Cody Rigsby

New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby wasn't busy enough when he decided to up his fitness game by joining Season 30 of DWTS!

Cody reunites with his dance partner, Cheryl, to talk all about his time on the competition show, revealing he found the experience exhausting and traumatizing! They also talk about fearing their season was going to be cut short after they both came down with COVID, the challenges of learning dances via Zoom, behind-the-scenes footage Cheryl shot that the show didn't use (and she's still a little salty about it) and her apology to Cody for not being her usual self because she was going through a separation at the time.

Plus, Cody talks about his book "XOXO, Cody"and podcast "Tactful Pettiness" and answers fan questions and, of course, a can't-miss rapid-fire Q&A!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Sex Lies and Spray Tans with Me, Cheryl
Burke and iHeartRadio Podcast. Welcome back to sex Lies and
Spray Tans. Let's get right into it. Our next guest
grew up with little stability, facing homelessness, and supporting a
mother who battled addiction in bipolar disorder. Our guest journey
has been nothing short of extraordinary. His story is one

(00:23):
of perseverance, turning personal challenge into a platform that inspired
millions during the pandemic. He brought joy, energy and optimism
to homes everywhere. I had the pleasure of dancing alongside
him in Dancing with the Stars, and you all know
him as Pelotons Shining Star Cody Rigsby Cody. Welcome to
sex Lize and Spray.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Tans, Hi Bood, it's been a while.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Oh my god, Wait when was the last time we
had an hour together?

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Three years ago?

Speaker 1 (00:53):
But we've time said.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Only three years Wait, sorry, three years ago you had
twenty twenty one.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
Oh time flies, babe, Time flies when you're freaking shimming,
that's for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Exactly. I will say this because the title of your
podcast does have spray sprayed hands in it. I never
I never got a spray hand. I never got a
spray tanned as to the stars.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
You never needed one because I had so much that
I must have put some on.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
You just rubbed off on me. No, you know what
it was. I feel like that you had to do
them before Sunday or something. And I always was like,
I'm fucking tired. I don't even want to go up
there and do it.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
I never did it, but this is what I made
our body makeup shout out to in a desh. She
would come into my trailer. I was ready for button naked.
She'd come into trailer thirteen and she would get the
formula that they use for the spray. Because spray doesn't
I'm so sorry. It does nothing like you take a
shower so you don't feel like cat piss and it
just comes off. So I'm like what and then except

(01:48):
for like your you know, elbows and like you're That's
why I.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Hate sprayed hands, because it's like for the first day
and then it starts rubbing off and you look people
look crazy. It looks like, yeah, there's something happening to
your skin that you don't want it to happen to it.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
I read your book and I loved it very much,
thank you, and I was really waiting to hear about
the Dancing with the Stars chapter. At first, I was
going to just fast forward through everything, but I was like,
you know what, No, I'm gonna just I learned so
much about you and I have so much respect for
your journey and just for you as I wish you
wrote this before we danced, but.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
I wouldn't have had the story of you in my
life to tell. This wouldn't have been on the pages
of my book yet. So you know, I.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Do feel like a different person, and I feel like
our time together would have been different now let's say
versus back then. But we'll get there, because I love
to talk about just like everything. So what first of all,
who is Cody Rigsby behind what people may think you are.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
It's a great question and a really good question because
I just came out of therapy, Like, so.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
You're open and vulnerable a little bit, you know.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
And maybe you relate to this. I always feel like
the public persona is a hyperbolic version of ourselves, Like
we take parts of ourselves and we really like emphasize
those for the entertainment factor to keep people engaged. Because
it's part of our livelihood, it's part of our success.
And I think the person behind the persona is actually

(03:22):
a lot more quiet and a lot more I don't know.
I don't want to say I'm intentional with everything that
I do, but a lot more quiet and a lot giving.
Has a lot more space too to think. And I'm
a lot more calm and sometimes even more boring than people.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
I wouldn't say boring.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, you're boring, introverted, introverted. I think that's good. Yeah,
very extroverted. Not shine no, no, no, yeah, not at all.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
Just yeah, I do take your life very serious, like
you are intentional, I agree with.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, but serious in like but in a good way.
I want joy and in good things, but not serious
where I'm overthinking everything.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Yeah that's good. Yeah, the overthinking it killed me for sure,
especially on them, literally killed me like a part of me,
which is probably good because then you know, out with
the old. But the ego death, Oh god, I still
have I mean everyone still has one, I think. Yeah, Yeah,
what do you think people's biggest misconceptions are about you?

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Oh? I don't know, you know, I don't know if
it's a misconception. I I don't know if it's a misconception.
I really try to be kind and compassionate in a
lot of the spaces that I occupy, and I hope
that people don't think that that's just a persona or

(04:50):
something that I'm trying to like put out there to
seem nice or kind or want good things. Like I
genuinely try to be in spaces of kindness and compassion,
and I think I'm always fortunate to occupy spaces where
I get to give that, but I also get to
see the impact that it has when like Peloton members

(05:12):
come to the studio and they share their incredible stories,
I get to like see that firsthand and see the
impact that I'm having. So that's really meaningful to me.
So I don't know there's a misconception, but I hope
that people know that the kindness, the compassion, and the fund.

Speaker 1 (05:24):
Not I love you is real.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, I mean you had a freaking army when we dance.
Thank God, and thank God in a way, thank God
for our COVID. But we'll get there. Okay, take us
back to little tiny Cody Brigsby. What's your very first
memory as a kid?

Speaker 2 (05:42):
You know what is so weird. This is weird. No
one's ever asked me this, but I have talked about
it in therapy. Here we go again. Of course, I
think I remember a funeral as one of my first memories.
Like I think I was like probably like three or four,
and I remember being in like a space with a

(06:02):
like a projector screen and like memories of someone. I
don't know who it was.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
I can't remember to save my life, and I don't
think I've ever talked to my mom about it, but
that is one of my first memories. That and then
also going to brunch at some place near a tennis court.
I don't know what it was, but that's something.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
That that's your very first memory, like my first memories.

Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, it's interesting because you're alive for a good chunk
of your of your life before you can remember.

