September 19, 2025 • 48 mins
You can’t talk about Dancing with the Stars without mentioning the one and only ballroom legend, Maksim Chmerkovskiy!
The former pro sits down with Danielle to discuss his thoughts on the season 34 premiere, how he’s pivoted to Vodka and what he noticed Danielle needs to work on moving forward for the show.
Plus, Maks has a bone to pick with Derek Hough and THAT compliment he gave to Week 1’s leader. It’s all on a brand new episode of Danielle with the Stars!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Welcome to Danielle with the Stars.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I am Danielle Fischel, a TV director, a podcaster forever.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Topanga, and a mom of two.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
But right now I am an aspiring ballroom dancer competing
on season thirty four of Dancing with the Stars, airing
every Tuesday night on ABC and Disney Plus. And throughout
the process, I am recording a podcast chronicling my journey
to win my.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Very own mirror Ball.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
And along the way, I am hoping to chat with
other contestants and professionals from not only the current iteration
of Dancing with the Stars, but it's past and today.
I am honored to welcome true ballroom Royalty to Danielle
with the Stars. This mirror Ball winner appeared on seventeen
seasons of the show, becoming one of the most recognizable
(01:00):
fan favorites of all time and a major reason I
kept up with the show four years. His trophy came
in season eighteen, alongside partner Meryl Davis, and it's worth
noting he also has two second place finishes, and I
don't care what they say, close does count. I'll accept it.
He is synonymous with the show that I'm hoping to conquer,
(01:22):
so this might just be my key to the finals,
or if I fall short, he can supply the booze
since his Tetya Kappa Vodka, made right at home in
Napa Valley, is taking the Spirit's world by storm and
soon Calabasas where. On Thursday night, September twenty fifth, he
will hold Kappa Knights at the Mulholland, an event you're
(01:43):
going to want to attend. I am thrilled to welcome
to the show the Legend Maxim Schmerkovski. Max, thank you
so much for coming on my podcast. I am a
huge fan of yours. I've been a fan for decades.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
It's crazy, crazy.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
You are one of the main reasons I started watching
Dancing with the Stars, and I know that you have
a more strict approach to teaching. It was always my
absolute favorite to watch.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
That's it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
It's amazing.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
You're part of a You're part of a specific time
in an immigrants life. I am yes, because when I
came in ninety four, yeah, all right, and there was
a lot.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Of things that I was in privy to.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
You know, I was fourteen already, so the foundation wasn't
set here. It was set somewhere else. So the that
cartoon that Tom and Jerry, the blah blah blah, like
I didn't I didn't have that right, right, But so
I have this sort of the BCA D right, but
I have the before us and then after. And so
my foundation was set in late mid late nineties, huh,
(02:54):
with whatever was available to us, which wasn't internet based.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
There was few channels and prime time television TV.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
And my primetime is what like after I come from school,
so it's like three you to six seven. Yeah, so
that's the you know, that's family matters. That's Batman on
Channel eleven back then, that's you guys.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
That's all this.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
You know, I can name couple of shows that are
fundamental for me. Your show was a fundamental time. I
didn't speak English. I was not understanding I saw this
hot shick when I was a teenager.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Who is that you? Okay, it's amazing, the whole thing.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
And then I you know, it took me later years
to understand what the show was about because it was
like it was literally like coming of age and you know,
growing up, and I didn't understand the verbiage, but I
understood the vibes right, so you know, having Tapanga tell
me she's a fan?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Are you crazy? Are you crazy?
Speaker 4 (03:52):
And also like I don't know how I I know
how I come across I shouldn't, you know, twenty years later,
But that's not me, you know, I've essentially that's not me.
It's me, but it's not I'm just not, you know,
the right mold for the public, you know, TV and
all that stuff, Like I would be an awful politician,
you know I would just you know, I'm not the
(04:14):
person you want to. I guess high if you just
want him to be very quiet and say exactly what
you sup?
Speaker 3 (04:22):
You know what I mean? Like that sort of mold
is not my thing?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
So what is your thing? How would you describe yourself?
You're very straightforward, You're super honest.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
What is it? What are the things that you would
say are make you who you are?
Speaker 4 (04:33):
My Dancing with the Star's career, that's what we're referencing.
For the most part, is started in a way that
didn't work for me. Now that I'm an older person,
an older person, how to say it. But I'm a
father of three boys, and so I'm trying to do
my best, you know, regardless of what I did in
my past. I want to make sure that this part
(04:55):
is not you know, it's perfect and uh. And so
now I'm watching all these things and I'm analyzing a
lot of stuff is probably.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
I wasn't doing in my twenties. Who should?
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (05:05):
You know so. I remember when Dancing with the Stars
started for me. It was a conversation with executives at
that time, and I asked one simple question, what is
my job? You know, as I would, I just want
to know what's my direction? And I was told, your
job is to give celebrity the best chance at winning
Dancing with the Stars. Great, right, yes, awesome, that's not
(05:27):
the job. No, you're right, that's not the job. Are
you crazy? How would you say that to a pro
dancer who's like ripping ground trying to win.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
It's not the job.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
The job is to give the celebrity the best time
on Dancing with It's not the best chance at winning
the chance whether they win or not, it's up to them.
Their background, the dance background. It's not how fast they learned,
because nobody learns how to dance in a week. You know,
if you had it as a kid, you're going to
have enough leg up. If you are you know, older
(05:59):
and age, you're gonna have a you.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Know, disadvantaged. You know. So these things are simple.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
So it's not about winning, because if I get given
you know X, and she has no chance, you know,
now what, I'm just pulling that dead body across you know,
she's she's not even you know, helping.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Very similar to my leg right now, you know, so
pulling this dead body behind me.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
I really can relate to it.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
But I feel like just just to say, first of all, no,
because you didn't look it honestly.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
But we'll get that.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
But also it's not so the halfway through my experience,
towards the end of my experience, actually not halfway through,
I was told that that's not the job, you know,
And so my my view changed, My outlook changed, My
personality didn't change. It's you know, still attitude and all that,
but I definitely looked at it different.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
And then another point.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Of awareness came when I realized that the show can
also be looked at as curtain up two hours you know,
stage performance that you're watching as if view were and
you're seeing all this stuff happen, and all these things
happen and then curtain down and you walk away with
this feeling of what you just experienced.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
You it's not about this one thing.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
And so yeah, I'm a big part of but I'm
a big part of bigger thing, you know.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
So my part.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Is limited to seven what I count at seven and
a half minutes of live TV. But this is not
a MAX show by any means. You know, when when
I said that nonsense, it was part of a longer
sentence it yet anyway, that's how I feel now it's
a sort of full circle. I now, yesterday I was
watching you guys and or whatever, let's just call it,
(07:45):
at a premiere at a great time. Did you completely on, unaffected,
unrelated on you know, no, no, sort of like you know,
historic attachment to this particular thing or that or the person,
you know what, just just chill time with Peter.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Outside the house.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Did you What did you think of the premiere?
Speaker 2 (08:06):
I mean, you've now but you've been a part of
You were at seventeen seasons on the show, so you
did seventeen premieres yourself. There have been thirty four seasons,
so I'm sure you've seen all the premieres. At this point,
what did you think of last night's premiere compared to others.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
I mean, I'm just honestly, you know, it's it's dancing season.
You know, it's festive that it's back. It's like Christmas,
you know, it's coming back, and then it's gone, and
then you're like, oh, this wasn't a good Christmas.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
This was not the This wasn't the best Christmas.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Eve been a part of get what I wanted, you
know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Like, but it was still you know, it's that every
year and it keeps coming back.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
I'm not saying that it wasn't a good premiere.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
I mean we've had premiers that were just you know,
through the roof of excitement, just you know, skin crawling
and just the people and the buzz around it. I
feel like I may not have felt that these levels, okay,
but me personally, I was just to be there, you know,
and the fact that it's still there and it's still around. Yeah,
(09:03):
and it's having a resurgence. You know, the numbers are
announced and all that stuff.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
It's cute.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Does it surprise you at all that there's been a
resurgence or do you think social media is just the
best help Dancing with the Stars could ever have.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
I mean, the biggest platform in social media history, and
the same history is short but you know the TikTok
and all that. It was bounded on short form dance videos, right,
So like you got, how are you going to borrow
my industry, make your industry and then use your industry?
I have to might help my you know what I mean? So,
(09:37):
like you know, dances through line and I think Dancing
with the Stars has to stick around. It was part
of you know, strictly Come dancing. British version that birthed
it all was what running sixty years and you know
every Saturday, Yeah, people would tune in and why it's
that So I'm hoping that Dancing with the Stars will
be around for a long time.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
What were your thoughts of my dance?
Speaker 4 (10:03):
It was great, I have to admit, I you know this,
I'm gonna repeat a bunch of times. I think it's
one of the strongest dance level wise casts for sure. Yeah,
and so and you know you you say it because
you have to. Everything is very close near sighted for you.
I get I'm priving now to a little wider spectrum,
(10:27):
and but I just I have to admit. Yeah, it's
it's everybody can dance. And so when when you cast people,
and you know, miss Miscats does an amazing job every season,
but I guess you kind of you can now see
like fill in the blank type of vibe. Right, so
we're gonna have this one the dancer, this one, the
dark horse, this one, the maybe. This was the like
(10:48):
real big maybe. Yeah, he's probably gonna go first this.
I feel like everyone who on the board was a
maybe turned out to be they can dance.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
You know, at least they put on the show. So
testament to the pros that know what they're doing one
hundred percent. Everybody's sort of like where some new pros
got a lot to you know, live up to. I
think the bars raised very high. You're specifically danced. When
you came out, I was like, damn, she can dance you.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
So you have that.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Reaction, you know, you got the same reaction. But again,
it's a big pool. I'm just telling you the reality
here is that as the pool starts to get smaller,
the eyes are becoming a little more focused on individuals. Absolutely,
you're not going to have that for a second, but
you just got to live through these few weeks and
get into the first week, there's going to be a
(11:41):
big test, which is week three. So this one, you've
already had your dance kind of mapped out at the
very least. And I'm not saying everybody. Some people start
the second dance just now, you know, in reality, but
a lot of us would have had two dances done
by the premiere, and so you'll be cleaning and the
next dance will be the first time you get to
(12:03):
do something in three days, four days, whatever it is. Yeah,
that's gonna be a big test, and then let's see
whose levels are gonna.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Stay up then, right, Yeah, I really feel like this season,
maybe more so than other seasons I've paid attention to,
where it feels like it's very split between zero dance
experience and a lot of dancing because there was.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
A middle ground set with all the maybies and they
all tend turned out crazy.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Alan's partner I forgot the.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Name, I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
Yeah, so she was, I mean, I was shocked, but
she also kind of like when that question came up,
She's like, well, actually I started my career as a dancer.
