640
<v Speaker 2>you know, I'm all in. Yeah, And I think there's

0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:18.200
<v Speaker 2>now even more common ground between me and my celebrity

0:16:18.240 --> 0:16:21.640
<v Speaker 2>partner because you guys don't get another chance to do

0:16:21.720 --> 0:16:24.480
<v Speaker 2>the show right, you know, every week is important, every

0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:29.640
<v Speaker 2>day is sacred for us. It's not guaranteed that we're

0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:34.120
<v Speaker 2>asked back, obviously, you know how fickle that relationship is.

0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:38.080
<v Speaker 2>But you know, there was a stretch, you know, this

0:16:38.160 --> 0:16:40.120
<v Speaker 2>is my twentieth season. There was a stretch where I

0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:42.440
<v Speaker 2>was like comfortable, you know, and I knew I was

0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:45.960
<v Speaker 2>going to come back next year. Now it's every season

0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:48.480
<v Speaker 2>feels very similar to how it feels for you. You know,

0:16:48.560 --> 0:16:49.640
<v Speaker 2>I don't know how many more.

0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:54.080
<v Speaker 1>Seasons I got so hi because you personally are starting

0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:56.360
<v Speaker 1>to think about doing something else, or you think they're

0:16:56.400 --> 0:16:58.120
<v Speaker 1>starting to think about needing other people.

0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:01.680
<v Speaker 2>I think a little bit of both. I'm not delusional

0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:07.119
<v Speaker 2>about the fact that my you know, my my tenure

0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:09.959
<v Speaker 2>on the show will eventually come to an end before

0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:12.280
<v Speaker 2>the show will come to an end, Okay, and I

0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:15.399
<v Speaker 2>want it that way, you know, I think my life

0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:19.760
<v Speaker 2>is better with the show around, whether I'm on it

0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:23.600
<v Speaker 2>or not. You know, I'm a huge champion of this project.

0:17:23.880 --> 0:17:26.960
<v Speaker 2>I love that it exists to change my life, first

0:17:27.040 --> 0:17:31.760
<v Speaker 2>through my brother Max, then through my own opportunities. But

0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:35.639
<v Speaker 2>having said that, I'm still killing it.

0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:39.600
<v Speaker 1>You know where on earth? Thinking you were.

0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:41.879
<v Speaker 2>Going, well, because I don't want to. I don't.

0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:43.280
<v Speaker 1>You don't want to take it for granted.

0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:45.520
<v Speaker 2>I don't. Well, first of all, I'm not taking it

0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:49.600
<v Speaker 2>for granted, But secondly, I I what is it? I

0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:51.560
<v Speaker 2>don't I don't want to overstay my welcome, you know,

0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:55.280
<v Speaker 2>So right now I'm still feeling pretty good. You know,

0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:59.159
<v Speaker 2>but eventually I understand there's going to be again. I

0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:01.280
<v Speaker 2>also don't want to be greedy, Like I don't want

0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:05.080
<v Speaker 2>to hog this really awesome opportunity. If there's a dancer

0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:09.960
<v Speaker 2>that's waiting for that slot, I will kindly give him

0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:11.280
<v Speaker 2>that slot. But you got to earn it.

0:18:11.200 --> 0:18:12.920
<v Speaker 1>Too, you know, as I say, you're so generous.

0:18:13.000 --> 0:18:15.840
<v Speaker 2>Look, Lebron James twenty three seasons into the league, like,

0:18:15.920 --> 0:18:18.800
<v Speaker 2>he's still the top ten player in the most competitive

0:18:18.800 --> 0:18:19.840
<v Speaker 2>sport in the world.

0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:22.480
<v Speaker 1>So so you've got at least three more years.

0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:25.359
<v Speaker 2>Oh little more than that.

0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:29.199
<v Speaker 1>Okay, I said, at least okay. Good. You mentioned your

0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:31.320
<v Speaker 1>brother Max, who had been on the show since season

0:18:31.359 --> 0:18:34.439
<v Speaker 1>two and you joined the show in season thirteen. Was

0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:36.960
<v Speaker 1>watching him be a part of the show something that

0:18:37.480 --> 0:18:39.040
<v Speaker 1>made you want to be a part of it as well?

0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:44.600
<v Speaker 2>Yeah? Yeah, for sure. I mean, so there's so much

0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:48.520
<v Speaker 2>history with all the pro talent that came on the show.

0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:53.040
<v Speaker 2>Pretty much everybody knows each other, yeah, and knows all

0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:56.760
<v Speaker 2>of each other because the bom competitive Borum dance world

0:18:56.800 --> 0:19:01.000
<v Speaker 2>is so small. Yeah, So, you know, for from our perspective,

0:19:01.680 --> 0:19:05.280
<v Speaker 2>when this project came along, I was already you know,

0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:08.280
<v Speaker 2>a pretty solid name in the competitive ballroom dance world.

0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:11.280
<v Speaker 2>My brother was as well, and the pros that were recruited,

0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:15.119
<v Speaker 2>a lot of them were big names, but some of

0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:19.240
<v Speaker 2>the elite names, you know, still frowned upon this project

0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:21.520
<v Speaker 2>and the prospect of, you know, I'm going to go

0:19:21.560 --> 0:19:26.399
<v Speaker 2>and dance with celebrities on television. You know, it's like, yeah,

0:19:26.440 --> 0:19:30.960
<v Speaker 2>you know, I'm not gonna beyond that. And so yeah,

0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.520
<v Speaker 2>so there was that energy as well for me. But

0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:37.760
<v Speaker 2>but again that that's also partially joking. The point is

0:19:37.800 --> 0:19:41.359
<v Speaker 2>that I dedicate my whole life to pursuing this craft,

0:19:41.640 --> 0:19:44.240
<v Speaker 2>and I was already comfortable with being broke, you know.

0:19:44.440 --> 0:19:48.200
<v Speaker 2>So it's like I wasn't driven by the financial success

0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:52.280
<v Speaker 2>or the vanity of being in Hollywood. I was just

0:19:52.359 --> 0:19:56.600
<v Speaker 2>driven about being the best competitive ballroom dancing in the world.

0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:59.879
<v Speaker 2>And I wasn't there yet when they asked me to

0:19:59.920 --> 0:20:02.560
<v Speaker 2>be on the show or when my brother joined the show.

0:20:02.920 --> 0:20:05.760
<v Speaker 2>But so yeah, so I enjoyed it, if vicariously through him. Yeah,

0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:08.720
<v Speaker 2>he you know, we're really close. So you know, it's

0:20:08.800 --> 0:20:11.920
<v Speaker 2>like that Jay Z Lyric, Like I got on the billboard,

0:20:11.920 --> 0:20:14.120
<v Speaker 2>I took my boys with me, So it's the same thing.

