WEBVTT - Danielle In the Ballroom (Week 10) 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:20.280 They can try and get rid of me, but I 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:25.440 have become one with the ballroom. It's Danielle Fischl, podcaster, 0:00:25.680 --> 0:00:30.760 TV director, mother of two and self appointed Dylan Efron 0:00:30.920 --> 0:00:34.520 good luck charm to Penga Lawrence from Boy Meets World, 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:38.239 and yes, just two weeks ago, I myself was a 0:00:38.240 --> 0:00:41.519 contestant on Season thirty four of Dancing with the Stars, 0:00:41.920 --> 0:00:46.120 eliminated from the Elite eight, only to return like a phantom, 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:50.800 haunting the show from the audience for the semifinals. I 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:55.280 once again saw everything unfold with my very own eyes, 0:00:55.680 --> 0:01:00.200 and I am here ready to report back to you. Has. 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:02.880 In addition to joining a show focused on dance with 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:08.360 zero experience in dance, I have also consistently recorded this 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:12.240 very podcast, hoping to take you all on the journey, 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:16.160 right to the very last second when someone who will 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:19.640 not be me is crowned the recipient of a Len 0:01:19.680 --> 0:01:24.920 Goodman mehr Ball Trophy. I just returned home from the semifinals. 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:30.559 It was Prince Knight incredible night of music. I don't 0:01:30.600 --> 0:01:34.200 know how many of the younger people who are tuning 0:01:34.240 --> 0:01:36.839 in to Dancing with the Stars for the first time 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:42.920 know about Prince or no Prince music. But for those 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:45.920 of us who have been Prince fans and who love 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:50.120 Prince music, let me tell you tonight was a fun 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:55.240 night of music. I am in agreement with a lot 0:01:55.280 --> 0:02:00.360 of you that the themes can sometimes make the night's 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:04.000 difficult to get behind as far as the dancing, because 0:02:04.720 --> 0:02:08.200 it is true that, like, if you're gonna limit yourself 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:11.600 to one artist, which by the way, limiting yourself to 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.840 an artist like Prince who has just like smash hit 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:18.520 after smash hit, you could do worse, Like you could 0:02:18.560 --> 0:02:20.960 do worse than a Prince Night. But the hard part 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:26.280 is not every song is made for the dance styles 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:28.480 that we have to do. And so you know, I 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:33.000 know that like TikTok Night and even even the first 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:36.240 week Anthem Night were nights that people said, you know, 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:39.160 it kind of makes it difficult, Like, you know, we're 0:02:39.320 --> 0:02:44.800 trying to do a traditional ballroom style to a pop 0:02:44.880 --> 0:02:49.800 song and it doesn't necessarily fit. So I can see how, 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:53.920 you know, it can be a little difficult, especially if 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:55.799 you're a newer fan and you're like, wait, what's happening here? 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:57.960 And as you heard tonight, some of the songs had 0:02:57.960 --> 0:03:00.520 to be slowed down significantly in order them for them 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:02.640 to work for the dance styles, and some of them 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:04.880 had to be sped up significantly in order to work 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:08.400 for the dance styles. So I am in agreement with 0:03:08.560 --> 0:03:11.680 the camp of people who are saying that there are 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:15.799 too many themes. I personally think, as fun as they are, 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:21.000 the show is better with some fewer themes. That would 0:03:21.000 --> 0:03:24.160 be my overall takeaway. Now that all the theme nights 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:27.519 are done, next week's the finale. We've seen them all. 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:33.000 I love it, but I think maybe maybe it would 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:36.880 be better with just a select group. It doesn't even 0:03:36.920 --> 0:03:39.240 have to be a select few. If you have let's 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:41.120 say ten weeks, which is what we have so far. 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:45.680 If you have ten weeks, make five of them themes. 