Everybody's like, wait a minute, and then she whipped it
out and it was like, holy wow, that was amazing. So
that was that maybe that you know what, possibly probably
she may may not. And then it's bam, now it's
(12:54):
everybody's like, oh damn, yep, everybody can dance to tell
you if you if you want, if you care, you danced,
and then I was watching, I was like, she used
to roll out her tea bends and I'm not, I'm not,
I'm not, I'm just First of all, did you feel
the pain.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
When you Yeah?
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Yeah, I mean the adrenaline obviously, the adrenaline got me through.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
The actual day.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Do you feel like you were when you were doing steps,
let's say it with side whenever you were stepping laterally,
did you feel any discomfort or you were just kind
of going through it.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
My left hip keeps locking up, like in my iliacis
and my so as okay, so inside that hip bone,
you know, like and that's because my rondez, my kick,
and my lunges were all with my right leg, so
my right leg was being extended and my left leg.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
No, you guys definitely like heavy on one side. I
did that with one partner and she had the same
exact I swear to god, I did the same exact
lunch down. I was like, and you're going bam and
she and then again and then time. Yeah, and two
day's later it's like, look, I know.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Well that was That's what I said, truthfully, was that
we had too much time with this dance, Like we
were able to do full runs with this dance for
four hours for probably.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Eight days in a row of just like.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Thirty two hours straight of high kicking and lunging, and
even if you're going to like try to market, it's
hard to.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Not go on I know, cleaning, but you also, you know,
I'm not going to step in on Pasha Sturff at
all because you guys have having conversations and he has
a plan, but you're going to have a lot of repetition,
which is the right thing you need to be cleaned. Yes,
you know, there's so much Oh you did that, yeah,
you know, and then it's a big thing out of
really nothing, to be honest, but like you have to
(14:46):
show zero that.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
So yeah, I mean, listen, I hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
I've never had more fun doing anything ever in my
entire life. If someone said to me, he Danielle do
you want this to be your full time job from
now on, I'd be like, yes, thank thank you.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Take that like it's insane.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I'm I'm actually I'm physically dissolving, and I'm like, when
can I do it again?
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Like you?
Speaker 4 (15:09):
Yeah, no, if you feel welcome it and if you
if you like that process, you're gonna have an incredible benefit. Yeah,
it is physically. You know, you guys melt into shapes
you've never had. I'm just being honest. You know, I've
I've been pretty to some of my partners that would
go through crazy transfers. I had some athletes that didn't
(15:30):
need to lose anything or tone anything either, you know.
But I've had some people that definitely had life changing,
life altering experiences on the show.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Yeah, that's what I'm trying. I'm trying to avoid a
tummy talk. So I've been Dancing with the stars, you know,
this is that was my plan. I was like, have
two children and then tummy talk or dancing with the stars,
and I chose dancing with the stars.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Oh man, you chose wisely. Is great.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
What do you remember about your very first show? Did
you feel like you fit right in? Did you feel
like there were a bunch of mistakes you made. What
did you think of your performance after your first Uh?
Speaker 4 (16:17):
I felt great. Tia Carrera, Damn, I just saw her.
I just saw her in uh in the New le
lu and Stitch. I was like, where did I just
see her? I just played my eighty year old just
had that movie play. I'm like, oh my god, that's
let's tea. He's like, Papa, who's see you. I'm like,
this is you know, mama, mama of work. He's like, yes,
(16:40):
Dancing with the Stars. I'm like, so that was my
first part of this Stars. I mean, it was just
like computing going.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
On in his head.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
He's like, oh, oh, I remember. I was just you know,
she was amazing. I remember this the the where they lived.
She just had a baby, she just had a kid.
And so it was her friend who was a tango
dancer that she was having lunch with when she's like,
(17:10):
what do you think should I do this?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
And he's like are you crazy? Hell yeah? And this
was season two, mind you.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
Season one nobody saw, you know, it was a pilot
season and then season two was kind of like the
first big thing. So yeah, it was just a dancer.
It was like, you need some dancing in your life.
You just had a baby, go do that, unbeknownst that she.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Was going to get me.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
How do you know what to do in your first
season as a pro court? Yes, Like, how do they
don't give you a book that.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Says, okay, I told you that. I told you, asked
what do I do? And they said, you're going to
make her win?
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
So by by two thousand and five, I'm a twenty
five year old right retired dance professional. I've done I've
danced since I was five years old. I competed this
entire time. I went through the entire of the career
that a dancer has, from kid to kid who sucks,
(18:07):
to young adults who's not very good either, to an
under eighteen where I blasted into under twenty one where
I had some really good results and I'm talking about
you know, worldwide, to then I didn't do so well
in amateurs, and then I just had a great career
in professional Latin. And so by the time I finished,
I went all the way to the world you know,
(18:29):
final stage, top whatever, twelve six ten couples in the world.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
So I've done all that.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
But I also since twenty seventeen to two thousand and five,
I had one of the best dance studios in the country.
I produced a lot of talented ballroom specifically Latin dancers,
including you know, I'm gonna claim val as you know
my student. Yes, So you know I did a lot
of stuff. I did a lot, you know, a couple
of dance your favorite TV dance personalities as somebody who
(18:58):
I taught as well. So I had that education in
educating I just never had education in educating adults. And
so I came in from like I'm gonna make your
world champion, your eight year old prodigy, to this lady
who is you know, significantly older than me and just
had a child, and I'm like, lady, we're here to win.
(19:20):
She's like, wait what wait, so hold on a second. Yeah,
I can't my you know, my my ed actors don't
work yet. I'm like, don't worry about it. It's a split.
And was gonna start with Argentine Tango. I mean, wow,
she got me at the worst. Oh, bless her heart,
she was. She's a homie though, she's amazing.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
That's so great.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Somehow, I have to admit somehow through the show there
was ups and downs. Obviously, some people don't really have
a good memory of me at all, and you neither
do I of them. But Tia, Yeah, no matter what,
no matter how like I remember I, it was, she
must have been. It must have been difficult because I
also wasn't really sure what we're doing, you know.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yeah, you're figuring it out as you go.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
And she and we still have a great relationship, and
she really does remember me, you know, fondly, so it's awesome.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, there's just certain you know, you can't you can't
pick chemistry.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
And some people learn.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Some people are visual learners, some people are auditory learners.
Some people respond really well to somebody who's going to
be exacting and demanding and and drive a hard bargain,
and other people are going to need someone who's like, yeah,
maybe you just need to walk around the block for
a little bit. So yeah, you know, it's like, you
don't have to be for everyone. You just need to
be you, and the people who are meant for you
(20:35):
will find you.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Yeah, I'm just not the tiped if you're going to
come to me and be excuse me, I need to
walk around the block a little bit. I'll be like
I'm leaving, you can go walk around. I'm not coming back,
but you're right. Over time I realized like, yeah, no,
you could have. You could have implemented a couple of
things that would have made rehearsal easier in the time,
more enjoyable. Like I said, man, incorrect information as sold.
(20:58):
This is not the job description to be.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Do you think they thought that that was the point
of the show when it started? Okay, yeah, they were
like the hook when they sold the show was we're
going to make a celebrity wins.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
It's not their fault the way I said it.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
Yeah, no, I'm just saying my interpretation is very simple,
like yeah, there's a finish line crossed at first exactly
when the show got it.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
And you're competitive, so of course you're like, no matter what,
my goal is, to be the person holding my celeb's
hand at the end of that finish line got me.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
At the time two thousand and five, I had no
plans of being in LA, didn't want to do the show,
didn't want to have anything to do with TV. I
wanted to win professional Latin Championships, Worlds, whatever, British Open
and I was scratching the I was in the fine
I was scratching the top six, and so it's just
(21:48):
a time effort. You know, I'm twenty five. I maybe
I was the one of the youngest in the girl field.
I was a baby, and so I had the ten
years that I could spend on it. I looked at
it when I got the call, and I thought about
this dancing career and the fact that I've only danced
and I've been to all these cities. Didn't see any
of that. Just so the ballroom. Maybe I'm gonna make
(22:09):
the right choice if I give this a chance. That
was my train of thought. But when I got to
LA and I saw this, I was like, this is
definitely not what I want to do. So this was
always like, okay, fine, I'll do one season. Okay, fine,
I'll do one season.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Wow. And then you just kept going back.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
Well kept not going back, and then coming back, and
then not coming back and coming back, and I'm like.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Oh my god, We're in a really unhealthy situation.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Very unhealthy situation. Ship.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
I was like, make up my mind.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Is there a strategy to winning Dancing with the Stars?
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (22:40):
What's the strategy?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Politics? Tell me more, what do you think you're dancing here.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
A dance show.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
No, I think you're in a great position, to be fair.
I think you're awesome partnership with you and Pasha, I
think you guys fit well. I think he's a great
partner for you, and I think and I think he's
great for you to also shine. You know, Pasha is
(23:08):
a great He's great at being a great foundation. You know,
he's a pomp. I think he's one of the best
teachers on the cast for sure, because of the way
he approaches dance.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
And we grew up together.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
By the way, he's from my neck of the woods,
so I know him since babyhood. But anyway, so Pasha,
you know, and his career was that and his dance
was that. So he's giving you exactly what I would
want to give my partner to learn and dance quick.
You know, he has the shortcut to like, Okay, well,
here's what we're going to dance as a whatever. He
is how I'm going to teacher dance, you know, the
(23:39):
basic He's how I'm gonna introduce the I think he's
doing all the correct things, so you're not a mess
in your head. You're structured and the dance is presented
well and you're not just learning steps, you're actually learning
how to do a quick step or how to do
a chatcha. So you have that advantage. It's a great partnership.
You guys look great together. He'll let you shine. That's
(24:00):
very important. You know, there's some dudes on the cast
that you just can't help it, but like, look at
the dude, you know, and same with the girls, right,
But you don't want that as a celebrity on Dancing Stars.
You want to be seen in the best possible light
and way, and so I think that he'll provide that perfectly.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Pasha said to me that his entire job is to
be the frame and that I'm supposed to be.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
The right exactly. I looked at Tia Carrera said, Hi,
my job is to make you win. Let's go. That's
the difference. It's just like, what don't.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Just do what I say?