0:20:14.160 --> 0:20:16.920
<v Speaker 2>You know, he made it out and he from his

0:20:16.960 --> 0:20:20.360
<v Speaker 2>first season, he already introduced me. They did a package

0:20:20.400 --> 0:20:23.480
<v Speaker 2>literally three weeks into his first season about how he

0:20:23.560 --> 0:20:26.360
<v Speaker 2>has this little dance school in New Jersey and his

0:20:26.400 --> 0:20:28.640
<v Speaker 2>brother is a part of that school, and so he

0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:33.360
<v Speaker 2>flew me out and I performed already. So but I'd

0:20:33.400 --> 0:20:38.920
<v Speaker 2>never wanted to full time, stop competing and do this

0:20:39.480 --> 0:20:43.040
<v Speaker 2>until I was like twenty five. So first, like six years,

0:20:43.080 --> 0:20:46.720
<v Speaker 2>I was watching and then Mark joined, Derek joined kind

0:20:46.720 --> 0:20:50.399
<v Speaker 2>of like that now my peers joined, and I was

0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:53.159
<v Speaker 2>watching that for a while, and again I was super happy,

0:20:53.960 --> 0:20:56.040
<v Speaker 2>but it was just and I said that before, like

0:20:56.080 --> 0:20:58.520
<v Speaker 2>at twenty five, there was a moment I just came

0:20:58.560 --> 0:21:02.520
<v Speaker 2>off the floor of competition, really prestigious event. I did

0:21:02.640 --> 0:21:05.960
<v Speaker 2>really well, but I walked away feeling kind of empty

0:21:06.880 --> 0:21:10.240
<v Speaker 2>and that curiosity of like what would it be like

0:21:10.359 --> 0:21:14.960
<v Speaker 2>to perform on this big stage in Hollywood and finally

0:21:15.000 --> 0:21:18.080
<v Speaker 2>have more than you know, four digits in my bank account?

0:21:19.200 --> 0:21:21.000
<v Speaker 2>You know, I just asked myself, like, the difference between

0:21:21.119 --> 0:21:24.399
<v Speaker 2>a hobby and a profession is a paycheck, and it

0:21:24.600 --> 0:21:30.199
<v Speaker 2>sounds kind of I don't know, maybe it sounds a

0:21:30.280 --> 0:21:35.280
<v Speaker 2>bit superficial, but like I said, you come to an

0:21:35.320 --> 0:21:39.040
<v Speaker 2>age where after you know, years of your life being

0:21:39.200 --> 0:21:42.880
<v Speaker 2>dedicated to a craft, seeing this opportunity to financially change

0:21:42.880 --> 0:21:46.639
<v Speaker 2>your life. But also I think also artistically, I was

0:21:47.280 --> 0:21:50.560
<v Speaker 2>done being just an athlete and I was excited to

0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:54.120
<v Speaker 2>start being more creative and more artistic. And the show

0:21:54.160 --> 0:21:57.600
<v Speaker 2>does allow for that totally. So once I joined the show,

0:21:57.640 --> 0:22:01.000
<v Speaker 2>I kind of built a different relationship with dance growing up.

0:22:01.000 --> 0:22:03.200
<v Speaker 1>What other hobbies did you have besides dance?

0:22:03.600 --> 0:22:09.760
<v Speaker 2>Girls, that's not a hobby I know. I played. So

0:22:09.800 --> 0:22:11.520
<v Speaker 2>I played violin for fifteen years.

0:22:11.640 --> 0:22:11.920
<v Speaker 1>Wow.

0:22:12.000 --> 0:22:13.679
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I started playing when I was five, So that

0:22:13.800 --> 0:22:17.400
<v Speaker 2>was really my art and that was I took it seriously.

0:22:17.640 --> 0:22:22.240
<v Speaker 2>In any Eastern European family, especially immigrant family, they're like,

0:22:22.359 --> 0:22:26.000
<v Speaker 2>we ain't got time for games, you know. So everything

0:22:26.080 --> 0:22:27.920
<v Speaker 2>I did I did to be the best at.

0:22:28.160 --> 0:22:30.920
<v Speaker 1>What do your parents do? Why are you guys so creative?

0:22:32.960 --> 0:22:37.960
<v Speaker 2>They don't do anything creative. My mom she graduated college,

0:22:37.960 --> 0:22:40.760
<v Speaker 2>I think, with like an engineering degree, but then she

0:22:40.880 --> 0:22:43.520
<v Speaker 2>just didn't really pursue her career because she was taking

0:22:43.520 --> 0:22:47.720
<v Speaker 2>care of us. Huh. My dad was a merchant marine

0:22:47.760 --> 0:22:51.400
<v Speaker 2>out of college. Again. We were in Ukraine. Yessa as

0:22:51.440 --> 0:22:54.960
<v Speaker 2>a coastal city on the black seat. So everybody there

0:22:55.080 --> 0:22:57.640
<v Speaker 2>wanted to be you know, wanted to get out, and

0:22:57.680 --> 0:22:59.000
<v Speaker 2>that was a way to get out. They got to

0:22:59.040 --> 0:23:01.920
<v Speaker 2>travel the world by being a merchant marine. That means

0:23:01.920 --> 0:23:06.280
<v Speaker 2>they're working on a big ship carrying import export stuff.

0:23:06.840 --> 0:23:09.920
<v Speaker 2>And so he did that for like a year and

0:23:09.960 --> 0:23:12.200
<v Speaker 2>a half out of college. But my mom already had

0:23:12.240 --> 0:23:14.240
<v Speaker 2>Max and she was like, I'm not taking care of

0:23:14.240 --> 0:23:17.159
<v Speaker 2>this baby by myself because the trip is like six months.

0:23:17.160 --> 0:23:19.840
<v Speaker 2>He's might see and then comes back. So then he

0:23:19.880 --> 0:23:23.240
<v Speaker 2>stopped that and kind of committed to being an entrepreneur

0:23:23.320 --> 0:23:26.600
<v Speaker 2>by that time. Again, this is like a history lesson

0:23:26.640 --> 0:23:31.000
<v Speaker 2>Soviet Union. There's no capitalism under communism, so you know,

0:23:31.520 --> 0:23:34.119
<v Speaker 2>a lot of that import export kind of just with

0:23:35.640 --> 0:23:40.000
<v Speaker 2>commerce business in America. There was kind of tinkering on

0:23:40.640 --> 0:23:43.879
<v Speaker 2>being illegal. But he you know, again he would like

0:23:43.920 --> 0:23:46.040
<v Speaker 2>import jeans and sell them on the market there. He

0:23:46.040 --> 0:23:49.280
<v Speaker 2>would bring in leather goods from Turkey and then you know,

0:23:49.359 --> 0:23:52.879
<v Speaker 2>so it was a hustle and he was doing well financially,

0:23:52.880 --> 0:23:55.360
<v Speaker 2>but again there was a lot of instability, and so

0:23:55.440 --> 0:23:57.719
<v Speaker 2>that was one of the reasons why they you know,

0:23:57.800 --> 0:24:01.879
<v Speaker 2>they really wanted to immigrate to America, and we got lucky,

0:24:02.000 --> 0:24:05.879
<v Speaker 2>we want to, you know, a visa and packed up

0:24:05.880 --> 0:24:08.000
<v Speaker 2>our bags and in a matter of like a month

0:24:08.040 --> 0:24:11.360
<v Speaker 2>and left our entire I mean, I wasn't leaving anything.

0:24:11.440 --> 0:24:15.760
<v Speaker 2>I am eight years old. I'm like excited for the adventure.