Speaker 1 (06:33):
Yeah, no, you're right, actually, yes, Okay, so growing up
you had you grew up with your mom, right, So
you never met your father, is that correct?

Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah? He passed away when I was about four months old, so.

Speaker 1 (06:46):
And it wasn't his funeral, That wasn't.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
No, no, because that would have been I was like
four months so I would ever remember that for sure.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
Okay, what was your guys's dynamic, Like, because you're an
only child, me and my mom.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
There's a lot of duality that My mom was one
of the most like fun people. She was spontaneous, She's
really silly. I love her silliness. I get my silliness
from her. It's also like a foundation of who I am,
the relationships that I have, whether they be romantic or friends. Like,
I like silliness, I like laughing at life, and so

(07:19):
I really do get that from her.

Speaker 3 (07:23):
You know.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
She still to this day really surprises me with her
words of wisdom when I'm going through things. And sometimes
those words of wisdom are really really just like simple,
like one of them and this is not like a
super tragic thing, but I don't know. One day, I
was like having a headache, and I'm someone who doesn't
take aspirin a lot of time or like a pill. Nope,

(07:49):
Like I usually don't do it. And I kept saying,
like's headache for days, and She's like, you should. You
just need to take the aspirin, Like take aspirin, And
I'm like, sometimes the remedy is right in front of
you and you just need to, like so I'm always
surprised by her little words of wisdom, whether it be
that or something like it. And then you know, listen,
I had a rocky childhood. My mom was an addict.

(08:10):
She was an addict for a really, really long time.
I have young memories of her, you know, driving us
to sketchy neighborhoods in Los Angeles and exchanging money for
balloons that she a man pulled out of his mouth,
which now I know is like heroin. And I remember

(08:31):
times of you know, being at home and her and
a friend going into the bathroom for extended periods of
time because I knew that and looking back on that
she was doing drugs. I remember another person dying within
her circle of friends and that being very traumatic and
knowing that that was from an overdose. So, you know,

(08:52):
we have a very complicated dynamic throughout our lives. But
I feel like I've gotten to a place where I've
processed that, I've let go of a lot of the
resentment that I had, and I've moved into space of
just really enjoying the time that we have together, loving
her for the good parts of her, also loving her
for the bad parts her, you know, the bad parts
of her. So it's a there's duality in all of

(09:16):
the we have, especially with our parents.

Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah, you experienced homelessness as well. Was that when you
were in Bourbank or was that when you moved to
North Carolina?

Speaker 2 (09:27):
So it's actually kind of popped up a lot in
my childhood. Oh okay, right before, right before we moved
from Los Angeles to North Carolina, we got evicted from apartment,
had to stay with one of my mom's friends for
like two months, so we didn't really have a home.
And then yeah, probably when I don't know, I say,

(09:47):
like ten or eleven, we also got evicted from apartment
we stayed We lived in like a extended stay hotel
where it was like me, my mom, her boyfriend, and
I was sleeping on the floor while they were sleeping
in the bed. So, you know, really not knowing where
we're gonna where are we going to live, and sometimes
not even knowing when we were how we were going
to pay for lunch, dinner, those sort of situations.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Was that something like communicated to or you just.

Speaker 2 (10:13):
Knew I think, wow, you're making it. I'm not even
having to pay you. This is like this is therapy
in itself. I think my mom My mom tried to
like hide a lot of things until they were right

(10:34):
in our face. And also, like any parent tried to,
I don't know, not cover it up, but make it
not seems as bad as it was, you know, like
as a as a protector. But I think I was
realizing like when my mom picked me up in this
like truck with all of our belongings and we didn't
have an apartment to go to, I was like, Okay,

(10:54):
something's up. And I only was able to accept it
and process it once I was older and like looking
back on it with adult.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
Eyes, Yeah, that's interesting. How was North Carolina? What was
that environment? Like? Switching from going from perfect?

Speaker 2 (11:11):
Yeah, like I listen, I'm really happy that I grew
up in North Carolina. I think maybe had I stayed
in Los Angeles in the in the circumstances I was,
I might have not ended up where I am, And
so I think having a simpler life in North Carolina
was beneficial to me. I also I also kicked and
screamed when we moved there, But I'm really glad in
retrospect that that's the upbringing that I had.

Speaker 1 (11:34):
But didn't you choose to go there.

Speaker 2 (11:36):
Yeah, but like that that's how like maybe my mom
wasn't making the best decisions in life. She was like, Hey,
we're gonna move, and there's here's three options. Hey eight
year old Cody, what what where do you want to go?

Speaker 1 (11:49):
And you have five seconds stance er, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (11:52):
It's like okay, yeah, sure. So I chose where like
my former best friend had moved and my godmother was
I was like, North Carolina. That sounds fun, right, right,
So we like moved to bumpfuck North Carolina, Stoke County,
where there was like no sidewalks, no anything, And it
was traumatizing for me who grew up in Los Angeles.

Speaker 1 (12:12):
And jumped out of the car.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
Oh that was in Kansas. So on the way from
Los Angeles to North Carolina in Kansas, the acy in
our car broke down and we were traveling with like
a few dogs and a few cats and we had
to roll down the windows and open the carriers. And
my cat Ruby one day it was like you know what,
fuck it, I can't take this anymore. So she jumped
out of the window as the as the car was

(12:36):
flying down the highway. But very traumatizing experience, and I
and I remember that shore watching it out of the
rear view mirror of the passenger seat.

Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, wait, you didn't find your cat, No.

Speaker 2 (12:51):
Baby, you know, I'm sure. I'm sure Ruby did not
survive that jump. Really really, I don't know. I mean
the cars flying like sixty miles an hour and you
jump out of the car. I was like, I was
into the grass, but still like, I don't know. I
Also another sort of funny but traumatizing experience from that

(13:13):
trip was growing up in Los Angeles. I never saw
a firefly, and we made we stopped somewhere to get dinner.
It was like four or five, and then by the
time we left, the restaurant was starting to get dark,
and I started I started seeing all these like lights
pop up in the sky, and I was like, what
the hell is that and my mom was like, they're fireflies,

(13:36):
and I, somehow I don't know because she said they
were fireflies, I went into this panic mode and I
thought that if I ran into one that they would
burn me. So I was like very scared of fireflies
to begin with. And then she was like, no, just
touch it, it's fine, and they were fine. But I
was the first time I ever saw firelight. You know,
I just don't remember. I guess I never experienced them

(13:58):
in LA. I don't remember that. Maybe they were interesting.
I never saw them when I was there.