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:50.280 You know Halloween Wicked was an amazing one. Make five, 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:53.400 maybe even six of them themes and then the rest. 0:03:54.920 --> 0:03:57.480 Maybe we don't need to have all of them be themed. 0:03:57.680 --> 0:04:04.280 That's just my opinion. You can agree or disagree. So 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:08.200 it was a celebration of Prince music, at which I love, 0:04:08.680 --> 0:04:11.480 a real coup for the show, and since they have 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:14.360 tried it for years to clear his music and now 0:04:14.400 --> 0:04:16.600 they finally worked with the estate to make it happen. 0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:19.599 I wasn't planning on going tonight. I was, as you know, 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:23.200 eliminated back in week eight. And the following week was 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:27.520 the twentieth anniversary, which felt like just an event I 0:04:27.800 --> 0:04:31.400 really wanted to be a part of. It's a historical night, 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:35.880 it's celebrating twenty years of the show. You know, they 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:40.359 reached out and individually invited me. I felt like I 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:42.400 really wanted to be there for that one. And then 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:45.400 I thought, okay, and then it's Prince week, and then 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:47.520 for the finale, I'm going to be there for the finale. 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:51.240 I get to dance in the finale, so I'll take 0:04:51.279 --> 0:04:54.880 a week off. I'll you know, give everyone a chance 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:58.640 to miss me or something, you know. But then last 0:04:58.640 --> 0:05:01.720 week was so special being there for the twentieth anniversary, 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:07.240 and Dylan made such a sweet point of telling me 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:10.320 how nice it was to be able to see me 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:13.280 right before he went out and did his dance. And 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:17.200 as you guys have heard us talk, we have a 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:24.400 great friendship and a strong alliance. And he was like, 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:29.120 you know, now, he said, superstition wise, I feel like 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:31.640 I need to be able to see you before I 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:35.920 go out on the dance floor. And he texted me 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:37.720 over the weekend and said, are you going to come 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:43.240 on Tuesday? And I said probably not. You know, unfortunately 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:46.440 my kids are sick and I'm not feeling great this weekend, 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:51.000 so probably not. And he just didn't He didn't respond 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:54.560 in any way. He didn't like say that's okay, or 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:58.560 even thumbs up it or anything. There was just like silence. 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:04.600 And then my kids recovered. I recovered, And so I 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:08.400 texted him today the day of the show, and I said, 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:14.280 we recovered. If you want me there tonight, I am 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:18.240 free and can go. And he was like, oh my gosh, yes, 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:22.480 please come. And so I texted the wonderful Dina Cats 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:24.799 and I said, I know it's last minute. I feel 0:06:24.800 --> 0:06:27.839 like such a heel. I'm so sorry, but if you 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:30.960 have room for me to come tonight, I would love 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:34.200 love to be there. And she said, let me get 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:36.200 right on this, and then she got back to me 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:39.520 and said that we could come. So thank you, Dinah, 0:06:39.839 --> 0:06:42.600 and I'm so glad I was there. It was it 0:06:42.680 --> 0:06:47.040 was it was quite a night. At this point. You 0:06:47.040 --> 0:06:50.800 guys all know Dylan's brother Zach was there. It was 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:57.200 so nice to meet him. He is just delightful, beautiful, sweet, 0:06:58.120 --> 0:07:02.120 bubbly personality, sat with Olivia the whole time. They just 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:08.000 have such a beautiful family. I also awkwardly inserted myself 0:07:08.120 --> 0:07:12.200 into their family. I went and sat with them during 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:17.840 the elimination