0:24:15.800 --> 0:24:19.760
<v Speaker 2>I had no idea of what this means. But for them, yeah,

0:24:19.800 --> 0:24:22.480
<v Speaker 2>they left all their friends and lineage and history and

0:24:23.480 --> 0:24:26.800
<v Speaker 2>you know, comfort, and we moved to Brooklyn, New York.

0:24:26.840 --> 0:24:31.640
<v Speaker 2>And yeah, so that's it. They just to answer your question,

0:24:31.680 --> 0:24:34.439
<v Speaker 2>my dad is a business owner, that's it. And early

0:24:34.480 --> 0:24:37.639
<v Speaker 2>on he was looking you know, he started coding in

0:24:37.680 --> 0:24:39.879
<v Speaker 2>America because I was like leading up to the bubble,

0:24:40.000 --> 0:24:42.680
<v Speaker 2>right two thousands. We immigrated ninety four, so he learned

0:24:42.720 --> 0:24:45.399
<v Speaker 2>how to code, this dad, but then hated being in

0:24:45.400 --> 0:24:47.600
<v Speaker 2>a cubicle. And one day he quit his job and

0:24:47.720 --> 0:24:50.760
<v Speaker 2>opened up a dance studio with my brother. That's my

0:24:50.760 --> 0:24:54.080
<v Speaker 2>brother was sixteen years old. And that's it. Now we have, yeah,

0:24:54.119 --> 0:24:56.920
<v Speaker 2>we have fourteen dance studios around the country right now.

0:24:57.520 --> 0:24:59.080
<v Speaker 2>We just celebrated twenty years.

0:24:59.600 --> 0:25:00.000
<v Speaker 1>Amazing.

0:25:00.280 --> 0:25:02.040
<v Speaker 2>But we had a kids school for a while and

0:25:02.080 --> 0:25:04.440
<v Speaker 2>then we opened up. Now what we have now, which

0:25:04.480 --> 0:25:06.640
<v Speaker 2>is a social dance studio catering to.

0:25:08.440 --> 0:25:11.840
<v Speaker 1>Adults, catering to adults like me, like yourself, want to

0:25:11.920 --> 0:25:14.800
<v Speaker 1>learn how to dance, and no experience in it at all.

0:25:14.960 --> 0:25:17.240
<v Speaker 2>That again, that are using dance as a vehicle to

0:25:17.359 --> 0:25:23.240
<v Speaker 2>better themselves, challenge themselves, find community, find interaction. Right, We're

0:25:23.240 --> 0:25:26.639
<v Speaker 2>so connected, but we're so disconnected physically, you know. Dance

0:25:26.680 --> 0:25:31.800
<v Speaker 2>I think is a great way to just yeah, you know,

0:25:32.200 --> 0:25:35.919
<v Speaker 2>like feel another human and having that intimacy without you know,

0:25:36.000 --> 0:25:39.280
<v Speaker 2>the sexual intimacy, you know, And I think that's something

0:25:39.280 --> 0:25:41.560
<v Speaker 2>that there's a lot of loneliness. There's a lot of people,

0:25:41.720 --> 0:25:44.000
<v Speaker 2>you know, we have a lot of clients that you know,

0:25:44.040 --> 0:25:47.000
<v Speaker 2>maybe lost a lifelong partner and I just don't know

0:25:47.040 --> 0:25:50.720
<v Speaker 2>where to even begin to heal. I think dance allows

0:25:50.760 --> 0:25:51.560
<v Speaker 2>you to heal that way.

0:25:51.720 --> 0:25:53.120
<v Speaker 1>So it's so beautiful.

0:25:53.400 --> 0:26:04.200
<v Speaker 3>Thanks.

0:26:05.520 --> 0:26:08.000
<v Speaker 1>We had Jenna on the podcast recently, your Beautiful Wife,

0:26:08.080 --> 0:26:11.000
<v Speaker 1>and she was telling me that you had started dabbling

0:26:11.240 --> 0:26:14.520
<v Speaker 1>in stand up comedy. Yes, I need to know everything

0:26:14.640 --> 0:26:17.600
<v Speaker 1>about this. What made you want to do that? And

0:26:17.800 --> 0:26:20.960
<v Speaker 1>is it scarier than dancing in front of millions of

0:26:20.960 --> 0:26:22.520
<v Speaker 1>people live every single week?

0:26:22.720 --> 0:26:26.560
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Well, let's start with the scary. It's definitely more

0:26:26.680 --> 0:26:30.240
<v Speaker 2>terrifying than dancing in front of millions of people. Part

0:26:30.240 --> 0:26:34.200
<v Speaker 2>of it is also putting myself in a position to

0:26:34.880 --> 0:26:39.320
<v Speaker 2>really feel how you guys feel as well. You know,

0:26:39.600 --> 0:26:43.840
<v Speaker 2>this project has put me into this position of authority

0:26:43.920 --> 0:26:47.560
<v Speaker 2>and direction and leadership, and I'm teaching you, and you know,

0:26:47.600 --> 0:26:51.160
<v Speaker 2>sometimes I want to learn teach me. You know. Sometimes

0:26:51.200 --> 0:26:53.560
<v Speaker 2>when I see a celeb on our show that's taking

0:26:53.600 --> 0:26:56.280
<v Speaker 2>it for granted, I'm like, what, Yeah, I wish I

0:26:56.320 --> 0:26:59.600
<v Speaker 2>was on a project where a master of their craft

0:27:00.200 --> 0:27:04.840
<v Speaker 2>took their entire life and gave me their undivided attention

0:27:04.920 --> 0:27:08.439
<v Speaker 2>and effort to teach me their expertise. Please. I mean,

0:27:08.480 --> 0:27:10.760
<v Speaker 2>I did a cooking show. It was the greatest experience

0:27:10.760 --> 0:27:12.359
<v Speaker 2>of my life because I was like, I had a

0:27:12.440 --> 0:27:15.600
<v Speaker 2>chef teaching me a craft that has always evaded me,

0:27:16.000 --> 0:27:18.359
<v Speaker 2>that only empowered me as a human. You know. So

0:27:18.440 --> 0:27:20.840
<v Speaker 2>I was like, so grateful that you're sharing that with me.