Speaker 1 (14:03):
Google that.

Speaker 2 (14:05):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (14:05):
So as you were growing up in North Carolina, you
started to realize, you know, you were coming into your
manhood or boyhood. What was that whole thing like for you?
Just you know, realizing maybe you had questions about your sexuality,
or you're trying to hook up with a girl. I
think at one point it was not working.

Speaker 2 (14:25):
Yeah, Well, growing up in North Carolina, I was also
like in a at a in like middle school, high school. Also,
I had like a Jesus phase where I was like
going to church and hanging out at church and all
this sort of stuff. And in those spaces, they're teaching
you that homosexuality is wrong, and so I was really
conflicted in that. It's funny because my mom is not
religious at all. I actually like I was so deep

(14:47):
in my Jesus phase that I was like trying to
save her. And I remember this one time, I was like,
you're gonna go to hell. You need to accept Jesus.
She's like, girl, that's not for me. Like I'm sorry,
it's not happening. I was like, okay, cool, and then
I got out of my Jesus phase and and but
that was very conflicting because in the South, I mean,
you have the religious, you have the religious influence, but

(15:08):
it's also a conservative space in general, and there's not
a lot of queer people represented on TV. At the time,
there wasn't a lot of queer people represented in the
community that I was. So it was all very scary
and I very much wanted to change that part of myself.
It wasn't until kind of like I got to college
and I saw a lot more queer people that I

(15:30):
accepted that. But I think, yeah, the final straw was
if you reading my book, it was my freshman year
of college and I tried to go hook up with
a girl and obviously my my, my dick didn't work,
no no.

Speaker 1 (15:43):
Direction to be seen, not even a little one, not
at all.

Speaker 2 (15:47):
Oh my god. I was fighting for my life, babe.
I was fighting for my life, not even eyes.

Speaker 1 (15:51):
And I just imagined something that I tried.

Speaker 2 (15:54):
My hardest, and and and she was like, let's have sex.
And I was like, oh, shoot, what you no, I'm kidding.
I'm kidding. Well, the thing that she did after was
a little slutty, but we love sluts condom. Yeah, So
I go, oh, I can't have sex with you because
we don't have a condom. So she proceeds to put
on like my shirt and shorts and then walks down

(16:15):
the hallway knocking on the door asking my neighbors for
a condom, where she finally found one and came back
and she's like, I got it, and I'm like, oh fuck,
what am I?

Speaker 1 (16:23):
Gonuld have just said you had gone rhea, Like this
is not.

Speaker 2 (16:26):
You know, I don't I didn't even think I knew
what goner riea was at that point. But also, but
that would have worked.

Speaker 1 (16:33):
Yes, it would have because the condom or not, like
you want to risk it or I don't think you
want to repe like yeah, yeah, true, next time, next time.

Speaker 2 (16:41):
Next time, I'll use that one. And thankfully my roommate
came back and saved the day. And then but then
I was like, hey, I can't, I can't do this anymore.
I'm gay, I can't do this.

Speaker 1 (16:51):
You said that like right then and.

Speaker 2 (16:52):
There no, no, no, I just accepted it myself.

Speaker 1 (16:54):
In your head.

Speaker 2 (16:54):
I kind of made a game plan. I didn't come
out until probably the next year when I was nineteen.

Speaker 1 (16:58):
What was that? Like?

Speaker 2 (17:00):
Great? I mean like great. I got to be myself,
I got to be honest. I got to sleep with
who I wanted to sleep with. And I feel like, yeah,
of course, like in that era, it's like you're having
to You're having to share a part of you that
you've never shown shared with people, and you don't know
if they're going to stick around or not, if they're

(17:21):
going to love you the same, and you know, they
all did. I feel like my mom was actually the
last person I told, which makes no sense because she's
always had like queer people around her. I don't know
why I was like so nervous, but I was. And
we had a good cry about it. She told me to,
you know, wear a condom, don't you know?

Speaker 1 (17:37):
Yeah, keep it pumping, Yeah, keep it pumping. It's just
so odd because it's like when if someone's straight, they're
not like, oh, I'm straight, like you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah, And I think that's the conversation that kids are having,
people in general having this day. It's like do you
need to come out?

Speaker 1 (17:54):
Do you not?

Speaker 2 (17:56):
Well? I respect I respect both. Well yeah, yeah, Well
my thing is that I don't know, there's something like
for me and maybe just my generation like more, there's
something empowering about making that statement and making it public
so that maybe other people have the courage to live
their life authentically.

Speaker 1 (18:17):
For sure, and I especially if you have a platform, right.

Speaker 2 (18:22):
Yeah, of course, of course I don't. I think if
you want to do it, do it, and if you don't,
it's not anybody's business. And well, yes, show up with
whoever you want to date in front of you and
all your people.

Speaker 1 (18:32):
So exactly exactly. So then you moved to New York?
What made what was that? What made you want to
move to New York? Was it because you wanted to
take your dancing seriously or yeah?

Speaker 2 (18:42):
I mean I came to New York the summer between
my freshman year of college and my senior year of
high school, and I just had an amazing time with
my best friend. We had a great time, and it's
just there's something about the energy of the city that
I love that was just magnetic, that was inspiring, and
I was like, I want to live here because my
entire life in North Carolina. I said, I'm going to

(19:04):
move back to Los Angeles, and then something about New
York like captivated me. So as soon as I graduated college,
I went to New York to work. So I wanted
to go to New York no matter what. But I'd
also fallen in love with commercial dance over the past
four years and knew that that was going to be
a hub or a space that I could explore that
with more depth, and if I wanted to be a professional,
I would go for it. And you know, I danced professionally,

(19:28):
commercial dance, not ballroom. I learned, and we get it this.
I learned that these are not always applicable.

Speaker 1 (19:35):
They are not it's never applicable.

Speaker 2 (19:38):
Never applicable. And so I did that for five years
and I loved it. And it is for Katy Perry
and Uminage, Victoria's Secret Passion Show SNL all.