time and someone I don't even know who 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:20.160 someone was like, let's take a family picture. And they 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:22.360 stood up and took a picture, and I was like, guys, 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:27.440 I'm now in your family picture. I'm apparently an honorary 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:29.520 family member. And I said, the unfortunate thing is that 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:32.320 that probably could have been like a really cute Christmas card, 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:35.760 and now it just can't be. And Zach turned around 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:38.040 and was like, no, now it's a better card, which 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:41.360 is so cute, just so cute. Love their family so 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:44.440 much so I'm really happy I was there tonight and 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:53.120 forced myself into their family. We will be taping a 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:57.520 live episode of Danielle with at Disney California Adventure Park 0:07:57.560 --> 0:08:00.720 on December fourth, twenty twenty five. If you live in 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:04.000 the Southern California area, or if you can be in 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:07.480 the Southern California area on December fourth, we have an 0:08:07.480 --> 0:08:11.679 opportunity for you to join us between now and November 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:14.520 twenty fourth, of twenty twenty five, you can enter for 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:17.800 your chance to win tickets to attend the Coast one 0:08:17.840 --> 0:08:22.200 oh three point five Private Holiday Party at Disney California 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:26.360 Adventure Park on December fourth, twenty twenty five, including an 0:08:26.400 --> 0:08:30.200 overnight stay at the Disneyland Resort Hotel for a family 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:34.360 of four and two day one park per day tickets 0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:38.840 to Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park. Plus you 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:40.719 will have the chance to meet us while we are 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:45.520 taping an episode of Danielle With inside Disney California Adventure Park. 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:49.559 Visit Coast one oh three five dot com forward slash 0:08:49.760 --> 0:08:52.440 Danielle With now to enter for your chance to win. 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:07.200 You know, the ballroom tonight felt different without Andy. I 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:10.640 know that is like, you know, it should feel different 0:09:10.720 --> 0:09:13.200 every time somebody's gone home, and of course it does. 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:16.960 And also the energy was probably a little bit different 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:20.800 because it is the semifinals, so there was like a 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:25.760 heightened amount of pressure. There was some tension in the air. 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:34.679 I think everyone's just running on fumes and adrenaline. And yeah, 0:09:34.720 --> 0:09:39.960 the ballroom just kind of felt different and I don't 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:43.080 know how to describe it. It was a little less 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:47.720 electric tonight. Then I think it has felt previously and 0:09:47.800 --> 0:09:50.200 I cannot put my finger on what that would have 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:53.920 been about, other than the fact that Andy's not there. 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:59.600 I don't know. Okay, let's talk about the dances. Robert 0:09:59.720 --> 0:10:05.040 or did a jive, and I saw some people were 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:09.240 annoyed by the amount of repeat dances because they tonight 0:10:09.679 --> 0:10:11.640 having to do two print songs. You got to do 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:14.360 an original song and then you got to do a repeat. 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:19.200 And this technically is Robert's third jive if you count 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:23.280 the relay race with Soci last week. I don't care 0:10:23.480 --> 0:10:28.160 that it's a repeat. Watching Robert Irwin do a jive 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:32.880 is one of the most joyous experiences you can have. 0:10:33.480 --> 0:10:37.679 It just suits his personality and his vibe and his 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:42.120 energy so well, and he's so good at it. I 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:47.320 was just so impressed. I loved it. I loved that 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:51.280 trick they did where he went over Whitney's back. I 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:55.440 thought that was just spectacular. I thought that was amazing. 