0:27:22.320 --> 0:27:24.879
<v Speaker 2>So same thing with this comedy thing. I preach a

0:27:24.880 --> 0:27:28.000
<v Speaker 2>lot like go out there and do it, you know,

0:27:28.680 --> 0:27:31.160
<v Speaker 2>go outside your comfort zone. I'm like, well, how often

0:27:31.200 --> 0:27:34.040
<v Speaker 2>do you go outside of a comfort zone? And so

0:27:34.200 --> 0:27:39.359
<v Speaker 2>this was my comfort zone that I exited because stand

0:27:39.440 --> 0:27:41.960
<v Speaker 2>up comedy. I just love storytelling. I love comedy. I

0:27:41.960 --> 0:27:45.080
<v Speaker 2>think it's a great vehicle for people to express their

0:27:45.119 --> 0:27:48.680
<v Speaker 2>trauma in a digestible way. I think it builds bridges

0:27:48.680 --> 0:27:52.639
<v Speaker 2>with people. It's a way to, you know, again, maybe

0:27:52.880 --> 0:27:56.320
<v Speaker 2>touch on a topic matter that people have felt but

0:27:56.400 --> 0:28:01.480
<v Speaker 2>never felt that way or never expressed that way. So yeah,

0:28:01.520 --> 0:28:04.040
<v Speaker 2>And I'm a big fan of others that do stand

0:28:04.119 --> 0:28:09.400
<v Speaker 2>up so yeah. And also my whole life, I've I'm

0:28:09.480 --> 0:28:11.920
<v Speaker 2>in partnership, you know, even when you tell three time

0:28:12.440 --> 0:28:16.199
<v Speaker 2>mirror bold Champion, world champion, this champion, I never I

0:28:16.240 --> 0:28:18.959
<v Speaker 2>didn't do any of these things by myself, right right,

0:28:19.080 --> 0:28:22.560
<v Speaker 2>you know. And I love that. I love camaraderie, I

0:28:22.720 --> 0:28:25.760
<v Speaker 2>love the laboration. I love that. It makes me so

0:28:25.880 --> 0:28:28.879
<v Speaker 2>happy because I as much as I want things to

0:28:28.960 --> 0:28:31.359
<v Speaker 2>be mine, I also want to be of service to others,

0:28:31.400 --> 0:28:33.640
<v Speaker 2>you know. And so I love being on a team

0:28:33.680 --> 0:28:35.520
<v Speaker 2>because I get to do both. You know, I get

0:28:35.560 --> 0:28:39.680
<v Speaker 2>to triumph or if it's a win, triumph and feel

0:28:39.960 --> 0:28:44.120
<v Speaker 2>great about myself, but also at the same time be

0:28:44.160 --> 0:28:47.600
<v Speaker 2>of service and and and share this feeling with somebody else.

0:28:47.600 --> 0:28:48.320
<v Speaker 2>So I love that.

0:28:48.640 --> 0:28:49.640
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

0:28:50.440 --> 0:28:53.920
<v Speaker 2>But again, it's I've been a partner with somebody and

0:28:54.040 --> 0:28:58.800
<v Speaker 2>everything I've accomplished, even creative projects. I you know, Max

0:28:58.880 --> 0:29:04.400
<v Speaker 2>and valtour we did three tours together. I teach a lot,

0:29:04.480 --> 0:29:07.480
<v Speaker 2>you know. I teach with my incredible wife, Jenna. That's

0:29:07.600 --> 0:29:11.400
<v Speaker 2>another partnership. So there's a lot of partnerships in my life.

0:29:12.200 --> 0:29:15.040
<v Speaker 2>I wanted to do something by myself. You know, when

0:29:15.040 --> 0:29:17.320
<v Speaker 2>I go out there, I can't rely on anybody. It's

0:29:17.360 --> 0:29:21.560
<v Speaker 2>just meet the mic and that's it, you know. And

0:29:21.600 --> 0:29:26.120
<v Speaker 2>that also was something that intrigued me, is like, put

0:29:26.200 --> 0:29:28.920
<v Speaker 2>put yourself out there. It's scary. And so I again,

0:29:29.000 --> 0:29:32.040
<v Speaker 2>I was on Dancing with the Stars. I was in

0:29:32.120 --> 0:29:35.040
<v Speaker 2>the finale with Sochi. It was a long blocking day.

0:29:35.400 --> 0:29:37.920
<v Speaker 2>We have stand ins, you know. So one of the standings,

0:29:37.960 --> 0:29:41.280
<v Speaker 2>her name is Sheila. Sheila Ratner. She's an amazing comedian,

0:29:41.360 --> 0:29:43.840
<v Speaker 2>which I didn't know at the time, but she did

0:29:44.200 --> 0:29:46.040
<v Speaker 2>stand and work on Dancing with the Stars. So she

0:29:46.160 --> 0:29:48.440
<v Speaker 2>was so chea for like a two hour blocking of

0:29:48.480 --> 0:29:51.160
<v Speaker 2>an opening and her and I were just sitting there

0:29:51.240 --> 0:29:54.400
<v Speaker 2>and just roasting everybody that we were watching, amazing to

0:29:54.480 --> 0:29:56.680
<v Speaker 2>each other, and I was just like, yo, you are

0:29:56.760 --> 0:29:59.239
<v Speaker 2>so freaking funny. You should do comedy. She was like,

0:29:59.600 --> 0:30:01.160
<v Speaker 2>I did I'm a stand up the media and I

0:30:01.200 --> 0:30:03.600
<v Speaker 2>was like what. I was like, that's on my bucket list,

0:30:03.680 --> 0:30:06.520
<v Speaker 2>like I've always wanted to do it. I just didn't

0:30:06.560 --> 0:30:09.200
<v Speaker 2>even know where to start. And she was like, what,

0:30:09.440 --> 0:30:12.960
<v Speaker 2>you're professional world renowned dancer who was real passion is.

0:30:15.160 --> 0:30:20.960
<v Speaker 2>It's like, well, actually that's the opening of my old set. Anyway,

0:30:21.040 --> 0:30:24.440
<v Speaker 2>So one thing led to another. Off season, she hit

0:30:24.480 --> 0:30:26.760
<v Speaker 2>me up and she invited me to you know, kind

0:30:26.760 --> 0:30:30.120
<v Speaker 2>of like an open mic, and I said, sure, this

0:30:30.200 --> 0:30:31.880
<v Speaker 2>is like Thursday. I was like sure, and it was

0:30:31.920 --> 0:30:35.200
<v Speaker 2>on Tuesday, and I again, I try to exercise that

0:30:35.280 --> 0:30:37.800
<v Speaker 2>spirit of like saying yes and then figuring it out.

0:30:38.000 --> 0:30:40.240
<v Speaker 2>So I was like, yes, I'm in. And then and

0:30:40.280 --> 0:30:42.520
<v Speaker 2>then Monday roll you know, Monday rolls around. I'm like

0:30:42.680 --> 0:30:45.320
<v Speaker 2>I need to work. Yeah, and so yeah, I mean,

0:30:45.360 --> 0:30:49.360
<v Speaker 2>I've always been a creative writer. I wrote poetry ideas

0:30:49.400 --> 0:30:52.120
<v Speaker 2>to Ukraine. Again, the city that I'm from was kind

0:30:52.120 --> 0:30:54.240
<v Speaker 2>of the New Orleans of the Soviet Union. There's a

0:30:54.280 --> 0:30:59.719
<v Speaker 2>big comedy scene. There's a huge like jazz comedy, just

0:31:00.280 --> 0:31:05.200
<v Speaker 2>melting pot of Jewish and Slavic and other cultures kind

0:31:05.200 --> 0:31:08.520
<v Speaker 2>of but the energy of the city that I'm from

0:31:08.640 --> 0:31:13.440
<v Speaker 2>is it's kind of in us to be sarcastic and funny,

0:31:13.480 --> 0:31:15.760
<v Speaker 2>and you know a lot of comedians came out of

0:31:15.760 --> 0:31:19.800
<v Speaker 2>that city, So yeah, I mean I on tours, I

0:31:19.880 --> 0:31:23.560
<v Speaker 2>gravitate to open mics and just kind of going off