Speaker 1 (19:48):
The things you did SNL.

Speaker 2 (19:50):
Yeah, a few times, I think I still get I
still get thirty cent residual checks all the time, don't
you love I'm sure you get this too. I wish
we would you get a check from something you did
that's like SAG and it's like there's residual for thirty
cents and you're like, honestly, like, what am I gonna
do with this? Like save the paper guys.

Speaker 1 (20:11):
The yeah no sense is not gonna help. But hey,
you know every penny count supposedly it does. The auditions
you wanted to dance for j Lo and all of that,
how was all of the rejection? Like in this business,
there's lots of rejection. It's kind of like, you know,
it is more rejection than more than success. But it's

(20:33):
because of the rejection I believe that you've become successful.
What was that experience like for you?

Speaker 2 (20:38):
You know, it was really challenging, only because maybe you
felt this in your life before. It's one thing to
be passionate about something and do it and be rejected,
but then when you're also mixing like the passion and
your livelihood with it, it almost becomes like every opportunity
or audition, it's like this is my lifeline to pay

(21:00):
my rent and also to prove to myself that I'm
good enough to be doing this thing that I'm doing.
And it really fucks with your head and your self
worth and who you are. And yes, you're going into
audition and being rejected on your merits or your talent
in a way, but you're honestly, sometimes there's so many

(21:23):
other factors that have nothing to do with you that
allow you, that allow you to win those auditions, whether
it be the person that you know, the way that
you look. Like, Let's be on, I'm six two and
a half. I'm sure you remember, and let's say an
artist is five to three. They don't want some giant
man dancing next to them looking like making that artist

(21:45):
look you.

Speaker 1 (21:45):
Can make eye contact, yeah, like.

Speaker 2 (21:48):
But you don't put these into you don't. You're not
behind the scenes looking at the big picture. You're only
worried about yourself. So when the rejection happens, you take
it so personally because you're like, I'm not gonna what
am I going to do?

Speaker 1 (22:02):
What could I have done better?

Speaker 2 (22:04):
And have done better? And sometimes there's nothing that you
can do. And I think that's what I've tried to learn,
is that you can put yourself out there and you
can strive to be the best, and you can try
to go for certain opportunities, and sometimes there are factors
in life that have nothing to do with you that
create the outcomes, whether that be rejection or acceptance.

Speaker 1 (22:25):
That's a good life. Lesson I think in general, like
even yeah, I would say, when you're getting bullied at school,
like most of the time, this hasn't I mean, it
has nothing to do with the person being bullied. It
has everything to do with the person bullying, you know,
Like in general, I would even I.

Speaker 2 (22:37):
Would even parallel that sometimes to relationships or dating. It's
like you are divorce or divorce. Like sometimes the things
that's happening with your partner or a potential partner and
their reactions aren't necessarily a reflection of you. It's a
reflection of them and their inability to be vulnerable or

(22:58):
intimate or whatever they're dealing with. And just because they
don't fit into your life, does it mean that you
don't have value, or you're not attractive, or you're not worthy,
Like it's it's a it's a it's a parallel for sure.

Speaker 1 (23:11):
I loved all your advice that you give in your
book about relationships. Some of them was actually it was
I had to listen twice to that good I mean,
mind you, Tody, I haven't since since we dance, Oh
my god, I've been a vert. I've been celibate.

Speaker 2 (23:28):
Wow, you know I am also newly single, and I've been.
I'm a great though. I'm great. I'm great though, don't worry.
And Andre is okay. Yeah, you know, I haven't spoken
to him a few months, but that's okay.

Speaker 1 (23:42):
Yeah, that's healthy, right, the space is needed. Yes, that's
your role. I still follow you on Instagram.

Speaker 2 (23:47):
And and I hope you do. But I am. I've been.
I've been celibate for a month just to take away
like any yes, any stimuli, any like anything, so I
can just get back to me. And that's great. I mean,
I'm so focused and I've got so much more time.
I feel like, I feel like and people relate to this.

(24:09):
I think this is why people like in a way
at times give up on dating. It's so much work
to set up dates or sex or hanging out emotion.
I don't even know if it's a feeling. It's just
like add the amount of texts and the like, looking
at the calendar and like, do I want to waste
my night on someone that I don't know? No? Sometimes,

(24:32):
you know, at least not right now. Yeah, but I'm
I'm a horrid heart. So I don't think it'll I
don't think it'll last that long.

Speaker 1 (24:39):
I mean you in your hand will be fine.

Speaker 2 (24:42):
Thank you. Pink. I think that's a pink, but it is.

Speaker 1 (24:46):
I mean on a spiritual level, it is empowering a
little bit, right, No?

Speaker 2 (24:50):
Absolutely, yeah? Absolutely?

Speaker 1 (24:56):
Do you have a dog?

Speaker 2 (24:58):
You know I'm not a dog person. I thought you
knew this.

Speaker 1 (25:01):
I did. Maybe we've all you know, my boss.

Speaker 2 (25:05):
My boss at Peloton says that's my worst quality, that
I'm not a dog that.

Speaker 1 (25:09):
I don't don't hate dogs.

Speaker 2 (25:10):
I don't hate dogs, no, no, no, I just don't have
the capacity to take care of one in my own life.

Speaker 1 (25:15):
That's responsible.

Speaker 2 (25:16):
Yeah, and I don't know if I ever will.

Speaker 1 (25:18):
And it's okay.

Speaker 2 (25:20):
I like I like people's dogs that are cute and fun,
but I don't like dogs that like don't understand boundaries.
And I always equate that to the owners that don't
know how to like reel their dogs in. Do you
know what I'm saying?

Speaker 1 (25:30):
Totally? Yeah? Have you met my dog? Right? I don't
think so, Isabella?

Speaker 2 (25:35):
Maybe how long have you had her?

Speaker 1 (25:37):
I since remember like when we first danced together, Matt
was there like during the training dog and everything.

Speaker 2 (25:45):
Maybe you couldn't bring the dog because of COVID procedures.

Speaker 1 (25:47):
I don't know, well, I just did. It was a
lot of responsibility.