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Do what I say exactly, Yeah, with this heavy accent too.
I was like, damn, man, at least try a little bit. So, yeah,
do you see how drastically different the experiences were.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Yeah, So so if this interview is like, hey, you know,
you have Tia and you know, and and and Danielle
talking about dancing with the stars, Right, That's that's what
I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
So yeah, so outside of the fact that I have
a wonderful teacher, part of the strategy.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
The dance, man, you just have to be all in
to dance. A lot of people get lost in the
source of this being a TV show. And so it's
what you say, it's how you say it. It's an interview, babe,
it's about It's about what you're doing on Tuesday night.
That's it. You could say whatever you want. You can be,
you can be. You know, you can do this. You
can you know. There's a lot but people won't know
(25:26):
right until you tell them. Is that this is just
a tip of the iceberg, the show, the dance itself.
I mean, the interviews have you done so far? The constant,
the endless otfs and you know, we have to pull
you for this, for that. You gotta fitting, you gotta this,
you gotta dad. Yet I don't know what the setup
is now. Maybe they'll come to you, guys, because if
you got to go to them, it's a drive.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
It's this do you eat?
Speaker 4 (25:50):
When do you snack never you know what I'm saying,
so like, and then the mood thing kicks in because
you're hungry and you don't know that because you forgot that,
you didn't eat since yesterday exactly. So all those things
just got to be managed. And that's also key to
this whole thing. You're competing against somebody who's younger.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Potentially they don't have significantly younger, significantly hotter, significantly better.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
You're gonna be amazing. You're gonna show great progress. That's
the biggest key. The last thing I'll say is it's
not about how you start, it's how you finish. And
this isn't a race, it's a marathon. And so if
you show small incremental growth every week, you're going to
actually trigger this emotional you know, emotional recognition from people watching.
(26:32):
They may not be a Penga fan who's not.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
I understand what is wrong with you if you're not.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
But it's also it's also they're going to seem like, Wow,
she's she's getting better and she's doing this and that.
So you know, I think Pasha has a plan. Yeah,
but anyway, Tea bends.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Yeah, what is this? What do you mean I need
to roll this out.
Speaker 4 (26:54):
Okay, well it just has to be it just has
to be toned to where when you do these sort
of lateral things and lunges.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
I've noticed that you you're kind of like and keeping.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
It small and now and instand that you probably knew
that you had an injury. So when that goes away,
just you know, allow the step to be a little
bigger and you know, the foundation to be with you know, comfortable,
so you look comfortent and comfortable and that when you
did a run day and that kick, how impressive was that?
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Right? You saw your dance back, did you see what
it looked like?
Speaker 4 (27:27):
And it was like and it whack and these this
straat So that's that like fast twitch muscle like action. Right,
So you got to do that every step. You know
it shouldn't be soft. You know, I got there and
you'll get there with you know, your muscles are going
to get a little tone, your stamina is going to
(27:48):
get a little better, You're you're you're going to be
able to do more faster. You know, we're going to
tone up a bit just because that's what it does.
It's not necessity, it just was going to happen. Your
body is going to change, you know, because of the
amount of time you put into it. So you're going
to feel it anyway. But just hone in on that
and and and go after dance. Don't go after like
(28:10):
the way I look on TV. You know, I always said,
people don't realize this because you again you're in it
and now cameras in your face and all these especially
the likes that come from the TV world already, the
the understanding is that that's the most important part, the
way I look and all that, yes, but you know,
(28:31):
but the most important part is the way you look
on Tuesday. And it takes so much time to get there.
You don't want to cut new corners and and and
that's the most you know, kind of the biggest thing
is just put an effort, you know. And also again
this isn't a TV experience. You you have that, you know,
this for you is a dance experience. So you just
(28:52):
got to prioritize, you know, what it is somebody who
don't have that job, you know, for them, it's different,
They're like, oh my god, cameras, what else do I do?
Like for them, it's a different strategy. Yes, you just
focus on first of all your leg right now a
couple of days because you have that because of the
second it's just a second week. And then after that
(29:15):
just just dance.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Man. Yeah you got you got a good one to
teach you.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
What are some self care things I should be doing
besides taking care of my leg?
Speaker 3 (29:23):
Icing?
Speaker 2 (29:24):
Yeah, I sing regularly. What about cold? Do you cold plunge?
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (29:27):
I wouldn't even so for me, icing is not a thing.
It's just to deflate a little bit, like I feel
like if I'm really hot, but cold plunge one hundred percent,
one hundred percent one of the best things that that
I can heavily recommend if you in this wee hole area,
you know whatever, not a it's not a commercial, but
(29:47):
you know the better. They don't even I don't even
get free membership of the anywhere Voter Spolence Santa Monica.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
I highly recommend voter v O D eight.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
It's a place where I know you can walk in
yet the hot traditional hot steam, not steam but hot
hot sauna, but traditional heat. Right, it's a dry heat,
so you get that exactly effect and then a really
really really cold cold plunge. And I would do that
(30:21):
if I could. I would do it after almost every
rehearsal because you need to. You need to go into
something really cold and get your body deflamed and have
all these healing processes going and supplements.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
But you can't not eat. You cannot eat, but you
have to supplement. You have to keep your.
Speaker 4 (30:37):
Energy level up. You can't cross. I mean, we could
do this a fair you know, honestly, like you know,
I'm into all of that. You know, there are a
lot of things. Compression pants I would highly.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Rec I work. I'm putting them on when my leave.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Yeah, grade, So all this, by the way, you can
go just to Tarragon. They have they have everything, you know,
because they started with just a compression gun, but now
it's everything there, the pens, the sleeves, the arms, whatever.
Were highly recommend it. I would do it before bed
with legs elevated and then just.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
You know, are you talking about like the norma tech.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
Normaltach pass out, but just like elevate your legs a
little bit. But just run that and it'll, by the way,
you can carry it with you. And so let's say
halfway into your rehearsal in the middle of the season,
when Shiit gets crazy and you want to put into three,
four hours, four or five whatever you want to do
and be like, okay, give me a second, put them on,
(31:36):
fifteen minutes, another five to walk it off, and you'll
feel like you have fresh legs for rehearsal.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
So you don't want to be.
Speaker 4 (31:44):
You know, you don't want to be fatigued at the
end when you have to keep learning.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
Something, especially when you're doing like three dances.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
If you make it that far and you'll do that
type of stuff, yeah, but that's later, you'll.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yeah, I know that's significantly later. How about Robert Erwin's
performance last night? What'd you think?
Speaker 3 (32:12):
Great? Great?
Speaker 1 (32:14):
Exciting? Right?
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Great?
Speaker 5 (32:16):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (32:17):
I just I wouldn't be max if I didn't, you know,
come on, Derek Cough with the best Forrest dance ever.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Everyone seemed a little offended.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
I mean, he had better, you know, like.
Speaker 5 (32:35):
You know, it's not with us in the room at
least let us leave, you know what I mean, like
this bunch of us the way that wait a minute, bro,
come on, he did a great job yesterday.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Again.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
I didn't understand why Carrie An couldn't couldn't know that.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
She's never missed a show, She's never missed a show.
Yesterday was the first show she's ever.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Missed, so that let's just leave in them.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
I mean, it felt very weird. It felt very weird
and her and her presence was missed.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
I don't know why.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
I don't know if they tried to get a replacement
and couldn't, or if they just made the decision not to.
Would you have been available to have been a replacement
if they asked.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
I was literally right there.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
To the left of Derek, you know.
Speaker 6 (33:15):
And yeah, I mean Bruno did look at me when
he said when when Derek said that, Bruno looked over
like this, I was like, partner, now.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Buddy, you're on your own, sir, You're on your own.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
Come on, Derek cough.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Not like I said it was when when he said it,
I was like, we we almost made it to the
end of the show without anything for me to talk.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
About, you know what.
Speaker 4 (33:45):
I'm did a sick job with him, I think representing
what and again like.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
It was, it was you know what it was. It
wasn't just having.
Speaker 4 (33:58):
Robert the celect but he you know, come and be
part of Dancing the Stars. No, it was that Robert.
You know, we all were there when when when Bindi
was killing it, you know, and he was in the
audience every day and he was a baby and it
was so cute. And there's such an awesome, polite family.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
Right, I know, they're just he is the gem of
a human being.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
Were but her, she's this.
Speaker 4 (34:26):
So it's the mom, the dad, rest in pieces, this
the dad, it's the everybody. And so for him to
come back that, I guess again with Derek and their
connection and us and Bindi and all this stuff like that,
we all.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Felt it like it was emotional.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
Yeah, it was somebody we really know, we so grow
up and we kind of saw him now finally here
now and he's killing it. So it's like elevated emotions.
But you know, I don't know about the best dance
of all time of the bad I am so proud
of him.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
Yeah, I'm proud.
Speaker 4 (34:57):
I'm proud that he was prepped for this, for this.
I'm not saying that he was out there practicing dancing,
but I'm saying that whatever he did.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
He's in great shape.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
He's in great obviously spirits and all that, and he
has a fantastic partner and I think Whitney's gonna he's
gonna pull it out.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
What did Meryl Davis have that made her.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
A champion Olympic gold medal?
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Okay, darn, I don't have one of those.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
Figure dancing, figure skating.
Speaker 4 (35:28):
Merrill had absolutely every attribute that I would hope for,
Like if I were to, you know, put a list
of things and all the check marks, and if you
check off everything, dude, your winner. She had all of that,
you know, the only problem was that that same exact season,
(35:51):
it was like, oh, you know, I got Merril. I thought, no,
there's there's got to be something here, like, they're not
going to just give me a winner. I walked into
the I swear to got this was our first meeting.
Was I walked in, I was like, I'm definitely I'm
in the wrong room because we all saw Meryll win,
you know, and I'm already accustomed to I'm like, look,
(36:11):
I'm gonna get somebody I'm gonna really do my best with.