0:31:23.560 --> 0:31:26.080
<v Speaker 2>the cuff. But anyway, the point is I was terrified

0:31:26.080 --> 0:31:28.960
<v Speaker 2>and I almost pulled out like a hundred times because

0:31:28.960 --> 0:31:31.040
<v Speaker 2>again in my mind, I'm like, Wow, you don't need

0:31:31.080 --> 0:31:33.320
<v Speaker 2>to do this, Like why are you putting yourself through

0:31:33.360 --> 0:31:38.320
<v Speaker 2>so much anxiety right now on a random Tuesday. It's like, because,

0:31:38.440 --> 0:31:40.320
<v Speaker 2>you know, because you have to do that. And then

0:31:40.360 --> 0:31:42.360
<v Speaker 2>I showed up and I did it, and I did

0:31:42.440 --> 0:31:47.160
<v Speaker 2>it pretty well. And the feeling that I felt driving

0:31:47.240 --> 0:31:50.800
<v Speaker 2>back home after literally a five minute set. Whether way,

0:31:50.800 --> 0:31:53.600
<v Speaker 2>I'm not doing a forty five minutes set, nothing in

0:31:53.640 --> 0:31:55.920
<v Speaker 2>the big scheme of things, but it was just such

0:31:55.960 --> 0:31:59.040
<v Speaker 2>a moment of accomplishment that I was like, I gotta

0:31:59.120 --> 0:32:01.640
<v Speaker 2>do this again. Been you know, I've done it like

0:32:02.160 --> 0:32:05.680
<v Speaker 2>six seven times. It's just been so fun and exhilarating,

0:32:05.720 --> 0:32:08.320
<v Speaker 2>and I've also learned a lot about myself like that.

0:32:08.360 --> 0:32:11.320
<v Speaker 2>The anxiety is until I got there. As soon as

0:32:11.320 --> 0:32:15.320
<v Speaker 2>I got there, I'm like, oh, okay, I feel natural here,

0:32:15.440 --> 0:32:21.720
<v Speaker 2>and rightfully so, I've been performing and entertaining people's since

0:32:21.760 --> 0:32:25.720
<v Speaker 2>I was twelve years old, right for money, you know,

0:32:26.080 --> 0:32:31.200
<v Speaker 2>like professionally, So I feel really comfortable in that space

0:32:31.240 --> 0:32:31.800
<v Speaker 2>of pressure.

0:32:32.080 --> 0:32:35.160
<v Speaker 1>Like you said, so much of dance is storytelling. Comedy

0:32:35.200 --> 0:32:38.360
<v Speaker 1>is storytelling. Acting is storytelling. It's all just different forms

0:32:38.360 --> 0:32:40.960
<v Speaker 1>of storytelling. So even if it's a form you've never

0:32:41.000 --> 0:32:43.080
<v Speaker 1>done before, once you get up there and start doing it,

0:32:43.120 --> 0:32:47.080
<v Speaker 1>you're like, actually, it feels very similar. It's just a

0:32:47.120 --> 0:32:49.760
<v Speaker 1>different dial or a different channel than I'm used to

0:32:49.800 --> 0:32:53.440
<v Speaker 1>being on. Talking about partnerships, I wanted to talk to

0:32:53.480 --> 0:32:56.280
<v Speaker 1>you about season sixteen when you were paired with Zendea,

0:32:56.480 --> 0:32:59.920
<v Speaker 1>arguably the biggest star to ever participate on the show

0:33:00.480 --> 0:33:02.760
<v Speaker 1>for where she is now. But a lot of people

0:33:02.840 --> 0:33:05.479
<v Speaker 1>consider you two coming in second to be a crime

0:33:05.680 --> 0:33:10.800
<v Speaker 1>against humanity. Did you guys assume that you would win

0:33:10.920 --> 0:33:13.040
<v Speaker 1>or do you know it by the time season sixteen

0:33:13.120 --> 0:33:14.640
<v Speaker 1>rules around to never assume?

0:33:16.080 --> 0:33:19.680
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, No, I wasn't assuming that. Plus, I mean, first

0:33:19.720 --> 0:33:23.480
<v Speaker 2>of all, thank you to all the fans that you.

0:33:23.440 --> 0:33:26.560
<v Speaker 1>Know, crime against humanity has been said more than one time.

0:33:26.720 --> 0:33:32.200
<v Speaker 2>That's a lot but again out of context. Yeah, sure,

0:33:32.280 --> 0:33:35.200
<v Speaker 2>that seems a little bit much, But if you paid

0:33:35.240 --> 0:33:38.920
<v Speaker 2>attention to that season, you knew that Kelly Pickler was

0:33:39.320 --> 0:33:43.960
<v Speaker 2>killing it, and Derek did an incredible job again creating

0:33:44.000 --> 0:33:46.920
<v Speaker 2>her season and telling her story and giving her a

0:33:47.040 --> 0:33:52.960
<v Speaker 2>chance against a juggernaut like Zendeia. But no, I don't

0:33:53.000 --> 0:33:57.520
<v Speaker 2>think we were so far ahead that this was a

0:33:57.600 --> 0:34:03.080
<v Speaker 2>huge shocker. It was edibly disappointing, and I take a

0:34:03.120 --> 0:34:08.320
<v Speaker 2>lot of responsibility for that, but they definitely you know, again,

0:34:09.000 --> 0:34:12.080
<v Speaker 2>in hindsight, you look back and just how massive she

0:34:12.200 --> 0:34:15.680
<v Speaker 2>is and how great her performances were, no doubt, But

0:34:15.800 --> 0:34:19.280
<v Speaker 2>seeing those isolated performances doesn't show you the big picture,

0:34:19.360 --> 0:34:23.000
<v Speaker 2>because Kelly also had some great performances and she did

0:34:23.000 --> 0:34:23.560
<v Speaker 2>a great job.

0:34:24.080 --> 0:34:26.920
<v Speaker 1>What kind of teacher do you think you are? How

0:34:26.960 --> 0:34:30.120
<v Speaker 1>would you describe yourself to somebody who's never seen you

0:34:30.440 --> 0:34:33.640
<v Speaker 1>as a pro? How would you describe your teaching style?

0:34:34.360 --> 0:34:39.239
<v Speaker 2>I again, you know, first of all, you you're at

0:34:39.360 --> 0:34:42.239
<v Speaker 2>least a reflection, maybe not a full product of the

0:34:42.560 --> 0:34:45.400
<v Speaker 2>guidance and the influence that that you were brought up with,

0:34:45.480 --> 0:34:47.920
<v Speaker 2>But you're gonna be a reflection of that unless you

0:34:47.960 --> 0:34:51.920
<v Speaker 2>make a very conscious choice not to write. So you

0:34:51.920 --> 0:34:58.360
<v Speaker 2>know I'm a product of you know, a preacher, preacher dad.

0:34:58.640 --> 0:35:00.960
<v Speaker 2>You know, you fail to prepare, you prepared to fail.

0:35:01.160 --> 0:35:03.840
<v Speaker 2>Like you know, he coached me through life as a father.