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:57.840 So he did a jive routine to Baby I'm a 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:01.520 Star and a Viennese waltz to Wow I Was Not 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:04.600 Those are not two of my favorite print songs. I 0:11:04.640 --> 0:11:06.960 know a lot of people love them. But when I 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:10.840 first saw that he was doing those songs, I was like, huh, 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:13.520 I wonder how that's gonna work. Knocked it out of 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:17.800 the park, really absolutely loved that. His jive was the 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:21.240 first perfect score of the night. He got ten ten ten. 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:26.360 The gold confetti cannon went off, very exciting, super proud 0:11:26.400 --> 0:11:31.120 of him, just thrilled. It was very sweet. I went 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:35.679 and said hello to Mama Terry, and I walked up 0:11:35.679 --> 0:11:37.680 and I gave her a hug, and she said, I 0:11:37.800 --> 0:11:40.200 have to thank you so much for running up into 0:11:40.240 --> 0:11:44.480 the skybox and congratulating Robert last week. He came home 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:48.240 and told me how much that meant to him. My heart. 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:54.040 I just love him so much. And then Whitney Levitt 0:11:54.240 --> 0:11:57.880 did a cha cha to nineteen ninety nine and a 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:04.920 Viennese waltz to Slow Love. I thought her purple outfit 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:11.960 for the cha cha was stunning. I love her red hair, 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:16.160 the way it was like crimped or waved, just so good. 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:19.920 She was giving. I saw Mayan Lopez commented on one 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:23.320 of her Instagram posts. On Whitney's Instagram posts that she 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:27.600 was giving Daphne from Scooby Doo and it was so perfect. 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:33.000 She totally was just absolutely stunning. Whitney is one of 0:12:33.040 --> 0:12:39.120 the most beautiful dancers I have ever seen in twenty 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:44.000 years of Dancing with the Stars. I just think she 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:49.200 is spectacular. There's no denying it. You can not be 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:53.679 a Whitney fan for whatever reason. You cannot deny that 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:59.160 she is an incredible dancer. And Mark has really pushed her. 0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:02.959 And some people think, like watching the packages, like, oh, 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:06.560 Mark is pushing her too hard. Let me tell you something, 0:13:07.080 --> 0:13:13.120 Whitney wants that. Whitney wants that. Whitney's been a Mark 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:17.400 fan for years, somebody who she's somebody who's watched the show. 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:22.720 She knows how Mark coaches. She wants to be pushed, 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:28.439 she wants to be challenged. She really, you know, this 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:32.760 is what she's built for. She's very clearly a performer. 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:37.680 And Whitney being the best dancer on the show, as 0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:41.960 anybody who's watched this show knows, being the best dancer 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:44.720 or one of the best dancers on this season or 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:48.000 on the show is never a guarantee that you're gonna win. 0:13:49.000 --> 0:13:55.440 So am I surprised that Whitney isn't in the finals. Yes, 0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:58.520 I'm surprised that Whitney isn't in the finals. I thought 0:13:58.559 --> 0:14:00.880 she was going to make it to the final round. 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:05.280 I did not think Whitney was going to win Dancing 0:14:05.280 --> 0:14:08.960 with the Stars, even though I think she's one of 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.120 the best dancers. I am surprised she didn't make it 0:14:12.160 --> 0:14:19.760 to the finals. I will say that the way the 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:27.400 package was set up, and with the season premiere of 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:32.200 Secret Lives of Mormon Wives coming out this week, it 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:36.160 felt to me while I was watching the show, it 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:40.080 felt to me like if we look at reality TV 0:14:40.360 --> 0:14:44.360 as a storytelling mechanism, the same way dance is a 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:50.080 