But again, when I got when Aaron Andrews and I
danced that same season, I met Aeron, was like, there's
no way we're taking it down. And then oh, Derek
and I got Nicole.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
Scherzinger was like wait a minute, and then Evan.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
Leisi check is on the show, who just warmed figure skating,
you know Olympics as well, so you never know.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
I walked in, I saw Meryl. I was like, no, no, no, this.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Has got to be true.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
And Derek has Amy Purty and she's a double MPTE
and they have the most some of the most amazing
dance performances that we've seen in TV. And I'm like, no,
come on, Like, if I'm voting, I'm not voting for me,
you know. So the whole season was all the things
were checked, but it was probably most stressed that I've
(37:03):
been although the dancing part was easy. I was like,
you can you know, you never know? And if I
can't win with Meryl Davis, you have no business being
on the show.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Well you did so congratulations, thank you.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Somehow, I don't know how that happened. She was amazing.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
Now this year, as we talked about the season, feels
like it's really split down the middle between people who
have a ton of dance experience and people who have
no dance experience. Where do you fall on whether or
not it's fair to come in with a lot of
dance experience.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
Just talked about We just talked about some seasons that
I was a part of, and you're going to ask
me about how I feel about this being fair or not.
I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. It's not me
being cute and trying to avoid the answer. It depends
on where you are. If you partnered with that, you're like, damn,
(37:55):
this is awesome. And we have to have dance be
represented by high level fashional performances every show because if
you don't have that and everybody sucks, I'm just being
black and white. Everybody is not good, the dance level
is not good. People will turn out because it's so
it's kind of like that, right, But at the same time,
it's not about dance experience. But at the same time,
(38:16):
you want to see a show that has great dancing
in it.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
So which is it? People?
Speaker 1 (38:22):
The show is not.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
Called teaching teaching people how to dance. It's not called
that because you can't.
Speaker 4 (38:30):
It's like, so you have a casting job, right that
requires you to put on a show and also give
people trajectory and also give people.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Some sort of end results. So we know that Whitney
and and and.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
Uh and Mark are going to be there in the end,
you know, but who else is going to be there
the end?
Speaker 3 (38:51):
What else will happen.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
In the next nine weeks, you know, who else is
gonna you know, steal your attention? You know. I think
my perfect example was, you know, my first season with CHRISTIALI.
We were we were trying to win. Talk about the
level of dancing that season, we were trying to win.
(39:13):
And in the I think in the semi final, ah man,
I just slipped my mind. The guy who won, he's
a football player with with Kim Johnson and he in rehearsal,
he fell on her.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
No, it was off Tom. He fell on Kim, and
I guess they had a fall.
Speaker 4 (39:31):
She hurt her neck, and so for the next week
and a half, leading into the finale, she's rehearsing with
the neck brace rhinestones on it. Kimmy, I love you.
She's not we you know I did. I'm not saying
it like that, but what it did is it's created
this this last second right before the finish line, where
(39:52):
maybe Kirsty and I had the momentum. It took the
momentum away. It's not like I'm like Kursty quick, hurt yourself.
You know, like, we're not going to go that, so
it right before the finish line. Things sometimes happen to
so you never know. But again, the level of dancing
is Hi. People that we weren't sure about are phenomenal.
(40:14):
You know, you include it. Again, we weren't sure because
we don't know, but the partnership works.
Speaker 3 (40:18):
You guys look great.
Speaker 4 (40:19):
I think also Daniela, Pasha's wife with Dylan, Dylan, what
what she's doing for an amazing job, and she's like, look,
we're not going to compete.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
You know, we're not going to compete with danceingbut.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
What we're going to do. And I don't know if
she did that.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
What I've noticed is that Cha Cha is unusually hippie
and this isn't how you We normally just do the steps,
we introduce it, but not that much. So I think
what she did was like, look, we're gonna make you.
We're gonna hone in on all the things that you know,
highlight him. So let's not run after Look, if everybody
have to run and you're not a fast runner, let's
(41:00):
not try to run, you know, let's just go this way.
And so I think that's also strategic. She's a great pro.
She knows what she's doing. You guys have these approaches
that you could see this there's a strategy to it,
And then you have a couple of new pros that
that don't really seem like they have a strategy.
Speaker 3 (41:16):
But I don't want to say that. I don't want
to go that far.
Speaker 4 (41:19):
I wish you know, Ezra and everybody else all the luck,
But this show requires a lot of thinking, a lot
of planning, and a lot of yeah, strategicization.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
Yes, strategic thinking. You're exactly right.
Speaker 2 (41:34):
So is there a universe where you would ever come
back as a judge or maybe, like.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
I know, would have so much?
Speaker 4 (41:43):
Is so easy as a Mexican come sit like yeah,
upsit and show continues. I would love to as a pro.
It's just it has it has to be. I don't
know how Mark does it.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
You know who he knows, But.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
It has to be great connection, you know, with a
partner and awesome partnership, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (42:08):
Because you're saying you'd want a ringer, why not? Exactly?
Speaker 2 (42:14):
Who doesn't who wouldn't want that? I want to talk
to you about your vodka because I might need it soon.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
I don't even drink, but I might.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Start no, thank you appreciate it? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (42:27):
No, how do I pronounce it?
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Cha churches? Aunt?
Speaker 4 (42:33):
You know? Yeah, so it's aunt coppa. It's a love child.
I've designed everything about this. I can't you know, I'm
not in alcohol industry at all. VALAINI, my brother Val
and I we were doing a show in Napa A
couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
We started a wine.
Speaker 4 (42:48):
Tasting immersive experience written and directed by a good friend
and and so we had this awesome like immersive production
where we have a flight of wine and we introduce
you to it's a wine tasting experience. And so instead
of telling you like the taste that the working title
was tasting notes, we ended up calling it Savor after
(43:10):
Hours and you come in, you have a flight of wine,
and through the show we dance you. They will show
you how it makes you feel instead of telling you.
And we spend three months being Napa Valley locals. I
met a lot of incredible people. What a community or
an amazing part of the world. And I met my
(43:34):
partner in the swodcast, he's a local. My claim to
fame here is that on the shelf, amongst the category
I'm the cleanest product with the least amount of well,
at least we don't add anything.
Speaker 3 (43:50):
It's a.
Speaker 4 (43:52):
Blend Sauvignon blanc and winter grains to represent my Ukrainian
roots and of how we made it, you know, Napa.
I designed the label, I designed the bottle, I designed
all the elements about this and most importantly, like I said,
I don't want to be a hypocrite. I also don't
(44:13):
advocate you know, that lifestyle anymore. But I think that
we're also got and I was thinking about how to
promote vodka of all things, at the time when alcohol
sales are down and.
Speaker 3 (44:26):
You know, we've all changed our ways and all that stuff.
Speaker 4 (44:29):
But I think that what needs to happen is we
shouldn't be canceling categories. We should be canceling the additives
and you know, things that make these products what they
ended up being, you know, causing sort of you know,
health issues and all that stuff. So you know, this
is vodka, yes, but it's handmade, it's small badge. I'm
the only I have a wonderful partnership with Napa Valley Distillery.
(44:54):
I'm the only spirit in distribution that has a maiden
NAPA label on Earth, and I'm very proud of that.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
I'm so excited for you.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
You also have an event coming up in my neck
of the woods. You're going to be at.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
The Holland, at the More Holland.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
I live in Woodland Hills. You're going to be right
down the street for me. So the name of the
event cap of Knights, capa Nights at the More Holland.
And you have your first is it going to be ongoing?
I know your first one September twenty fifth.
Speaker 3 (45:22):
Yes, we're going to try this, try this South.
Speaker 4 (45:24):
This is this is what I used to, you know,
this is what I'm used to in terms of like
off screen. You know, I have my dance studios. We're
always catered to a lot of clients I've done. You know,
my professional career started in Eastern European restaurants, right, and
you know, dancing for money. So like we know how
to entertain, how to put on shows and venues of
that sort. By the way, I just said it on
(45:45):
an interview here, but it just came to me like
some of the more you know, personable and you know,
enjoyable experiences that I have on stage, probably like in
somebody's butt mitzvah or yeah, you know, dancing somebody's wedding,
you know, because and I always thought about that base
by the nature of the event, they would want it
to be so special, you part of something really special. Anyway,
(46:08):
with this event at the Moholland, the idea is that
when I come to promote vodka, I'm not there to dance,
people expect dancing. So instead of confusing the message, Oh,
you're not going to dance for us today, No, lady,
I'm here with the vodka. You know, a shot, have
a shot? Yeah, She's like, oh, you know what, I
love you from that thing. So I decided we're going
to We decided we're going to put on an event.
(46:29):
We're going to close it down for very small group
sixty people we're trying to do it with. And there
will be dancing and there will be you know you dancing,
and there will be shots, and they'll be caviar, and
there will be oders and four course sit down meal
and there's going to be a great time with yours.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
Truly sounds amazing. You can get your tickets now. It's
September twenty fifth at the mulholland And Calabasas. You can
get tickets at Kappa Nights dot event bright dot com,
and you can learn more about tech Ya Kappa Vodka
now at Kappa Vodka dot com.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
That's k A p A. Thank you so much for
being here with me.
Speaker 2 (47:06):
I just feel like I've learned so much from you.
I'm gonna roll out my t bands if you had
one one final piece of advice for me, or even
a couple CBD cream CBD cream Okay, great, I've been
using that on this like as pain reach.
Speaker 3 (47:19):
Which one.
Speaker 2 (47:21):
It's one my chiropractor gave me. It's a five milligram
so it's not an over the counter one. It's like
a I don't know what it's called though, I mean,
do you have one you recommend? Okay, well, you give
it off area, you give it to me, Okay, great,
it's a.
Speaker 4 (47:32):
Local witch up and I'm just kidding. No, no pop
up POPA and Barley. I think that's the brand, and
they're you know, very much a CBD you know lead.
But again it's soft tissue, so you you it's it's
the I mean, there's some some real big injury treating processes,
but you don't need that your muscle just shocked. You know,
(47:54):
you strained it with with whatever. But like I said,
we have done this to my partners before, it'll go away.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
Yeah exactly, I'm not worried about it.
Speaker 4 (48:02):
But but again with treatment with gold plunge, I'm just
trying to think of like some brothy things, you know,
bone beef, bone broths and stuff like that. It will
always help, Okay, but yeah, oh fair, I'll tell you
some of us.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
Okay, great, thanks.
Speaker 2 (48:19):
Great, Thank you all for joining us for this episode
of Danielle with the Stars.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
I'll see you next time.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
Danielle with the Stars produced and hosted by Danielle Fischel.
Executive producers Jensen Carponamy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production,
Danielle Romo, producer, editor and engineer Tara Sudbosch.