0:35:03.920 --> 0:35:05.960
<v Speaker 2>He never coached me in dance, but he you know,

0:35:06.040 --> 0:35:09.560
<v Speaker 2>I feel like his his coaching. You know, if it

0:35:09.560 --> 0:35:11.719
<v Speaker 2>doesn't hurt, you're not doing much. You know, you're not

0:35:11.800 --> 0:35:14.040
<v Speaker 2>doing enough. Like if you want to be successful, you

0:35:14.080 --> 0:35:16.680
<v Speaker 2>got to be hungry and desperate and you know, broke,

0:35:16.760 --> 0:35:19.960
<v Speaker 2>and you know it's just like all these socialist values

0:35:21.680 --> 0:35:25.440
<v Speaker 2>social No, he's the big I mean, this guy is

0:35:25.480 --> 0:35:28.120
<v Speaker 2>the biggest patriot. I mean, we love America just for

0:35:28.160 --> 0:35:32.120
<v Speaker 2>the record, and capitalism and you don't have to say that,

0:35:33.680 --> 0:35:38.439
<v Speaker 2>just don't import me. It's the truth. But he grew

0:35:38.480 --> 0:35:40.920
<v Speaker 2>up in an environment where again there are values, are

0:35:41.000 --> 0:35:43.480
<v Speaker 2>human values that are really great that come out of that.

0:35:44.200 --> 0:35:47.279
<v Speaker 2>There's no shame. And again where we're from, and the

0:35:47.320 --> 0:35:52.239
<v Speaker 2>Soviet values, whether they're practical to build a build a

0:35:52.520 --> 0:35:56.359
<v Speaker 2>community and structure around maybe not, but as a human being,

0:35:56.480 --> 0:36:02.080
<v Speaker 2>to hold yourself accountable to certain principles and hard work

0:36:02.160 --> 0:36:05.160
<v Speaker 2>and like those that's the household I grew up in

0:36:05.520 --> 0:36:08.000
<v Speaker 2>and then my brother was a coach, and he was

0:36:08.040 --> 0:36:13.319
<v Speaker 2>a coach that lacked information and experience. And what I

0:36:13.360 --> 0:36:16.080
<v Speaker 2>mean by that is how great of a coach can

0:36:16.120 --> 0:36:17.120
<v Speaker 2>you be at eighteen?

0:36:17.360 --> 0:36:17.640
<v Speaker 1>Yeah?

0:36:18.000 --> 0:36:21.400
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you know, so he's figuring it out with me,

0:36:22.200 --> 0:36:24.360
<v Speaker 2>you know, as as a kid, he was coaching me.

0:36:24.400 --> 0:36:27.799
<v Speaker 2>And so then I had other teachers that were great.

0:36:27.840 --> 0:36:30.319
<v Speaker 2>So how am i as a teacher. I'm not the

0:36:30.360 --> 0:36:33.960
<v Speaker 2>type of person that is going to force you to

0:36:34.000 --> 0:36:37.040
<v Speaker 2>do anything. I want to inspire you. I want to

0:36:37.200 --> 0:36:39.680
<v Speaker 2>give you the tools, and then you have to pick

0:36:39.719 --> 0:36:43.920
<v Speaker 2>up these tools and do them. And that's the difference

0:36:43.920 --> 0:36:45.839
<v Speaker 2>between a teacher and a coach, you know. I think

0:36:45.880 --> 0:36:51.200
<v Speaker 2>a coach doesn't ask you much. He tells you and really,

0:36:51.840 --> 0:36:55.040
<v Speaker 2>you know, kind of pushes you to execute. A teacher

0:36:55.080 --> 0:36:59.960
<v Speaker 2>is someone that guides you and teaches you and gives

0:37:00.120 --> 0:37:03.520
<v Speaker 2>you and then you have to have the passion and

0:37:03.560 --> 0:37:06.839
<v Speaker 2>the and the work ethic to to actually execute that.

0:37:07.400 --> 0:37:10.360
<v Speaker 2>I try to find a balance because in this project,

0:37:10.400 --> 0:37:14.560
<v Speaker 2>it's you know, it's teaching, it's therapy, it's you know, nutrition,

0:37:14.840 --> 0:37:18.359
<v Speaker 2>it's like all of it. But I think that's where

0:37:18.360 --> 0:37:20.320
<v Speaker 2>I'm at, and I don't I wouldn't say I'm the

0:37:20.360 --> 0:37:23.680
<v Speaker 2>best teacher, you know, I try to be. I'm always

0:37:23.680 --> 0:37:31.880
<v Speaker 2>getting better. But yeah, I I love teaching, I love motivating, inspiring,

0:37:33.640 --> 0:37:37.760
<v Speaker 2>but I love performing, you know. I like back to Lebron.

0:37:37.800 --> 0:37:40.400
<v Speaker 2>You know, Lebron didn't dream of teaching one day or

0:37:40.440 --> 0:37:43.759
<v Speaker 2>coaching basketball one day. He dreamed about performing at the

0:37:43.840 --> 0:37:49.319
<v Speaker 2>highest level. So those were my aspirations. But I'm really

0:37:49.360 --> 0:37:52.759
<v Speaker 2>grateful that I'm able to enjoy all facets right. And

0:37:52.840 --> 0:37:57.200
<v Speaker 2>the core is dance and it has so many ways

0:37:57.239 --> 0:38:00.000
<v Speaker 2>that it's bettered my life and has shaped my life,

0:38:00.080 --> 0:38:02.719
<v Speaker 2>you know. But being a teacher is one of them.

0:38:02.760 --> 0:38:07.880
<v Speaker 2>Being a performer is another one. Being an entrepreneur in

0:38:07.880 --> 0:38:11.480
<v Speaker 2>the space of dance is another one, you know. But again,

0:38:11.560 --> 0:38:14.560
<v Speaker 2>my favorite part about teaching is being of service to

0:38:14.760 --> 0:38:18.920
<v Speaker 2>this person. And the truth is a great coach, I

0:38:18.960 --> 0:38:22.000
<v Speaker 2>don't think even approaches it that way. He's not at

0:38:22.040 --> 0:38:24.560
<v Speaker 2>the service. He's more of the service of the game.

0:38:25.000 --> 0:38:29.200
<v Speaker 2>And you gotta you know, we're all here to accommodate

0:38:29.200 --> 0:38:33.680
<v Speaker 2>the game. And in regards to dancing with the stars,

0:38:33.719 --> 0:38:36.560
<v Speaker 2>I don't have that type of approach, you know, I do.

0:38:36.640 --> 0:38:40.120
<v Speaker 2>I think we both should be invested in the bigger picture.

0:38:40.160 --> 0:38:44.040
<v Speaker 2>Which is, let's get the best performance out there. But

0:38:44.239 --> 0:38:48.160
<v Speaker 2>ultimately I still lean towards I'm here at your service.

0:38:48.239 --> 0:38:51.080
<v Speaker 2>You know, you only get this thing once. How can

0:38:51.120 --> 0:38:53.880
<v Speaker 2>I make this the best thing you've ever experienced and

0:38:53.960 --> 0:38:56.440
<v Speaker 2>exactly how you wanted to experience it in the first place?