storytelling mechanism, the way acting is a storytelling mechanism. If 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:57.360 we look at that, what makes the most compelling storytelling 0:14:58.360 --> 0:15:02.920 was for Whitney to go home tonight, for her ambition 0:15:03.280 --> 0:15:06.680 to be on the show on Dancing with the Stars 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:10.040 to have been played out in the premiere episode of 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:13.120 Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and for that to then 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:17.560 be shown in her package and talked about in the skybox, 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:27.440 and I just thought, you know, the craziest storytelling is 0:15:27.440 --> 0:15:30.880 somebody being that honest about the things that they want 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:34.840 and about their dreams and having no shame about it, 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:40.560 which I applaud but storytelling wise, what makes the most 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:46.360 captivating TV is seeing all of that and then immediately 0:15:46.360 --> 0:15:50.480 seeing that person go home. So I had a bad 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:55.240 feeling throughout the day, like throughout the show, that it 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:59.960 might be Whitney's time to go home. And I was 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:04.240 hoping I was wrong, but I was not. Alex did 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:09.120 an Argentine tango to Little Red Corvette and a Viennese 0:16:09.120 --> 0:16:17.880 waltz to Purple Rain. Her Viennese waltz was so unbelievably 0:16:18.840 --> 0:16:29.720 beautiful and man Alex's journey on this show is one 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:36.840 of my absolute favorites. I see it personally, I see 0:16:36.880 --> 0:16:40.880 it personally, and I see it reflected on the show. 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:45.320 When I very first met Alex was in New York 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:49.280 for Good Morning America and we were in the same 0:16:49.360 --> 0:16:52.520 room a couple of times, she didn't make eye contact 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:54.320 with me. I kept trying to make eye contact with 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:58.360 her to like find find a time to introduce myself 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:00.560 and say hi, and I kept like looking at her 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:02.520 and she wouldn't make eye contact with me, And then 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:05.639 we almost crashed into each other in the hallway, and 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:08.560 instead of like using that as the opportunity to say hi, 0:17:08.600 --> 0:17:11.600 she kind of like ugh, like diverted around me, and 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:14.480 I had to go out of my way and be like, hey, Hi, 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:17.520 by the way, I'm Danielle. I'm going to be on 0:17:17.560 --> 0:17:19.119 the season of the show with you. And she was 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:23.000 like hi, and immediately so nice and gave me a hug. 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:27.280 And I could tell that whatever was stopping her from 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:30.160 making eye contact with me before or from saying hello, 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:34.440 was definitely not that she was a rude person. It 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:39.160 was that she was either nervous or she was uncomfortable 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:41.760 or something. There was something going on that had nothing 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:44.919 to do with her trying to be snooty or rude. 0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:47.920 I could tell that right away. But I could also 0:17:47.920 --> 0:17:52.439 tell that she wasn't like necessarily super comfortable. And then 0:17:52.600 --> 0:17:55.880 as the weeks progressed and we started seeing each other 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:59.359 more and more in the dance rehearsal space, and we 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:01.960 got to know each other better, and we would make 0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:06.920 tiktoks together or we would do things together. Her personality 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:09.960 just started developing more. And I'm not saying she didn't 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:12.080 have a personality and it was developing, let's say it 0:18:12.400 --> 0:18:15.440 say it a different way. Her personality started. She started 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:20.320 feeling more comfortable showing her personality and being her authentic self. 0:18:21.440 --> 0:18:24.119 And the more I got to know her and the 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:28.800 more I just she is you want to wrap her 0:18:28.920 --> 0:18:31.480 