Speaker 1 (48:37):
Theme song by Justin Siegel. Follow us on Instagram at
Danielle with Stars and vote for me
Welcome to Danielle with the Stars.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I am Danielle Fischel, a TV director, a podcaster forever.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Topanga, and a mom of two.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
But right now I am an aspiring ballroom dancer competing
on season thirty four of Dancing with the Stars, airing
every Tuesday night on ABC and Disney Plus. And throughout
the process, I am recording a podcast chronicling my journey
to win my.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Very own mirror Ball.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
And along the way, I am hoping to chat with
other contestants and professionals from not only the current iteration
of Dancing with the Stars, but it's past and today.
I am honored to welcome true ballroom Royalty to Danielle
with the Stars. This mirror Ball winner appeared on seventeen
seasons of the show, becoming one of the most recognizable
(01:00):
fan favorites of all time and a major reason I
kept up with the show four years. His trophy came
in season eighteen, alongside partner Meryl Davis, and it's worth
noting he also has two second place finishes, and I
don't care what they say, close does count. I'll accept it.
He is synonymous with the show that I'm hoping to conquer,
(01:22):
so this might just be my key to the finals,
or if I fall short, he can supply the booze
since his Tetya Kappa Vodka, made right at home in
Napa Valley, is taking the Spirit's world by storm and
soon Calabasas where. On Thursday night, September twenty fifth, he
will hold Kappa Knights at the Mulholland, an event you're
(01:43):
going to want to attend. I am thrilled to welcome
to the show the Legend Maxim Schmerkovski. Max, thank you
so much for coming on my podcast. I am a
huge fan of yours. I've been a fan for decades.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
It's crazy, crazy.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
You are one of the main reasons I started watching
Dancing with the Stars, and I know that you have
a more strict approach to teaching. It was always my
absolute favorite to watch.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
That's it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
It's amazing.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
You're part of a You're part of a specific time
in an immigrants life. I am yes, because when I
came in ninety four, yeah, all right, and there was
a lot.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Of things that I was in privy to.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
You know, I was fourteen already, so the foundation wasn't
set here. It was set somewhere else. So the that
cartoon that Tom and Jerry, the blah blah blah, like
I didn't I didn't have that right, right, But so
I have this sort of the BCA D right, but
I have the before us and then after. And so
my foundation was set in late mid late nineties, huh,
(02:54):
with whatever was available to us, which wasn't internet based.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
There was few channels and prime time television TV.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
And my primetime is what like after I come from school,
so it's like three you to six seven. Yeah, so
that's the you know, that's family matters. That's Batman on
Channel eleven back then, that's you guys.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
That's all this.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
You know, I can name couple of shows that are
fundamental for me. Your show was a fundamental time. I
didn't speak English. I was not understanding I saw this
hot shick when I was a teenager.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Who is that you? Okay, it's amazing, the whole thing.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
And then I you know, it took me later years
to understand what the show was about because it was
like it was literally like coming of age and you know,
growing up, and I didn't understand the verbiage, but I
understood the vibes right, so you know, having Tapanga tell
me she's a fan?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Are you crazy? Are you crazy?
Speaker 4 (03:52):
And also like I don't know how I I know
how I come across I shouldn't, you know, twenty years later,
But that's not me, you know, I've essentially that's not me.
It's me, but it's not I'm just not, you know,
the right mold for the public, you know, TV and
all that stuff, Like I would be an awful politician,
you know I would just you know, I'm not the
(04:14):
person you want to. I guess high if you just
want him to be very quiet and say exactly what
you sup?
Speaker 3 (04:22):
You know what I mean? Like that sort of mold
is not my thing?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
So what is your thing? How would you describe yourself?
You're very straightforward, You're super honest.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
What is it? What are the things that you would
say are make you who you are?
Speaker 4 (04:33):
My Dancing with the Star's career, that's what we're referencing.
For the most part, is started in a way that
didn't work for me. Now that I'm an older person,
an older person, how to say it. But I'm a
father of three boys, and so I'm trying to do
my best, you know, regardless of what I did in
my past. I want to make sure that this part
(04:55):
is not you know, it's perfect and uh. And so
now I'm watching all these things and I'm analyzing a
lot of stuff is probably.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
I wasn't doing in my twenties. Who should?
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (05:05):
You know so. I remember when Dancing with the Stars
started for me. It was a conversation with executives at
that time, and I asked one simple question, what is
my job? You know, as I would, I just want
to know what's my direction? And I was told, your
job is to give celebrity the best chance at winning
Dancing with the Stars. Great, right, yes, awesome, that's not
(05:27):
the job. No, you're right, that's not the job. Are
you crazy? How would you say that to a pro
dancer who's like ripping ground trying to win.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
It's not the job.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
The job is to give the celebrity the best time
on Dancing with It's not the best chance at winning
the chance whether they win or not, it's up to them.
Their background, the dance background. It's not how fast they learned,
because nobody learns how to dance in a week. You know,
if you had it as a kid, you're going to
have enough leg up. If you are you know, older
(05:59):
and age, you're gonna have a you.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Know, disadvantaged. You know. So these things are simple.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
So it's not about winning, because if I get given
you know X, and she has no chance, you know,
now what, I'm just pulling that dead body across you know,
she's she's not even you know, helping.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Very similar to my leg right now, you know, so
pulling this dead body behind me.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
I really can relate to it.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
But I feel like just just to say, first of all, no,
because you didn't look it honestly.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
But we'll get that.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
But also it's not so the halfway through my experience,
towards the end of my experience, actually not halfway through,
I was told that that's not the job, you know,
And so my my view changed, My outlook changed, My
personality didn't change. It's you know, still attitude and all that,
but I definitely looked at it different.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
And then another point.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Of awareness came when I realized that the show can
also be looked at as curtain up two hours you know,
stage performance that you're watching as if view were and
you're seeing all this stuff happen, and all these things
happen and then curtain down and you walk away with
this feeling of what you just experienced.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
You it's not about this one thing.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
And so yeah, I'm a big part of but I'm
a big part of bigger thing, you know.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
So my part.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Is limited to seven what I count at seven and
a half minutes of live TV. But this is not
a MAX show by any means. You know, when when
I said that nonsense, it was part of a longer
sentence it yet anyway, that's how I feel now it's
a sort of full circle. I now, yesterday I was
watching you guys and or whatever, let's just call it,
(07:45):
at a premiere at a great time. Did you completely on, unaffected,
unrelated on you know, no, no, sort of like you know,
historic attachment to this particular thing or that or the person,
you know what, just just chill time with Peter.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Outside the house.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Did you What did you think of the premiere?
Speaker 2 (08:06):
I mean, you've now but you've been a part of
You were at seventeen seasons on the show, so you
did seventeen premieres yourself. There have been thirty four seasons,
so I'm sure you've seen all the premieres. At this point,
what did you think of last night's premiere compared to others.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
I mean, I'm just honestly, you know, it's it's dancing season.
You know, it's festive that it's back. It's like Christmas,
you know, it's coming back, and then it's gone, and
then you're like, oh, this wasn't a good Christmas.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
This was not the This wasn't the best Christmas.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Eve been a part of get what I wanted, you
know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Like, but it was still you know, it's that every
year and it keeps coming back.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
I'm not saying that it wasn't a good premiere.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
I mean we've had premiers that were just you know,
through the roof of excitement, just you know, skin crawling
and just the people and the buzz around it. I
feel like I may not have felt that these levels, okay,
but me personally, I was just to be there, you know,
and the fact that it's still there and it's still around. Yeah,
(09:03):
and it's having a resurgence. You know, the numbers are
announced and all that stuff.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
It's cute.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Does it surprise you at all that there's been a
resurgence or do you think social media is just the
best help Dancing with the Stars could ever have.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
I mean, the biggest platform in social media history, and
the same history is short but you know the TikTok
and all that. It was bounded on short form dance videos, right,
So like you got, how are you going to borrow
my industry, make your industry and then use your industry?
I have to might help my you know what I mean? So,
(09:37):
like you know, dances through line and I think Dancing
with the Stars has to stick around. It was part
of you know, strictly Come dancing. British version that birthed
it all was what running sixty years and you know
every Saturday, Yeah, people would tune in and why it's
that So I'm hoping that Dancing with the Stars will
be around for a long time.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
What were your thoughts of my dance?
Speaker 4 (10:03):
It was great, I have to admit, I you know this,
I'm gonna repeat a bunch of times. I think it's
one of the strongest dance level wise casts for sure. Yeah,
and so and you know you you say it because
you have to. Everything is very close near sighted for you.
I get I'm priving now to a little wider spectrum,
(10:27):
and but I just I have to admit. Yeah, it's
it's everybody can dance. And so when when you cast people,
and you know, miss Miscats does an amazing job every season,
but I guess you kind of you can now see
like fill in the blank type of vibe. Right, so
we're gonna have this one the dancer, this one, the
dark horse, this one, the maybe. This was the like
(10:48):
real big maybe. Yeah, he's probably gonna go first this.
I feel like everyone who on the board was a
maybe turned out to be they can dance.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
You know, at least they put on the show. So
testament to the pros that know what they're doing one
hundred percent. Everybody's sort of like where some new pros
got a lot to you know, live up to. I
think the bars raised very high. You're specifically danced. When
you came out, I was like, damn, she can dance you.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
So you have that.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Reaction, you know, you got the same reaction. But again,
it's a big pool. I'm just telling you the reality
here is that as the pool starts to get smaller,
the eyes are becoming a little more focused on individuals. Absolutely,
you're not going to have that for a second, but
you just got to live through these few weeks and
get into the first week, there's going to be a
(11:41):
big test, which is week three. So this one, you've
already had your dance kind of mapped out at the
very least. And I'm not saying everybody. Some people start
the second dance just now, you know, in reality, but
a lot of us would have had two dances done
by the premiere, and so you'll be cleaning and the
next dance will be the first time you get to
(12:03):
do something in three days, four days, whatever it is. Yeah,
that's gonna be a big test, and then let's see
whose levels are gonna.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Stay up then, right, Yeah, I really feel like this season,
maybe more so than other seasons I've paid attention to,
where it feels like it's very split between zero dance
experience and a lot of dancing because there was.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
A middle ground set with all the maybies and they
all tend turned out crazy.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Alan's partner I forgot the.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Name, I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
Yeah, so she was, I mean, I was shocked, but
she also kind of like when that question came up,
She's like, well, actually I started my career as a dancer.