0:38:56.480 --> 0:38:58.439
<v Speaker 2>You know? So what are those creatives? What are those

0:38:58.960 --> 0:39:00.880
<v Speaker 2>dresses you want to wear? What are the songs you

0:39:00.920 --> 0:39:03.640
<v Speaker 2>want to dance to? Whether I like them or not, obviously,

0:39:03.640 --> 0:39:06.680
<v Speaker 2>I'm going to give you my direction and opinion, but

0:39:06.840 --> 0:39:10.360
<v Speaker 2>really I'm here to make your dreams come to life.

0:39:10.400 --> 0:39:13.440
<v Speaker 1>Can we talk about the double cartwheel? Was that one

0:39:13.480 --> 0:39:14.400
<v Speaker 1>of Alex's dreams?

0:39:14.480 --> 0:39:17.359
<v Speaker 2>Yeah? Yes, that was Alex's dreams? It was it turned

0:39:17.360 --> 0:39:20.960
<v Speaker 2>into my nightmare, but it was definitely tell me what happened?

0:39:21.040 --> 0:39:24.600
<v Speaker 1>What I I literally couldn't believe it when I saw

0:39:24.640 --> 0:39:27.960
<v Speaker 1>the video and you guys just slamming into the ground.

0:39:28.040 --> 0:39:28.880
<v Speaker 1>How did this start?

0:39:29.160 --> 0:39:32.400
<v Speaker 2>Well, we were doing our quick step and I was,

0:39:32.600 --> 0:39:36.200
<v Speaker 2>you know, I had like this one cartwheel, which ultimately

0:39:36.200 --> 0:39:37.000
<v Speaker 2>what we ended up.

0:39:36.880 --> 0:39:38.440
<v Speaker 1>Doing, which looked phenomenal.

0:39:38.640 --> 0:39:42.239
<v Speaker 2>Thanks, And she was like, what if we went to

0:39:42.360 --> 0:39:45.520
<v Speaker 2>get like like I went, then you went? Then I

0:39:45.719 --> 0:39:48.440
<v Speaker 2>you know, it's like you probably saw it on TikTok somewhere.

0:39:49.000 --> 0:39:53.839
<v Speaker 2>I was like, that's really cool. I can't do it,

0:39:53.960 --> 0:39:59.960
<v Speaker 2>but you know, let's do it. Because again, so that's

0:40:00.160 --> 0:40:04.719
<v Speaker 2>things like, you know, there's pressure on us. I want

0:40:04.719 --> 0:40:06.879
<v Speaker 2>to be good, you know, I want to be good

0:40:06.960 --> 0:40:11.799
<v Speaker 2>enough for you, you know, and she's challenging me, which

0:40:11.840 --> 0:40:15.400
<v Speaker 2>is again, if I preach this the spiel of like,

0:40:17.120 --> 0:40:18.640
<v Speaker 2>then I got to walk the walk, you know. And

0:40:18.719 --> 0:40:20.799
<v Speaker 2>so that was one of those situations where I like,

0:40:21.360 --> 0:40:23.400
<v Speaker 2>that is the most terrifying thing in the world. I

0:40:23.440 --> 0:40:26.480
<v Speaker 2>have next surgery two years ago, Like, I definitely don't

0:40:26.480 --> 0:40:29.040
<v Speaker 2>want to land on my head, but I will do

0:40:29.080 --> 0:40:31.960
<v Speaker 2>this because you're doing this, So how can I not

0:40:32.080 --> 0:40:33.960
<v Speaker 2>do this? You know, So let's do this. How do

0:40:34.040 --> 0:40:36.320
<v Speaker 2>we do this? And so then I try to YouTube.

0:40:37.680 --> 0:40:40.360
<v Speaker 2>I'm mad. I immediately thought like, she'll slip on the

0:40:40.400 --> 0:40:44.480
<v Speaker 2>map because this would be worse. So yeah, so we

0:40:44.640 --> 0:40:49.839
<v Speaker 2>just youtubed some instructionals and I was like, let's go

0:40:49.920 --> 0:40:53.600
<v Speaker 2>for it, and yeah, we went forward a bunch of times,

0:40:53.760 --> 0:40:56.120
<v Speaker 2>and I mean, she you know that that's the part

0:40:56.120 --> 0:40:59.200
<v Speaker 2>that I wish showed up more in the packages, and

0:40:59.280 --> 0:41:01.880
<v Speaker 2>just like I want to communicate that to our audience

0:41:02.000 --> 0:41:06.800
<v Speaker 2>is like this pretty put together a young Barbie looking

0:41:06.880 --> 0:41:10.800
<v Speaker 2>thing is an animal in the studio. That's like, let's

0:41:10.840 --> 0:41:15.200
<v Speaker 2>go try to thrown her body around like I mean,

0:41:15.239 --> 0:41:17.279
<v Speaker 2>you saw her do the baby freeze in the jive,

0:41:17.440 --> 0:41:20.439
<v Speaker 2>Like she's down. You know, she's down a place she's

0:41:20.480 --> 0:41:23.400
<v Speaker 2>down to like get messy. And like I said, I

0:41:24.160 --> 0:41:26.600
<v Speaker 2>would be a hypocrite if fund and match that energy

0:41:26.640 --> 0:41:30.640
<v Speaker 2>and reciprocate that energy, even as irresponsible as it was

0:41:30.680 --> 0:41:33.560
<v Speaker 2>for us to do this week. But that move is

0:41:33.600 --> 0:41:37.040
<v Speaker 2>still there. There's still promise because we're close. I just

0:41:37.120 --> 0:41:41.319
<v Speaker 2>need to become significantly more flexible than my working on this.

0:41:41.760 --> 0:41:44.640
<v Speaker 2>I am, I am, and she just potentially needs to

0:41:44.680 --> 0:41:46.360
<v Speaker 2>be just a little bit stronger.

0:41:46.440 --> 0:41:49.239
<v Speaker 1>Okay, so she needs to need some strength training and

0:41:49.280 --> 0:41:51.960
<v Speaker 1>you need some flexibility work. But there's still a possibility

0:41:52.000 --> 0:41:55.640
<v Speaker 1>we could see a double cartwheel this season. Fingers crossed,

0:41:56.000 --> 0:41:58.600
<v Speaker 1>not even because I want to, not even because I

0:41:58.640 --> 0:42:00.400
<v Speaker 1>want to see it in the performance, but because I

0:42:00.440 --> 0:42:04.320
<v Speaker 1>want for both of you to feel like you pushed

0:42:04.320 --> 0:42:07.040
<v Speaker 1>yourself in the direction and that you checked that box,

0:42:07.160 --> 0:42:09.759
<v Speaker 1>like she presented something that was a challenge for me

0:42:09.840 --> 0:42:11.360
<v Speaker 1>and you got what you wanted out of it, like,

0:42:11.560 --> 0:42:13.000
<v Speaker 1>I'm so rooting for.

0:42:12.960 --> 0:42:17.560
<v Speaker 2>That this show. You're not successful on the show unless

0:42:17.600 --> 0:42:19.640
<v Speaker 2>you have moments like that. Yeah, exactly, And that's what

0:42:19.680 --> 0:42:23.040
<v Speaker 2>I realized. It's like anytime I was successful, it's when

0:42:23.080 --> 0:42:26.600
<v Speaker 2>I said yes to some crazy thing and we pushed

0:42:26.600 --> 0:42:31.640
<v Speaker 2>through and we did it. Yeah, because that is so contagious.