Speaker 2 (25:49):
Like she's a responsibility.

Speaker 1 (25:51):
She's a bitch, you know. I love her though. She's
very coachable a lot. Yeah, just like her owner. Okay,
so how did a peloton come into your life?

Speaker 2 (26:02):
Heloton came into my life? I was I was working
at The Box in New York City, which is in
a very mysterious night club. Yeah, it's interesting. So it's
a club and a bar, and then it has this
burlesque show and I worked front of the house making
sure the bottle service girls could get to where they
needed to. And then when the show started, I had
to stop the patrons from taking photos or jumping on

(26:24):
stage because there were topless girls in the show and
we did want the topless girls their pictures being taken
and put on the internet. So I had to make
sure that no titty pictures were putting on the internet.

Speaker 1 (26:35):
Oh my god, that must have been Yeah, it was.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
I mean also, like staying up till three or four
every night was exhausting, but hey, this is this is
also serendipitous. Being at the Box is what got me
to like my career path and finding my purpose. The
director of the show had went to college with someone
at Peloton. He emailed him being like, hey, do you
know any performers that are into fitness? And he knew

(26:59):
I was a dance and went to the gym and
he's like, hey, are you interested in this? And so
I sent him my headshot resume. I got an interview
and they hired me kind of on the spot and
never teaching a cycling class or a fitness class ever.
And now I've been there for ten years.

Speaker 1 (27:16):
Okay, so did you have and then you were starting
to make money And I love that you supported your mom.
That melts my black heart. It really does. Your mom.
So she was you moved her from North Carolina to Jersey.

Speaker 2 (27:29):
Yeah, so I moved my mom. My mom honestly has
not did not work after the two thousand and eight recession.
So there was a time where she was just living
from the kindness of strangers, and I think her living
situation started to like get kind of bad. And I
had never been in a place where I could help

(27:49):
her until about two thousand and nineteen. It was funny
because at that point I was making money enough to
I've been living in I've been living in Brooklyn in
Crown Heights with my best friend paying a really low
amount of rent, like a low amount of rent, and
I was getting to a point where it's like I

(28:11):
want to live by myself, but I kind of had
to sacrifice that for a few years to make sure
that I could take care of my mom. So I
chose to stay in Brooklyn and have a really long
commute and pay less rent, but also be able to
move my mom to Nutley, New Jersey, which is like
forty five minutes out of the city. So I moved
her here in twenty nineteen. Then I moved her to

(28:33):
Brooklyn because on July like seventh, I believe it was
of maybe it was July fourth. The memory I somewhere
around there. July of twenty twenty. She calls me, is like,
my downstairs neighbor's house caught on fire, so now I
lived in my apartment. It was so I was just
like out.

Speaker 1 (28:52):
Of everything that happened.

Speaker 2 (28:53):
I was also like, I just had three Margarita's. I
don't know how to process this right now. I remember
being at the bar with my friends.

Speaker 1 (29:01):
Oh God.

Speaker 2 (29:03):
So then I moved her to Crown Heights, which was
close to me. And then when I moved to Williamsburg
I just about a year and a half ago, I
bought her an apartment that's like four blocks away from me. Yeah,
so she's four blocks away from me. She knows to
call me before she comes over in case I have
a visitor.

Speaker 1 (29:20):
And well, not the last month. No, I'm kidding, not
the last month.

Speaker 2 (29:23):
So we've been in the clear. Don't worry. Some days
I'll be like, she'll come over and it'll be really busy,
and I have to like pause myself and be like,
go give her, Go give her a hug, Like make
that emotion, make that connection. Because you have also realize
our parents don't get a lot of physical touch at
these later lives, that these later parts in their lives
where they don't have partners, they don't have a lot

(29:45):
of friends, And you have to even when it feels uncomfortable,
you kind of have to roll reverse and be the
parent or be the leader in this situation and take charge,
whether that be a hug or I don't know, just
touching or no I hear.

Speaker 1 (30:01):
Or just like being present for a second.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
Yeah, it becomes a practice, and it becomes much easier
as you put that practice into motion.

Speaker 1 (30:10):
Okay, let's move on to Dancing with the stars. That
good old the music I always and then then then
then then then that one that.

Speaker 2 (30:24):
In the three beats is the most traumatizing sounds that
you will ever experienced.

Speaker 1 (30:27):
Like, oh my god, I just watched all of our dances.
First of all, Yeah, let me just I just want
to say to you, I I apologize for my personality
at that time and attitude because it had nothing to
do with you. I just want you to know that. Okay,
I know you do, but it.

Speaker 2 (30:46):
Must have wrote the book. I even wrote that in
my book.

Speaker 1 (30:49):
I read your freaking book. That's why I'm saying this,
because like, there was this. I wish that I was
in a different time at that moment, because I was
really looking forward to dancing with you and just from
what I've seen and like you know, and people just
saying how fun you are, and I just wish I
would have embraced that more. You're right though, when you
wrote in your book that you know there was I

(31:10):
was very short and testy. I was also, you know,
I I don't know if it was so much the
longevity that I experienced on the show, or because like
normally I do. It's like it was different. You saw
a whole other side of me that no one has
ever seen. And I didn't know I had that in
me as well, because I was going through a separation.
I had just you know, there was a lot of
things I had found out literally based before I met Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:34):
Yeah, I wrote about in my book. I I had
a lot of like compassion for you because experiencing that
show one time is exhausting, traumatizing. You have to do
so much soul searching and be so okay with yourself
or not doing it once and be so strong just

(31:55):
to get through it because it is a mind fuck.
It's a physical it's it's physical, it's mental, it's emotional,
and for you to have done that multiple seasons, it
just has to take its toll on you. Regardless of
how strong you, like an individual can be, it just
has to take its toll on you. So I knew

(32:15):
just from observing that. I was like, I get it, babe.

Speaker 1 (32:18):
I hope you accept my apology.

Speaker 2 (32:19):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (32:21):
I wish that things were different, but hey, it is
what it is a lot. I hope that I know
it sucked that. I think that if you would have
danced with somebody else, you might have had a better experience,
to be quite honest, but it is what it is,
and I will take our experience though as a lesson
as well. But also it was fucking emotional, the freaking

(32:45):
COVID of it all. But before we even get there,
how did you get approached by Dancing with the Stars?
And did they tell you how consuming the show was
going to be?