Everybody's like, wait a minute, and then she whipped it
out and it was like, holy wow, that was amazing. So
that was that maybe that you know what, possibly probably
she may may not. And then it's bam, now it's
(12:54):
everybody's like, oh damn, yep, everybody can dance to tell
you if you if you want, if you care, you danced,
and then I was watching, I was like, she used
to roll out her tea bends and I'm not, I'm not,
I'm not, I'm just First of all, did you feel
the pain.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
When you Yeah?
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Yeah, I mean the adrenaline obviously, the adrenaline got me through.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
The actual day.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Do you feel like you were when you were doing steps,
let's say it with side whenever you were stepping laterally,
did you feel any discomfort or you were just kind
of going through it.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
My left hip keeps locking up, like in my iliacis
and my so as okay, so inside that hip bone,
you know, like and that's because my rondez, my kick,
and my lunges were all with my right leg, so
my right leg was being extended and my left leg.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
No, you guys definitely like heavy on one side. I
did that with one partner and she had the same
exact I swear to god, I did the same exact
lunch down. I was like, and you're going bam and
she and then again and then time. Yeah, and two
day's later it's like, look, I know.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Well that was That's what I said, truthfully, was that
we had too much time with this dance, Like we
were able to do full runs with this dance for
four hours for probably.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Eight days in a row of just like.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Thirty two hours straight of high kicking and lunging, and
even if you're going to like try to market, it's
hard to.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Not go on I know, cleaning, but you also, you know,
I'm not going to step in on Pasha Sturff at
all because you guys have having conversations and he has
a plan, but you're going to have a lot of repetition,
which is the right thing you need to be cleaned. Yes,
you know, there's so much Oh you did that, yeah,
you know, and then it's a big thing out of
really nothing, to be honest, but like you have to
(14:46):
show zero that.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
So yeah, I mean, listen, I hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
I've never had more fun doing anything ever in my
entire life. If someone said to me, he Danielle do
you want this to be your full time job from
now on, I'd be like, yes, thank thank you.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Take that like it's insane.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I'm I'm actually I'm physically dissolving, and I'm like, when
can I do it again?
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Like you?
Speaker 4 (15:09):
Yeah, no, if you feel welcome it and if you
if you like that process, you're gonna have an incredible benefit. Yeah,
it is physically. You know, you guys melt into shapes
you've never had. I'm just being honest. You know, I've
I've been pretty to some of my partners that would
go through crazy transfers. I had some athletes that didn't
(15:30):
need to lose anything or tone anything either, you know.
But I've had some people that definitely had life changing,
life altering experiences on the show.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Yeah, that's what I'm trying. I'm trying to avoid a
tummy talk. So I've been Dancing with the stars, you know,
this is that was my plan. I was like, have
two children and then tummy talk or dancing with the stars,
and I chose dancing with the stars.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Oh man, you chose wisely. Is great.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
What do you remember about your very first show? Did
you feel like you fit right in? Did you feel
like there were a bunch of mistakes you made. What
did you think of your performance after your first Uh?
Speaker 4 (16:17):
I felt great. Tia Carrera, Damn, I just saw her.
I just saw her in uh in the New le
lu and Stitch. I was like, where did I just
see her? I just played my eighty year old just
had that movie play. I'm like, oh my god, that's
let's tea. He's like, Papa, who's see you. I'm like,
this is you know, mama, mama of work. He's like, yes,
(16:40):
Dancing with the Stars. I'm like, so that was my
first part of this Stars. I mean, it was just
like computing going.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
On in his head.
Speaker 4 (16:46):
He's like, oh, oh, I remember. I was just you know,
she was amazing. I remember this the the where they lived.
She just had a baby, she just had a kid.
And so it was her friend who was a tango
dancer that she was having lunch with when she's like,
(17:10):
what do you think should I do this?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
And he's like are you crazy? Hell yeah? And this
was season two, mind you.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
Season one nobody saw, you know, it was a pilot
season and then season two was kind of like the
first big thing. So yeah, it was just a dancer.
It was like, you need some dancing in your life.
You just had a baby, go do that, unbeknownst that she.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Was going to get me.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
How do you know what to do in your first
season as a pro court? Yes, Like, how do they
don't give you a book that.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Says, okay, I told you that. I told you, asked
what do I do? And they said, you're going to
make her win?
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
So by by two thousand and five, I'm a twenty
five year old right retired dance professional. I've done I've
danced since I was five years old. I competed this
entire time. I went through the entire of the career
that a dancer has, from kid to kid who sucks,
(18:07):
to young adults who's not very good either, to an
under eighteen where I blasted into under twenty one where
I had some really good results and I'm talking about
you know, worldwide, to then I didn't do so well
in amateurs, and then I just had a great career
in professional Latin. And so by the time I finished,
I went all the way to the world you know,
(18:29):
final stage, top whatever, twelve six ten couples in the world.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
So I've done all that.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
But I also since twenty seventeen to two thousand and five,
I had one of the best dance studios in the country.
I produced a lot of talented ballroom specifically Latin dancers,
including you know, I'm gonna claim val as you know
my student. Yes, So you know I did a lot
of stuff. I did a lot, you know, a couple
of dance your favorite TV dance personalities as somebody who
(18:58):
I taught as well. So I had that education in
educating I just never had education in educating adults. And
so I came in from like I'm gonna make your
world champion, your eight year old prodigy, to this lady
who is you know, significantly older than me and just
had a child, and I'm like, lady, we're here to win.
(19:20):
She's like, wait what wait, so hold on a second. Yeah,
I can't my you know, my my ed actors don't
work yet. I'm like, don't worry about it. It's a split.
And was gonna start with Argentine Tango. I mean, wow,
she got me at the worst. Oh, bless her heart,
she was. She's a homie though, she's amazing.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
That's so great.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Somehow, I have to admit somehow through the show there
was ups and downs. Obviously, some people don't really have
a good memory of me at all, and you neither
do I of them. But Tia, Yeah, no matter what,
no matter how like I remember I, it was, she
must have been. It must have been difficult because I
also wasn't really sure what we're doing, you know.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yeah, you're figuring it out as you go.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
And she and we still have a great relationship, and
she really does remember me, you know, fondly, so it's awesome.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, there's just certain you know, you can't you can't
pick chemistry.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
And some people learn.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Some people are visual learners, some people are auditory learners.
Some people respond really well to somebody who's going to
be exacting and demanding and and drive a hard bargain,
and other people are going to need someone who's like, yeah,
maybe you just need to walk around the block for
a little bit. So yeah, you know, it's like, you
don't have to be for everyone. You just need to
be you, and the people who are meant for you
(20:35):
will find you.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Yeah, I'm just not the tiped if you're going to
come to me and be excuse me, I need to
walk around the block a little bit. I'll be like
I'm leaving, you can go walk around. I'm not coming back,
but you're right. Over time I realized like, yeah, no,
you could have. You could have implemented a couple of
things that would have made rehearsal easier in the time,
more enjoyable. Like I said, man, incorrect information as sold.
(20:58):
This is not the job description to be.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Do you think they thought that that was the point
of the show when it started? Okay, yeah, they were
like the hook when they sold the show was we're
going to make a celebrity wins.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
It's not their fault the way I said it.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
Yeah, no, I'm just saying my interpretation is very simple,
like yeah, there's a finish line crossed at first exactly
when the show got it.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
And you're competitive, so of course you're like, no matter what,
my goal is, to be the person holding my celeb's
hand at the end of that finish line got me.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
At the time two thousand and five, I had no
plans of being in LA, didn't want to do the show,
didn't want to have anything to do with TV. I
wanted to win professional Latin Championships, Worlds, whatever, British Open
and I was scratching the I was in the fine
I was scratching the top six, and so it's just
(21:48):
a time effort. You know, I'm twenty five. I maybe
I was the one of the youngest in the girl field.
I was a baby, and so I had the ten
years that I could spend on it. I looked at
it when I got the call, and I thought about
this dancing career and the fact that I've only danced
and I've been to all these cities. Didn't see any
of that. Just so the ballroom. Maybe I'm gonna make
(22:09):
the right choice if I give this a chance. That
was my train of thought. But when I got to
LA and I saw this, I was like, this is
definitely not what I want to do. So this was
always like, okay, fine, I'll do one season. Okay, fine,
I'll do one season.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Wow. And then you just kept going back.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
Well kept not going back, and then coming back, and
then not coming back and coming back, and I'm like.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Oh my god, We're in a really unhealthy situation.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Very unhealthy situation. Ship.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
I was like, make up my mind.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Is there a strategy to winning Dancing with the Stars?
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (22:40):
What's the strategy?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Politics? Tell me more, what do you think you're dancing here.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
A dance show.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
No, I think you're in a great position, to be fair.
I think you're awesome partnership with you and Pasha, I
think you guys fit well. I think he's a great
partner for you, and I think and I think he's
great for you to also shine. You know, Pasha is
(23:08):
a great He's great at being a great foundation. You know,
he's a pomp. I think he's one of the best
teachers on the cast for sure, because of the way
he approaches dance.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
And we grew up together.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
By the way, he's from my neck of the woods,
so I know him since babyhood. But anyway, so Pasha,
you know, and his career was that and his dance
was that. So he's giving you exactly what I would
want to give my partner to learn and dance quick.
You know, he has the shortcut to like, Okay, well,
here's what we're going to dance as a whatever. He
is how I'm going to teacher dance, you know, the
(23:39):
basic He's how I'm gonna introduce the I think he's
doing all the correct things, so you're not a mess
in your head. You're structured and the dance is presented
well and you're not just learning steps, you're actually learning
how to do a quick step or how to do
a chatcha. So you have that advantage. It's a great partnership.
You guys look great together. He'll let you shine. That's
(24:00):
very important. You know, there's some dudes on the cast
that you just can't help it, but like, look at
the dude, you know, and same with the girls, right,
But you don't want that as a celebrity on Dancing Stars.
You want to be seen in the best possible light
and way, and so I think that he'll provide that perfectly.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Pasha said to me that his entire job is to
be the frame and that I'm supposed to be.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
The right exactly. I looked at Tia Carrera said, Hi,
my job is to make you win. Let's go. That's
the difference. It's just like, what don't.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Just do what I say?
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Do what I say exactly, Yeah, with this heavy accent too.