up in your arms or in a blanket and cuddle 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:34.879 her and hug her and laugh with her and have 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:38.480 a good time with her. And there's a real sensitivity 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:44.160 to her that I just absolutely love. And I think 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:48.760 I think seeing her emotional journey where she first started 0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:50.600 and you could tell that maybe her face was a 0:18:50.640 --> 0:18:54.399 little more stoic and she wasn't super comfortable, you know, 0:18:54.680 --> 0:18:57.920 really revealing who she was. And now to see her 0:18:57.920 --> 0:19:04.440 tonight with tears streaming down her face, and those are 0:19:04.480 --> 0:19:08.439 tears that I know so well because I felt exactly 0:19:08.520 --> 0:19:13.200 the same way about the show. That going there every 0:19:13.280 --> 0:19:16.399 single day and meeting up with your dance partner and 0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:20.280 learning a new dance and being with the friends that 0:19:20.320 --> 0:19:24.560 we made on the season, you forget that, like, oh, 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:28.680 this isn't my every day. This is going to end, 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:32.400 and it is hard when it ends. So I felt 0:19:32.480 --> 0:19:35.040 for her and I thought it was really great. As 0:19:35.119 --> 0:19:37.600 much as I don't want to see her cry, I 0:19:37.640 --> 0:19:39.439 thought it was really great that she was willing to 0:19:39.480 --> 0:19:42.160 open up and show everyone that and then for her 0:19:42.200 --> 0:19:46.520 come out and just do two such beautiful dances. I 0:19:46.560 --> 0:19:50.480 thought it was really it's really nice. Her journey and 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:53.880 her evolution on this show has been just really fun 0:19:53.920 --> 0:19:57.320 to watch. I'm so proud of her. And then he 0:19:57.440 --> 0:19:59.920 Laan did a foxtrot to I Want to Be Your Lover, 0:20:01.480 --> 0:20:04.560 and she opened the show again, and I thought, oh man, 0:20:04.680 --> 0:20:08.000 it's tough to open the show. Opening the show is 0:20:08.040 --> 0:20:11.560 so hard, so I felt for her having to be 0:20:11.600 --> 0:20:16.720 in that position again, and the judges gave it three nines. 0:20:17.440 --> 0:20:23.080 And when the show first started, it seemed like there 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:26.200 was a lot of pressure coming from the judges now 0:20:26.240 --> 0:20:30.560 that we were in the semifinals to up our games, 0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:34.240 like everybody's game needed to be elevated and raised and 0:20:34.400 --> 0:20:37.479 upped because it was the semifinals. And I thought there 0:20:37.480 --> 0:20:41.720 were quite a few dances that deserved higher scores than 0:20:41.760 --> 0:20:48.040 they got, but they were saying, like, listen, it's the semifinals. 0:20:48.119 --> 0:20:51.240 I'm not gonna let little mistakes go. If I see 0:20:51.280 --> 0:20:52.880 a slip up, i'm gonna mark you down for it, 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:56.399 which I can also appreciate, like at this point in 0:20:56.400 --> 0:21:01.360 the competition, you are fighting for your place in the finale. 0:21:01.560 --> 0:21:06.240 So I also understood that, and then they said she 0:21:06.280 --> 0:21:09.359 wanted they wanted to see more fight from her, and 0:21:10.200 --> 0:21:13.679 she went up into the skybox and she said, the 0:21:13.720 --> 0:21:15.680 next thing you're gonna see for me is some fight. 0:21:16.400 --> 0:21:19.159 And they had a perfect dance to do that with. 0:21:19.640 --> 0:21:24.360 They had Apasa Doble to win Doves Cry. I loved 0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:28.080 their costumes. I thought their costumes were just great. I 0:21:28.160 --> 0:21:32.800 thought Elaine killed this dance. And you know, you'd never know, 0:21:33.119 --> 0:21:37.520 like you see people as graceful and elegant as Whitney 0:21:37.600 --> 0:21:39.720 and Alex and Elaine, and you see them in the 0:21:39.720 --> 0:21:42.760 ballroom styles and you see them with their long arms 0:21:42.800 --> 0:21:45.040 and it's so beautiful and flowing, and then you think, 0:21:45.359 --> 0:21:49.120 how are they gonna do stomping around? And then you're like, wow, 0:21:49.160 --> 0:21:52.679 you're good at that too. So that was great, and 0:21:52.720 --> 0:21:58.119 sure enough the judges were just thrilled, and Carrie Anne 0:21:58.160 --> 0:22:02.080 came out from behind the judge's table and fell down 0:22:02.080 --> 0:22:05.120 to her knees and said, that's what I wanted to see. 0:22:05.200 --> 0:22:08.399 And I thought right away, like, all right, Elaine's going 0:22:08.440 --> 0:22:11.600 to be in the finals for sure. Based on these reactions, 0:22:11.680 --> 0:22:15.280 Elaine is going to be in the finals. And she 0:22:15.359 --> 0:22:19.280 got three perfect tens for that dance, which I know 0:22:19.480 --> 0:22:22.600 meant the world to her, because, if I'm not mistaken, 0:22:22.680 --> 0:22:26.520 the only other ten did she she must have gotten 0:22:26.520 --> 0:22:29.280 a ten last week, but maybe not. I think her 0:22:29.320 --> 0:22:31.760 only other ten may have been a flav of Flave ten, 0:22:31.880 --> 