Speaker 2 (32:56):
I don't think they told me how consuming it was
going to be. I think I had this ide of like, oh, like,
I'll like, I'm a dancer, I've danced before, I know
what it's like, Like it won't be that much, Like
I can do this while doing all the other things
that I had going on in my life. But I
also didn't want to pass up the opportunity, so I
was like, let's go. And how I got approached was
my agent had been talking with like the ABC Disney

(33:18):
family for a while and there was there was interest,
and I had taken a meeting, probably in June of
twenty twenty one, and I was like, okay, I took
a meeting. They were doing the casting. I didn't hear
for them from them about it for months, so I
didn't hear about it until I want to say, like
late August, like two or three weeks before we were
going to really maybe maybe three.

Speaker 1 (33:39):
I think you're right. I think you're right.

Speaker 2 (33:41):
Yeah, like three weeks before I was going to be
on the show, and they're like, hey, they're they're interested,
they're offering it. Do you want to do it? And
I had to take like an hour or two to
be like do I want to do it? Like yes, no,
inter I think, well, you know what for me? Which
is funny because I think I remember in my dancing
days just having a lot of anxiety about remembering choreography,

(34:03):
and also instances where I was on stage where I
forgot choreography. I don't know if you remember, like Cat Graham,
who was Vampire Diaries, I think was a show she
was on. She also had a music career, and I
background danced for her at a club in New York City,
and I remember being the worst dance job I ever had,
not because of her, because I got on stage and

(34:25):
I forgot the choreography and I could not get back
to where I was supposed to be. So it was
so traumatizing, and so I was like, oh my god,
learning choreography being live on TV. What if I make
an aspect? I was like, I don't know, and so
I had a lot of anxiety about it, but I
was like, fuck it, like I gotta do this. This
is this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's
going to really propel you to like go for it, bitch.
And so I did. But every I mean every week,

(34:48):
I was anxious and just in that in that trailer
on Mondays me and you both don't fix this up, like,
come on, figure it out.

Speaker 1 (34:56):
Even though I was on there for a seventy five
thousand seasons, by the time I danced with you, like
I it got worse the voice in my head, you know,
because it was like it yeah, and and that whole
thing with questioning. I'm the one doing the choreography for
the most part, right, but like I'm still questioning. And
I've done it before where I fed up during I
was dancing with this guy named Chadow Josinco years ago,

(35:17):
and I did that thing that people do where it's
like it's kind of like the devil right on your
shoulder saying are you gonna have your own choreography? Are
you argue and then I do, and then I then
tim up the whole time and I was like, oh,
it was a downward slope from there, but it happens.

Speaker 2 (35:32):
Isn't it funny how that little devil pops on your shoulder? Yeah,
like minute, like seconds before you go live, you're like wow,
sudden like boom, I got you, bitch, Like.

Speaker 1 (35:47):
When you were about to do okay, wait Argentine Tango,
what was your voice saying to you?

Speaker 2 (35:52):
Then you know what it was? That was the semi
finals and we had done the salsa before and I missed.
I missed your head. I missed the pass over your head,
and so I felt like I fucked up that dance
and I couldn't let that go. I couldn't let that go,

(36:14):
you know, because there's like what forty five minutes between
each dance, like you did one dance and then you
have a whole time let it go. And so I
couldn't let that go. And so as soon as we
went up for ARGENTINEO, I was like holding that pose
and I was like shaking like a tree, just like shake.

Speaker 1 (36:29):
Your legs were just crossed, like yeah, it wasn't easy
anyone would be shaking.

Speaker 2 (36:36):
Yeah, it was I was shaking, and then of course,
like I went like an eight count early, like I.

Speaker 1 (36:44):
Turned into people.

Speaker 2 (36:45):
Turn you turned into a demon, but like in the
best way possible, like I turned into you. And then
our faces met each other and you really stare in
my eyes, you go, don't fucking move. I was like, okay, okay,
I got it. And then you got you got us
back to where we needed to be. Amazing.

Speaker 1 (37:10):
Yeah, I know, it's okay, it's okay, okay. You know
what wasn't okay The rehearsal footage that they used of
us in our Saul Ceder.

Speaker 2 (37:17):
That was not okay.

Speaker 1 (37:18):
That's not okay. And it's not because of what we
were wearing. It's because I gave them other rehearsal footage.
First of all, that was a hundred times better. Do
you remember this. I didn't know that, and I kept
sending it and I was like, you're gonna use this, right, guys.
You're using this version, right, guys, the version that was
on the camera in the studio, though they asked me

(37:41):
for mine, because I said, well, okay, fine, you can
use it, but can I give it to you? And
they said yes, and they used the other one because
that was not the good run. Okay, so wait, hold on,
rewind sabotage. Week two. The reason why we got COVID, well,
first of all, because we were I got Delta flying Delta.

Speaker 2 (38:00):
Well, we were going back and forth between New.

Speaker 1 (38:02):
York, and that's the reason, I think, right, because I
was traveling. Maybe No, I.

Speaker 2 (38:07):
Mean that was the second of third time I got COVID,
So you know I got it. I did get it
from you. But that's okay, yeah you did.

Speaker 1 (38:16):
Actually during that time, we were doing the salsa in
the studio. Probably no, it was like for sure because
I hadn't known obviously, but I felt weird that day.

Speaker 2 (38:26):
Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, I mean week too, we
get COVID. We did the salsa, and I loved that.
That was a good like that was a fun number.
That was I love let me what is it? Camila Cabelo,
don't let go? I love that song now because you
chose that. I never even thought about it until that,
so it lives in.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
My memories, pin in your memories too.

Speaker 2 (38:47):
I was so upset that, like I had those pink shoes.

Speaker 1 (38:49):
On during the rehearsal, your tango shoes.

Speaker 3 (38:52):
On one from week one, and you know they I
always say this, So maybe it was for the storyline,
maybe it was someone at ABC that really loved me,
but they they did everything that they could to keep
us in the game.

Speaker 2 (39:10):
Let's be honest, to keep me in the game, because
I think in other instances when that's happened, they don't
let people compete, or they've been like okay, they haven't.