I was like, damn, man, at least try a little bit. So, yeah,
do you see how drastically different the experiences were.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:44):
Yeah, So so if this interview is like, hey, you know,
you have Tia and you know, and and and Danielle
talking about dancing with the stars, Right, That's that's what
I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
So yeah, so outside of the fact that I have
a wonderful teacher, part of the strategy.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
The dance, man, you just have to be all in
to dance. A lot of people get lost in the
source of this being a TV show. And so it's
what you say, it's how you say it. It's an interview, babe,
it's about It's about what you're doing on Tuesday night.
That's it. You could say whatever you want. You can be,
you can be. You know, you can do this. You
can you know. There's a lot but people won't know
(25:26):
right until you tell them. Is that this is just
a tip of the iceberg, the show, the dance itself.
I mean, the interviews have you done so far? The constant,
the endless otfs and you know, we have to pull
you for this, for that. You gotta fitting, you gotta this,
you gotta dad. Yet I don't know what the setup
is now. Maybe they'll come to you, guys, because if
you got to go to them, it's a drive.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
It's this do you eat?
Speaker 4 (25:50):
When do you snack never you know what I'm saying,
so like, and then the mood thing kicks in because
you're hungry and you don't know that because you forgot that,
you didn't eat since yesterday exactly. So all those things
just got to be managed. And that's also key to
this whole thing. You're competing against somebody who's younger.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Potentially they don't have significantly younger, significantly hotter, significantly better.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
You're gonna be amazing. You're gonna show great progress. That's
the biggest key. The last thing I'll say is it's
not about how you start, it's how you finish. And
this isn't a race, it's a marathon. And so if
you show small incremental growth every week, you're going to
actually trigger this emotional you know, emotional recognition from people watching.
(26:32):
They may not be a Penga fan who's not.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
I understand what is wrong with you if you're not.
Speaker 4 (26:40):
But it's also it's also they're going to seem like, Wow,
she's she's getting better and she's doing this and that.
So you know, I think Pasha has a plan. Yeah,
but anyway, Tea bends.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Yeah, what is this? What do you mean I need
to roll this out.
Speaker 4 (26:54):
Okay, well it just has to be it just has
to be toned to where when you do these sort
of lateral things and lunges.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
I've noticed that you you're kind of like and keeping.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
It small and now and instand that you probably knew
that you had an injury. So when that goes away,
just you know, allow the step to be a little
bigger and you know, the foundation to be with you know, comfortable,
so you look comfortent and comfortable and that when you
did a run day and that kick, how impressive was that?
Speaker 3 (27:24):
Right? You saw your dance back, did you see what
it looked like?
Speaker 4 (27:27):
And it was like and it whack and these this
straat So that's that like fast twitch muscle like action. Right,
So you got to do that every step. You know
it shouldn't be soft. You know, I got there and
you'll get there with you know, your muscles are going
to get a little tone, your stamina is going to
(27:48):
get a little better, You're you're you're going to be
able to do more faster. You know, we're going to
tone up a bit just because that's what it does.
It's not necessity, it just was going to happen. Your
body is going to change, you know, because of the
amount of time you put into it. So you're going
to feel it anyway. But just hone in on that
and and and go after dance. Don't go after like
(28:10):
the way I look on TV. You know, I always said,
people don't realize this because you again you're in it
and now cameras in your face and all these especially
the likes that come from the TV world already, the
the understanding is that that's the most important part, the
way I look and all that, yes, but you know,
(28:31):
but the most important part is the way you look
on Tuesday. And it takes so much time to get there.
You don't want to cut new corners and and and
that's the most you know, kind of the biggest thing
is just put an effort, you know. And also again
this isn't a TV experience. You you have that, you know,
this for you is a dance experience. So you just
(28:52):
got to prioritize, you know, what it is somebody who
don't have that job, you know, for them, it's different,
They're like, oh my god, cameras, what else do I do?
Like for them, it's a different strategy. Yes, you just
focus on first of all your leg right now a
couple of days because you have that because of the
second it's just a second week. And then after that
(29:15):
just just dance.
Speaker 3 (29:16):
Man. Yeah you got you got a good one to
teach you.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
What are some self care things I should be doing
besides taking care of my leg?
Speaker 3 (29:23):
Icing?
Speaker 2 (29:24):
Yeah, I sing regularly. What about cold? Do you cold plunge?
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (29:27):
I wouldn't even so for me, icing is not a thing.
It's just to deflate a little bit, like I feel
like if I'm really hot, but cold plunge one hundred percent,
one hundred percent one of the best things that that
I can heavily recommend if you in this wee hole area,
you know whatever, not a it's not a commercial, but
(29:47):
you know the better. They don't even I don't even
get free membership of the anywhere Voter Spolence Santa Monica.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
I highly recommend voter v O D eight.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
It's a place where I know you can walk in
yet the hot traditional hot steam, not steam but hot
hot sauna, but traditional heat. Right, it's a dry heat,
so you get that exactly effect and then a really
really really cold cold plunge. And I would do that
(30:21):
if I could. I would do it after almost every
rehearsal because you need to. You need to go into
something really cold and get your body deflamed and have
all these healing processes going and supplements.
Speaker 3 (30:33):
But you can't not eat. You cannot eat, but you
have to supplement. You have to keep your.
Speaker 4 (30:37):
Energy level up. You can't cross. I mean, we could
do this a fair you know, honestly, like you know,
I'm into all of that. You know, there are a
lot of things. Compression pants I would highly.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Rec I work. I'm putting them on when my leave.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Yeah, grade, So all this, by the way, you can
go just to Tarragon. They have they have everything, you know,
because they started with just a compression gun, but now
it's everything there, the pens, the sleeves, the arms, whatever.
Were highly recommend it. I would do it before bed
with legs elevated and then just.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
You know, are you talking about like the norma tech.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
Normaltach pass out, but just like elevate your legs a
little bit. But just run that and it'll, by the way,
you can carry it with you. And so let's say
halfway into your rehearsal in the middle of the season,
when Shiit gets crazy and you want to put into three,
four hours, four or five whatever you want to do
and be like, okay, give me a second, put them on,
(31:36):
fifteen minutes, another five to walk it off, and you'll
feel like you have fresh legs for rehearsal.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
So you don't want to be.
Speaker 4 (31:44):
You know, you don't want to be fatigued at the
end when you have to keep learning.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
Something, especially when you're doing like three dances.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
If you make it that far and you'll do that
type of stuff, yeah, but that's later, you'll.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yeah, I know that's significantly later. How about Robert Erwin's
performance last night? What'd you think?
Speaker 3 (32:12):
Great? Great?
Speaker 1 (32:14):
Exciting? Right?
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Great?
Speaker 5 (32:16):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (32:17):
I just I wouldn't be max if I didn't, you know,
come on, Derek Cough with the best Forrest dance ever.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Everyone seemed a little offended.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
I mean, he had better, you know, like.
Speaker 5 (32:35):
You know, it's not with us in the room at
least let us leave, you know what I mean, like
this bunch of us the way that wait a minute, bro,
come on, he did a great job yesterday.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Again.
Speaker 4 (32:46):
I didn't understand why Carrie An couldn't couldn't know that.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
She's never missed a show, She's never missed a show.
Yesterday was the first show she's ever.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Missed, so that let's just leave in them.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
I mean, it felt very weird. It felt very weird
and her and her presence was missed.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
I don't know why.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
I don't know if they tried to get a replacement
and couldn't, or if they just made the decision not to.
Would you have been available to have been a replacement
if they asked.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
I was literally right there.
Speaker 3 (33:13):
To the left of Derek, you know.
Speaker 6 (33:15):
And yeah, I mean Bruno did look at me when
he said when when Derek said that, Bruno looked over
like this, I was like, partner, now.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Buddy, you're on your own, sir, You're on your own.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
Come on, Derek cough.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Not like I said it was when when he said it,
I was like, we we almost made it to the
end of the show without anything for me to talk.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
About, you know what.
Speaker 4 (33:45):
I'm did a sick job with him, I think representing
what and again like.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
It was, it was you know what it was. It
wasn't just having.
Speaker 4 (33:58):
Robert the celect but he you know, come and be
part of Dancing the Stars. No, it was that Robert.
You know, we all were there when when when Bindi
was killing it, you know, and he was in the
audience every day and he was a baby and it
was so cute. And there's such an awesome, polite family.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
Right, I know, they're just he is the gem of
a human being.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
Were but her, she's this.
Speaker 4 (34:26):
So it's the mom, the dad, rest in pieces, this
the dad, it's the everybody. And so for him to
come back that, I guess again with Derek and their
connection and us and Bindi and all this stuff like that,
we all.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Felt it like it was emotional.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
Yeah, it was somebody we really know, we so grow
up and we kind of saw him now finally here
now and he's killing it. So it's like elevated emotions.
But you know, I don't know about the best dance
of all time of the bad I am so proud
of him.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
Yeah, I'm proud.
Speaker 4 (34:57):
I'm proud that he was prepped for this, for this.
I'm not saying that he was out there practicing dancing,
but I'm saying that whatever he did.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
He's in great shape.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
He's in great obviously spirits and all that, and he
has a fantastic partner and I think Whitney's gonna he's
gonna pull it out.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
What did Meryl Davis have that made her.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
A champion Olympic gold medal?
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Okay, darn, I don't have one of those.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
Figure dancing, figure skating.
Speaker 4 (35:28):
Merrill had absolutely every attribute that I would hope for,
Like if I were to, you know, put a list
of things and all the check marks, and if you
check off everything, dude, your winner. She had all of that,
you know, the only problem was that that same exact season,
(35:51):
it was like, oh, you know, I got Merril. I thought, no,
there's there's got to be something here, like, they're not
going to just give me a winner. I walked into
the I swear to got this was our first meeting.
Was I walked in, I was like, I'm definitely I'm
in the wrong room because we all saw Meryll win,
you know, and I'm already accustomed to I'm like, look,
(36:11):
I'm gonna get somebody I'm gonna really do my best with.
But again, when I got when Aaron Andrews and I
danced that same season, I met Aeron, was like, there's
no way we're taking it down. And then oh, Derek
and I got Nicole.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
Scherzinger was like wait a minute, and then Evan.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
Leisi check is on the show, who just warmed figure skating,
you know Olympics as well, so you never know.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
I walked in, I saw Meryl. I was like, no, no, no, this.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
Has got to be true.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
And Derek has Amy Purty and she's a double MPTE
and they have the most some of the most amazing
dance performances that we've seen in TV. And I'm like, no,
come on, Like, if I'm voting, I'm not voting for me,
you know. So the whole season was all the things
were checked, but it was probably most stressed that I've
(37:03):
been although the dancing part was easy. I was like,
you can you know, you never know? And if I
can't win with Meryl Davis, you have no business being
on the show.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Well you did so congratulations, thank you.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Somehow, I don't know how that happened. She was amazing.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
Now this year, as we talked about the season, feels
like it's really split down the middle between people who
have a ton of dance experience and people who have
no dance experience. Where do you fall on whether or
not it's fair to come in with a lot of
dance experience.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
Just talked about We just talked about some seasons that
I was a part of, and you're going to ask
me about how I feel about this being fair or not.