0:22:35.520 which not to say that a flav of Flave ten 0:22:35.680 --> 0:22:39.399 is not the same as any other ten, But if 0:22:39.440 --> 0:22:42.080 you're one of the core three judges and you're a 0:22:42.119 --> 0:22:45.600 contestant on this show, you probably place a little more 0:22:45.600 --> 0:22:48.320 weight into what they think, So getting a ten from them, 0:22:48.480 --> 0:22:51.879 or three tens, as it were, really means a lot. 0:22:52.119 --> 0:22:56.360 So I'm sure she was absolutely thrilled about that. And 0:22:56.400 --> 0:23:00.520 then my girl, Jordan, she did a jive to Ratsberry 0:23:00.640 --> 0:23:07.560 Beret Oh, one of my favorite songs, and you saw 0:23:07.840 --> 0:23:10.959 them set up in her package. How badly she wanted 0:23:11.040 --> 0:23:15.199 a perfect score. She wanted it so bad she was 0:23:15.280 --> 0:23:19.680 calling it out. I was rooting for and she did 0:23:19.720 --> 0:23:22.720 the jive. I thought her jive was amazing. I thought 0:23:22.720 --> 0:23:27.359 her kicks and flicks were on point. It was so enjoyable. 0:23:27.960 --> 0:23:31.399 I loved her costume, I loved her hair. I just 0:23:32.160 --> 0:23:33.440 I thought it was great. I thought it was a 0:23:33.440 --> 0:23:36.520 great jive. I thought the choreography was incredible. Ezra killed it. 0:23:37.200 --> 0:23:40.159 That little like breakout moment they had over on the 0:23:40.240 --> 0:23:46.520 side I thought was unbelievable, very exciting. And then they 0:23:46.560 --> 0:23:50.199 called out a mistake and she got three nines and 0:23:50.280 --> 0:23:53.280 I thought, oh my gosh, I just want her to 0:23:53.320 --> 0:23:59.000 get her perfect score so badly, and she made sure 0:23:59.040 --> 0:24:02.720 she got it. She came out with an Argentine tango 0:24:03.000 --> 0:24:09.560 in a pose upside down. She looked incredible. Ezra has 0:24:09.640 --> 0:24:13.680 really become one of my favorite choreographers on this show. 0:24:15.080 --> 0:24:20.959 I love how risky he is. I love the risks 0:24:21.000 --> 0:24:25.720 he takes, and I love that Jordan trusts him enough 0:24:25.880 --> 0:24:29.119 and goes, yeah, I know this doesn't look like a 0:24:29.200 --> 0:24:33.480 conventional you know, this doesn't look like conventional choreography I've 0:24:33.560 --> 0:24:36.640 seen done by a bunch of other people. I don't care. 0:24:36.880 --> 0:24:38.760 That's exactly why I want to do it. I want 0:24:38.760 --> 0:24:40.479 to stand out. I want it to be different, like 0:24:40.680 --> 0:24:45.040 I just love it. So they came out and absolutely 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:50.040 killed an Argentine tango to you got the look. It 0:24:50.080 --> 0:24:55.000 was so well done, and she got her perfect score 0:24:55.960 --> 0:24:59.280 and I cried. It was the only time I cried 0:25:00.000 --> 0:25:01.960 in the ballroom. Tonight. You'll be happy to know. I 0:25:02.000 --> 0:25:04.160 think everybody thinks I'm just a giant softie who cries 0:25:04.200 --> 0:25:07.359 all the time, But that was the only time I cried. 0:25:07.440 --> 0:25:11.840 I was so I was just so immensely proud of her, 0:25:12.800 --> 0:25:15.520 really truly so proud of her. And she got her 0:25:15.760 --> 0:25:19.719 perfect score, and I was sitting not too far behind 0:25:19.840 --> 0:25:23.240 her family, and so I got to congratulate them on 0:25:23.600 --> 0:25:26.040 not only making the finals, but on the perfect score. 0:25:26.119 --> 0:25:31.399 And Jordan's dad was so kind and he said, I 0:25:31.440 --> 0:25:34.240 am so grateful that you guys are friends, which is 0:25:34.400 --> 0:25:54.359 just so sweet. How did this cast luck out so 0:25:54.520 --> 0:25:58.840 much that not only do we all love each other 0:25:59.520 --> 0:26:04.880 so much and support each other so much, but we 0:26:05.240 --> 0:26:11.600 love all of our families too, Like what it's you, 0:26:12.560 --> 0:26:15.560 It's it's not this is not easy to have this 0:26:15.960 --> 0:26:20.720 many people spend this much time together during a competition show, 0:26:21.240 --> 0:26:25.320 and for everyone to just be so supportive and loving 0:26:25.600 --> 0:26:30.879 to one another. And it's very genuine. Speaking of things 0:26:30.880 --> 0:26:38.280 that are very genuine, Connor, Whitney's husband. Immediately after Whitney 0:26:38.400 --> 0:26:42.960 had been Whitney and Mark had been eliminated, Connor turned 0:26:43.160 --> 0:26:47.040 like he watched Whitney walk off stage with Mark, and 0:26:47.080 --> 0:26:50.480 I gave him a hug, and I told him the 0:26:50.520 --> 0:26:53.960 same thing I told Whitney, which is she has already won. 0:26:55.520 --> 0:26:58.760 Being in the finale is not going to change the 0:26:58.800 --> 0:27:02.880 fact that Whitney Levitt is going to be a massive star. 0:27:04.000 --> 0:27:07.160 It just she already is. And I think the opportunities 0:27:07.200 --> 0:27:11.000 for her to be a performer are going to if 0:27:11.040 --> 0:27:14.480 they have not already started, they are just going to continue, 0:27:14.560 --> 0:27:17.800 and she is going to have her pick of anything 0:27:17.880 --> 0:27:22.160 she wants to do in the entertainment industry. And one 0:27:22.200 --> 0:27:24.720 more week making it to the finale wouldn't have made 0:27:24.760 --> 0:27:28.520 it moren't It wouldn't have changed it. She's already one. 0:27:28.600 --> 0:27:31.360 And he said that he was really proud of her, 0:27:31.440 --> 0:27:33.480 and I said I was proud of her too, And 0:27:33.560 --> 0:27:35.879