Speaker 1 (39:19):
Look for example, yeah, Ardam just got it last season
and they just replaced him with Ezra. You know, it's like,
and that's the thing. It just it happens. But it
doesn't necessarily mean they're going to drop off equipment in
your driveway and you're going to build a new set
in your First of all, the fact that you went
to New York. Okay, so why did you go up home?

Speaker 2 (39:42):
Well, this was I think I just like wanted to
be home because like I was like, if I like,
if something happens like I don't, I don't want to
be I don't want to be in LA.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
Production knew they knew, oh no, or they were they
going to have you dance with somebody. Thank god you
went home, by the way, can you imagine?

Speaker 2 (40:00):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So they where was that. Okay, wait,
they might they might have had me dance with somebody.

Speaker 1 (40:08):
One of the troop members, but.

Speaker 2 (40:09):
That didn't happen. They did the rehearsal footage instead.

Speaker 1 (40:13):
And then because you had COVID.

Speaker 2 (40:15):
No, I hadn't. I hadn't tested positive yet, so I
didn't test positive yet. So I the night of like Monday,
they I think they they sent me a camera in
my hotel room and night and I got my scores then,
and then I went home because I had to go
like teach for Peloton anyways. And it wasn't until a
few days later when I did another COVID test. But oh, Dina,

(40:37):
I think Dina Katz called me and was like, hey,
you have COVID. I was like, okay, if.

Speaker 1 (40:42):
You knew you had COVID, no, of course not. Yeah,
yeah I didn't. I didn't.

Speaker 2 (40:46):
I didn't know yet, And so a few days go
by then I had it, and I'm glad I did
go home. Well, I was going to go home anyways.
I was gonna go home anyways. Like my schedule was,
after the Monday night show, I would get on I
would get on a red eye and come back to
North New York and.

Speaker 1 (41:02):
I was going to do that with you if I
didn't have COVID.

Speaker 2 (41:04):
Yes, yeah, yes, And then then I then my test
came back positive and we'd already kind of started no no,
not for Brittany, No no, no. So I got COVID.
Then I was like, oh fuck, I'm just gonna quit.
And then you were like, no, you're not, bitch, figure it,
We're gonna okay.

Speaker 1 (41:23):
Wait, hold on. First we had a call with the
executive tell my listeners because like they need to know
what happened. So we were contemplating, right because I was like, Dina, is,
does this mean like our seasons cut short? Like and also,
mind you, this was during the pandemic. Peloton was huge,
you were huge. They didn't want to lose the.

Speaker 2 (41:40):
Name, didn't want to lose that, They didn't want to
lose the viewership. No, they they definitely worked their magic
to make sure we could stay in the competition. And
I'm very grateful that. And even myself was like, maybe
I should just quit, and you were like no, like
this this might be one of my last seasons. So
you're not fucking quitting, Like we're going, We're going, baby,
I said, Okay, all right, let me do it for Cheryl.

Speaker 1 (41:59):
But you were actually really but no, wait, hold on,
you wanted to quit for other reasons? No, No, I
was just like I thought you were like I thought
you were, Like, was it the anxiety, Like what was
the reasoning behind it? Because you were already like it
was tiring because we were traveling, Cody tiring.

Speaker 2 (42:17):
I think it was just like it felt like there
were a lot of there was a lot of things
to figure out, Like we had to rehearse on Yeah,
we had to set up lighting, sound.

Speaker 1 (42:28):
No one knew this, by the way, video, all of.

Speaker 2 (42:30):
It by ourselves. They literally just dropped off production suitcases
for us to do all by myself. I had to
break down my living room.

Speaker 1 (42:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:39):
I had to put everything in there, so, like my
entire living room was a production studio. So was yours
your own interview? Everything about that, when did your own interviews?
Everything about it just felt so overwhelming, the big picture
of it. Yeah, And and then I was just like,
you know what, don't like, don't quit, don't give up
on this. Let's keep going. And we made it through

(43:00):
Like fuck me, we made it happen the best that
we could. It was so traumatizing that it was on
Brittany Night because I love Britney Spears so much and
I was looking forward to it and I remember you
promising me stripper polls, forgive me more, and it was.

Speaker 1 (43:13):
Going to happen, but then really you did it for
the freestyle. But wait, hold on, I get help with
my career, especially for like Brittany Night, you know, with
jazz not my specialty. We had Jerry and Paul on
Zoom with us and we I mean, it took a team.
And what I'm so upset about, honestly, if there was

(43:33):
I Conrad Green the showrunner now, but the fact that
they didn't want us or use because I was filming
all of this happened, like the building of it, what
it entailed, as far as me teaching Vienie's faults via zoom,
like none of it was used and it was So
I'm still so angry about it because I'm like, how

(43:56):
people want to see this?

Speaker 2 (43:57):
Yeah, and also like they weren't so kind to us
on the on the scoring of Britney and I was like, damn,
y'all couldn't throw me rude?

Speaker 1 (44:06):
That was rude? Yeah, they could. I mean I think
that they this is what I think happens. They're like,
they're getting so many votes, you can give them up
one and they're gonna be fine. But fine the more
just out of just the people wouldn't hate you as judges.
You should give us a higher score than six. And
mind you, I watched it. It was not bad other
than solid.

Speaker 2 (44:26):
Okay, that's what I thought you're gonna say.

Speaker 1 (44:30):
That's the thing that so angry.

Speaker 2 (44:32):
I know. It was like that one.

Speaker 1 (44:34):
Thing Beyonce fan. I was like blowing My extensions were
blowing in the wind.

Speaker 2 (44:40):
Very good, very good.

Speaker 1 (44:42):
You get a good to Cody, you know. And I
was watching for Disney. I was dead, Remember when I
was like, I can't do another ground this.

Speaker 2 (44:52):
You know what. As hard as like as hard as
Britney Week was, I actually think that Disney Week was
even harder because we were so exhausted and we had
to learn two dances and we learned I learned them
literally on my terraces on zoom because we still were
not cleared to go back into the ballroom until Saturday days,

(45:14):
like a few days before we like were gonna be
day before klacking. So I literally had to learn of
Unie walls and a jive by myself through zoom on
my terrace.