I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. It's not me
being cute and trying to avoid the answer. It depends
on where you are. If you partnered with that, you're like, damn,
(37:55):
this is awesome. And we have to have dance be
represented by high level fashional performances every show because if
you don't have that and everybody sucks, I'm just being
black and white. Everybody is not good, the dance level
is not good. People will turn out because it's so
it's kind of like that, right, But at the same time,
it's not about dance experience. But at the same time,
(38:16):
you want to see a show that has great dancing
in it.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
So which is it? People?
Speaker 1 (38:22):
The show is not.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
Called teaching teaching people how to dance. It's not called
that because you can't.
Speaker 4 (38:30):
It's like, so you have a casting job, right that
requires you to put on a show and also give
people trajectory and also give people.
Speaker 3 (38:39):
Some sort of end results. So we know that Whitney
and and and.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
Uh and Mark are going to be there in the end,
you know, but who else is going to be there
the end?
Speaker 3 (38:51):
What else will happen.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
In the next nine weeks, you know, who else is
gonna you know, steal your attention? You know. I think
my perfect example was, you know, my first season with CHRISTIALI.
We were we were trying to win. Talk about the
level of dancing that season, we were trying to win.
(39:13):
And in the I think in the semi final, ah man,
I just slipped my mind. The guy who won, he's
a football player with with Kim Johnson and he in rehearsal,
he fell on her.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
No, it was off Tom. He fell on Kim, and
I guess they had a fall.
Speaker 4 (39:31):
She hurt her neck, and so for the next week
and a half, leading into the finale, she's rehearsing with
the neck brace rhinestones on it. Kimmy, I love you.
She's not we you know I did. I'm not saying
it like that, but what it did is it's created
this this last second right before the finish line, where
(39:52):
maybe Kirsty and I had the momentum. It took the
momentum away. It's not like I'm like Kursty quick, hurt yourself.
You know, like, we're not going to go that, so
it right before the finish line. Things sometimes happen to
so you never know. But again, the level of dancing
is Hi. People that we weren't sure about are phenomenal.
(40:14):
You know, you include it. Again, we weren't sure because
we don't know, but the partnership works.
Speaker 3 (40:18):
You guys look great.
Speaker 4 (40:19):
I think also Daniela, Pasha's wife with Dylan, Dylan, what
what she's doing for an amazing job, and she's like, look,
we're not going to compete.
Speaker 1 (40:32):
You know, we're not going to compete with danceingbut.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
What we're going to do. And I don't know if
she did that.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
What I've noticed is that Cha Cha is unusually hippie
and this isn't how you We normally just do the steps,
we introduce it, but not that much. So I think
what she did was like, look, we're gonna make you.
We're gonna hone in on all the things that you know,
highlight him. So let's not run after Look, if everybody
have to run and you're not a fast runner, let's
(41:00):
not try to run, you know, let's just go this way.
And so I think that's also strategic. She's a great pro.
She knows what she's doing. You guys have these approaches
that you could see this there's a strategy to it,
And then you have a couple of new pros that
that don't really seem like they have a strategy.
Speaker 3 (41:16):
But I don't want to say that. I don't want
to go that far.
Speaker 4 (41:19):
I wish you know, Ezra and everybody else all the luck,
But this show requires a lot of thinking, a lot
of planning, and a lot of yeah, strategicization.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
Yes, strategic thinking. You're exactly right.
Speaker 2 (41:34):
So is there a universe where you would ever come
back as a judge or maybe, like.
Speaker 1 (41:41):
I know, would have so much?
Speaker 4 (41:43):
Is so easy as a Mexican come sit like yeah,
upsit and show continues. I would love to as a pro.
It's just it has it has to be. I don't
know how Mark does it.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
You know who he knows, But.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
It has to be great connection, you know, with a
partner and awesome partnership, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (42:08):
Because you're saying you'd want a ringer, why not? Exactly?
Speaker 2 (42:14):
Who doesn't who wouldn't want that? I want to talk
to you about your vodka because I might need it soon.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
I don't even drink, but I might.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Start no, thank you appreciate it? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (42:27):
No, how do I pronounce it?
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Cha churches? Aunt?
Speaker 4 (42:33):
You know? Yeah, so it's aunt coppa. It's a love child.
I've designed everything about this. I can't you know, I'm
not in alcohol industry at all. VALAINI, my brother Val
and I we were doing a show in Napa A
couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
We started a wine.
Speaker 4 (42:48):
Tasting immersive experience written and directed by a good friend
and and so we had this awesome like immersive production
where we have a flight of wine and we introduce
you to it's a wine tasting experience. And so instead
of telling you like the taste that the working title
was tasting notes, we ended up calling it Savor after
(43:10):
Hours and you come in, you have a flight of wine,
and through the show we dance you. They will show
you how it makes you feel instead of telling you.
And we spend three months being Napa Valley locals. I
met a lot of incredible people. What a community or
an amazing part of the world. And I met my
(43:34):
partner in the swodcast, he's a local. My claim to
fame here is that on the shelf, amongst the category
I'm the cleanest product with the least amount of well,
at least we don't add anything.
Speaker 3 (43:50):
It's a.
Speaker 4 (43:52):
Blend Sauvignon blanc and winter grains to represent my Ukrainian
roots and of how we made it, you know, Napa.
I designed the label, I designed the bottle, I designed
all the elements about this and most importantly, like I said,
I don't want to be a hypocrite. I also don't
(44:13):
advocate you know, that lifestyle anymore. But I think that
we're also got and I was thinking about how to
promote vodka of all things, at the time when alcohol
sales are down and.
Speaker 3 (44:26):
You know, we've all changed our ways and all that stuff.
Speaker 4 (44:29):
But I think that what needs to happen is we
shouldn't be canceling categories. We should be canceling the additives
and you know, things that make these products what they
ended up being, you know, causing sort of you know,
health issues and all that stuff. So you know, this
is vodka, yes, but it's handmade, it's small badge. I'm
the only I have a wonderful partnership with Napa Valley Distillery.
(44:54):
I'm the only spirit in distribution that has a maiden
NAPA label on Earth, and I'm very proud of that.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
I'm so excited for you.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
You also have an event coming up in my neck
of the woods. You're going to be at.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
The Holland, at the More Holland.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
I live in Woodland Hills. You're going to be right
down the street for me. So the name of the
event cap of Knights, capa Nights at the More Holland.
And you have your first is it going to be ongoing?
I know your first one September twenty fifth.
Speaker 3 (45:22):
Yes, we're going to try this, try this South.
Speaker 4 (45:24):
This is this is what I used to, you know,
this is what I'm used to in terms of like
off screen. You know, I have my dance studios. We're
always catered to a lot of clients I've done. You know,
my professional career started in Eastern European restaurants, right, and
you know, dancing for money. So like we know how
to entertain, how to put on shows and venues of
that sort. By the way, I just said it on
(45:45):
an interview here, but it just came to me like
some of the more you know, personable and you know,
enjoyable experiences that I have on stage, probably like in
somebody's butt mitzvah or yeah, you know, dancing somebody's wedding,
you know, because and I always thought about that base
by the nature of the event, they would want it
to be so special, you part of something really special. Anyway,
(46:08):
with this event at the Moholland, the idea is that
when I come to promote vodka, I'm not there to dance,
people expect dancing. So instead of confusing the message, Oh,
you're not going to dance for us today, No, lady,
I'm here with the vodka. You know, a shot, have
a shot? Yeah, She's like, oh, you know what, I
love you from that thing. So I decided we're going
to We decided we're going to put on an event.
(46:29):
We're going to close it down for very small group
sixty people we're trying to do it with. And there
will be dancing and there will be you know you dancing,
and there will be shots, and they'll be caviar, and
there will be oders and four course sit down meal
and there's going to be a great time with yours.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
Truly sounds amazing. You can get your tickets now. It's
September twenty fifth at the mulholland And Calabasas. You can
get tickets at Kappa Nights dot event bright dot com,
and you can learn more about tech Ya Kappa Vodka
now at Kappa Vodka dot com.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
That's k A p A. Thank you so much for
being here with me.
Speaker 2 (47:06):
I just feel like I've learned so much from you.
I'm gonna roll out my t bands if you had
one one final piece of advice for me, or even
a couple CBD cream CBD cream Okay, great, I've been
using that on this like as pain reach.
Speaker 3 (47:19):
Which one.
Speaker 2 (47:21):
It's one my chiropractor gave me. It's a five milligram
so it's not an over the counter one. It's like
a I don't know what it's called though, I mean,
do you have one you recommend? Okay, well, you give
it off area, you give it to me, Okay, great,
it's a.
Speaker 4 (47:32):
Local witch up and I'm just kidding. No, no pop
up POPA and Barley. I think that's the brand, and
they're you know, very much a CBD you know lead.
But again it's soft tissue, so you you it's it's
the I mean, there's some some real big injury treating processes,
but you don't need that your muscle just shocked. You know,
(47:54):
you strained it with with whatever. But like I said,
we have done this to my partners before, it'll go away.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
Yeah exactly, I'm not worried about it.
Speaker 4 (48:02):
But but again with treatment with gold plunge, I'm just
trying to think of like some brothy things, you know,
bone beef, bone broths and stuff like that. It will
always help, Okay, but yeah, oh fair, I'll tell you
some of us.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
Okay, great, thanks.
Speaker 2 (48:19):
Great, Thank you all for joining us for this episode
of Danielle with the Stars.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
I'll see you next time.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
Danielle with the Stars produced and hosted by Danielle Fischel.
Executive producers Jensen Carponamy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production,
Danielle Romo, producer, editor and engineer Tara Sudbosch.
Speaker 1 (48:37):
Theme song by Justin Siegel. Follow us on Instagram at
Danielle with Stars and vote for me
Hosts And Creators
Will Friedle
Danielle Fishel
Rider Strong
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