0:42:32.000 --> 0:42:34.319
<v Speaker 2>People at home feel that they see that, they see

0:42:34.320 --> 0:42:37.360
<v Speaker 2>the stakes. Really, it was back to the two camps

0:42:37.360 --> 0:42:39.160
<v Speaker 2>and when we were talking about the quality of dance,

0:42:39.320 --> 0:42:41.440
<v Speaker 2>it doesn't matter. And that's where it could be a

0:42:41.520 --> 0:42:44.240
<v Speaker 2>little bit of a disadvantage because if you've already reached

0:42:44.239 --> 0:42:47.160
<v Speaker 2>the peak, what do we wear? Are the stakes? Where

0:42:47.200 --> 0:42:50.879
<v Speaker 2>are you headed now? Yeah? But you got to reach

0:42:50.920 --> 0:42:54.000
<v Speaker 2>for those peaks and that's what's fun to watch. So

0:42:54.200 --> 0:42:57.839
<v Speaker 2>I appreciate Alex for that idea, and again we'll still

0:42:57.880 --> 0:43:00.520
<v Speaker 2>execute it, hopefully in a couple of weeks.

0:43:00.680 --> 0:43:02.640
<v Speaker 1>Can we talk fashion for just a brief second. What

0:43:02.680 --> 0:43:05.520
<v Speaker 1>are some of your influences? I think you have incredible style.

0:43:05.840 --> 0:43:07.919
<v Speaker 1>Every time we see each other, we do a full

0:43:07.960 --> 0:43:10.520
<v Speaker 1>little fit check. What are some of your influences and

0:43:10.560 --> 0:43:11.600
<v Speaker 1>what are you into right now?

0:43:12.680 --> 0:43:15.680
<v Speaker 2>I'm influencing you know again, I'm a product of so much,

0:43:16.840 --> 0:43:20.239
<v Speaker 2>you know, combustion of different cultures. You know, I'm an

0:43:20.320 --> 0:43:22.959
<v Speaker 2>Eastern European kid that grew up in Brooklyn, New York,

0:43:23.000 --> 0:43:27.160
<v Speaker 2>listening to a hip hop while playing violin and being

0:43:27.440 --> 0:43:31.120
<v Speaker 2>you know, educated and dance, and dance introduced me to

0:43:31.239 --> 0:43:34.640
<v Speaker 2>a Latin culture in which so much of our bravado

0:43:34.880 --> 0:43:37.600
<v Speaker 2>because again I specialized in the Latin styles, not the

0:43:37.640 --> 0:43:40.319
<v Speaker 2>Borm styles. I did Borm, but the Latin styles were

0:43:40.400 --> 0:43:44.520
<v Speaker 2>my expertise. So I'm mimicking the Bravado of all these,

0:43:44.560 --> 0:43:48.560
<v Speaker 2>you know, Antonio Benderis's and that's Barrados, and so there's

0:43:48.600 --> 0:43:52.440
<v Speaker 2>a fashion and you know that kind of like peacocking

0:43:52.480 --> 0:43:56.760
<v Speaker 2>of that energy plus my dance aesthetic. You know, I've

0:43:56.800 --> 0:43:59.400
<v Speaker 2>been wearing chaffon since I was twelve years old, you know,

0:43:59.520 --> 0:44:04.240
<v Speaker 2>ten years. Oh, so it's it's a bit of everything.

0:44:04.320 --> 0:44:08.080
<v Speaker 2>It's it's so and I traveled to Europe for competitions

0:44:08.080 --> 0:44:10.719
<v Speaker 2>a lot as a kid through on my teens as well,

0:44:10.840 --> 0:44:13.200
<v Speaker 2>so I saw the you know, the kind of the

0:44:13.200 --> 0:44:15.879
<v Speaker 2>fitted fashion. Then I would come back to New York

0:44:15.960 --> 0:44:20.239
<v Speaker 2>and obviously be surrounded by i mean, late nineties jenko Is.

0:44:20.280 --> 0:44:23.560
<v Speaker 2>It's crazy to see all this wide fit now coming back.

0:44:24.880 --> 0:44:28.399
<v Speaker 2>So yeah, I mean, I love pop culture and I

0:44:28.440 --> 0:44:33.680
<v Speaker 2>love dance, but I you know, I live beyond dance,

0:44:33.960 --> 0:44:37.200
<v Speaker 2>you know, and ballroom dance. I love, like I said,

0:44:37.880 --> 0:44:42.279
<v Speaker 2>hip hop music, Latin music. You know. I played in

0:44:42.280 --> 0:44:45.120
<v Speaker 2>an orchestra, played classical music my whole life, you know.

0:44:45.239 --> 0:44:47.680
<v Speaker 2>So I just love it all. And I love where

0:44:47.719 --> 0:44:50.440
<v Speaker 2>we live now, where it's like anything goes, you know.

0:44:50.920 --> 0:44:54.280
<v Speaker 2>As soon as sneakers were acceptable with a three piece

0:44:54.280 --> 0:44:56.520
<v Speaker 2>suit my zone.

0:44:56.600 --> 0:44:59.400
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I'm happy. Yeah, I want to thank you so

0:44:59.480 --> 0:45:01.480
<v Speaker 1>much for coming on the show. I can tell you

0:45:01.520 --> 0:45:03.680
<v Speaker 1>that from the moment I agreed to do Dancing with

0:45:03.719 --> 0:45:06.440
<v Speaker 1>the Stars, you and your brother were a major reason

0:45:06.480 --> 0:45:09.440
<v Speaker 1>why I have just been such a fan for so long,

0:45:10.640 --> 0:45:13.880
<v Speaker 1>and you guys are very inspiring. So I have so

0:45:14.080 --> 0:45:16.359
<v Speaker 1>appreciated getting to know you and spending time with you,

0:45:17.120 --> 0:45:19.480
<v Speaker 1>and you're just an absolute joy. So thank you for

0:45:19.520 --> 0:45:19.920
<v Speaker 1>doing this show.

0:45:20.000 --> 0:45:21.680
<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Thank you for having me. I'm glad we

0:45:22.360 --> 0:45:22.960
<v Speaker 2>let it happen.

0:45:23.080 --> 0:45:23.680
<v Speaker 1>You sure did.

0:45:23.920 --> 0:45:24.359
<v Speaker 2>Thank you.

0:45:26.880 --> 0:45:30.280
<v Speaker 1>Danielle with the Stars produced and hosted by Danielle Fischel.

0:45:30.440 --> 0:45:33.719
<v Speaker 1>Executive producers Jensen carp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge

0:45:33.719 --> 0:45:37.920
<v Speaker 1>of production, Danielle Romo producer, editor and engineer Tara Sudbosch.

0:45:38.200 --> 0:45:41.279
<v Speaker 1>Theme song by Justin Siegel. Follow us on Instagram at

0:45:41.320 --> 0:45:44.160
<v Speaker 1>Danielle with Stars and vote for me