Speaker 1 (45:26):
Great, like they should have seen this one wasn't shown.
No one knew, No one knew.

Speaker 2 (45:30):
Yeah, And now, like looking back on it, I do
want to give myself a little bit grace because sometimes
I to those dances and I was like, oh, they
weren't that good. And I was like, but bitch, you
had to learn them via zoom and like through COVID,
So like give yourself a little bit of a break, a.

Speaker 1 (45:44):
Lot of a break, Like that's crazy, Cody, the fact
that you could, by the way, no one could ever
do that, not even you'd have to have dance experience
for you and be able to do this.

Speaker 2 (45:52):
Yeah, you did great. Even those dances. I think the
one that I hated the most was the quick step
on Greece.

Speaker 1 (45:58):
And I hated that dance fucking you know why I
hate it? How dare anyone let me? I had no
friends on that set, I mean I could not. You
cannot do a quick step for me, like with no skirt,
Like what am I thinking? Like? It just there's a reason,
And I still get so passionate about it. When I
watched these young's compete right now, and I'm like, yo,
we're the proper attire. There's a reason I had.

Speaker 2 (46:21):
No idea that was a thing, but go off, No.

Speaker 1 (46:23):
It is because like it, think about like a big
skirt will definitely make you look way better. No one
needs to see our feet, my feet and legs like
in my little like witch shoes, like not cute. It's
just not cute. But that was hard because not only
did they give us a jive after COVID, they also

(46:44):
gave us the quick step afterwards. I wanted to. I
wanted to. I think I almost died.

Speaker 2 (46:48):
Actually, okay, my least favorites. But going back, and maybe
you'll talk about this, but like the fact that we
were it didn't really click into me that we were
getting so many votes that sometimes the scoring didn't matter.
And I think that's also why they gave us some
low scores at times until the semi finals, when we

(47:09):
literally felt like I remember, I remember that after Fainted Tango,
we both kind of just like we kind of accepted
our fate, like our doom. We were just like, Okay,
it's been been nice, it's been great. We had a
good run.

Speaker 1 (47:24):
You're so positive about it because you literally wanted to end.

Speaker 2 (47:28):
I was. I was kind of like, all right, I'm
ready to go.

Speaker 1 (47:31):
Like this, yeah, because you would have gotten paid throughout regardless.

Speaker 2 (47:34):
Well I wouldn't have gotten the final chat.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
But yeah, I would have what everyone does.

Speaker 2 (47:40):
Okay, great, well I yeah, I kind of was just
like accepted my fate. And then when we did, when
we never made it to the bottom, and like we
got to the finale because it was like two people
like Daniella had gone and then I think Amanda maybe.

Speaker 1 (47:54):
Not Amanda, it was between Amanda and Shojo last no no,
meaning like they were in the bottom for sure, because
we got saved. And then everyone's face was like there
was like silence in the ballroom because Jojo, I thought
we were going home.

Speaker 2 (48:08):
And then when they called your they called our name,
we like fainted a little bit, like we audibly gassed.

Speaker 1 (48:12):
No.

Speaker 2 (48:13):
No, Because this is my theory, had we been in
the bottom, we would have gone home.

Speaker 1 (48:17):
So we got back. Then judges chose.

Speaker 2 (48:20):
Right, the judges chose yes, yes, not anymore. Yeah, oh
I see, So had we gotten called had we been
in the bottom.

Speaker 1 (48:27):
Too, been home? Fucked? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (48:29):
We were third to be called into the finale, So
we were good. I think it was iman Jojo and
then us, and then it was Amanda and somebody else
in the bottom. Yeah, Jojo was second.

Speaker 1 (48:41):
Got it, got it, got it, got it.

Speaker 2 (48:42):
That's when I knew that we were getting a lot
of votes, because I was like, how did we make
it to the finale with such low scores? And and
I and I actually just told I just talked about
this on my on my podcast Tackle Pettito. How how
literally the only people cheering for us when we made
it were my four friends that were.

Speaker 1 (48:58):
In the room. More people.

Speaker 2 (49:00):
They were so loud.

Speaker 1 (49:01):
But then wait, I'm going to add, not sure Leah
Remedy was there cheering for us.

Speaker 2 (49:05):
Okay, so five I didn't know that was so good? Okay, good?

Speaker 1 (49:09):
Yeah, no they were. And people were just floored, like floored,
they were just like, what's up? I mean I fell
to the floor anyways, Okay, wait, let's talk about our freestyle.
When did the music clear? Finally? I don't like a
day before camera blocking?

Speaker 2 (49:29):
Oh yeah, because we weren't sure if it was going
to get Yeah, I forgot, but.

Speaker 1 (49:33):
I have to say I wish I would have done
a better job with well, this is the thing with ballroom.
It is like there's there was rules, right. This is
when Len Goodman was a judge, and nowadays you could
do a quick step and just like do a freestyle.
You could literally do your freestyle and you would be
called like everything would be positive. It'd be like eights, nines, tens.
But back then, I just it's it's interesting because I

(49:56):
wanted to bring out that personality in you. But then
also there's restrictions, right, so it's like it was I think.

Speaker 2 (50:01):
I think for the freestyle, you kind of are like, hey,
he has bad he has dance background, let him shine
and let him do his thing. And I think it
worked out really well.

Speaker 1 (50:08):
So and I needed to study because I was like,
I don't know how the hell to dance like this,
but I thought it was perfect for the finale round.

Speaker 2 (50:14):
That's so much fun.

Speaker 1 (50:15):
Let's do rapid fire.

Speaker 2 (50:16):
Do you remember, though, do you remember my shoe getting
caught in the in the moon? Remember the moon? There
was like a moon shaped thing that I was in
the sky. As we landed, I couldn't get my foot
out and I was freaking out.

Speaker 1 (50:29):
How I mean that was no one's ever done a
freestyle like that to this day. Have you been watching
this new season?

Speaker 2 (50:36):
I watched, I watched like a few things. I watched
a lot of last season, but I haven't. I haven't
started this season yet.

Speaker 1 (50:41):
What do you think of Anna Deelvi?

Speaker 2 (50:44):
You know what, here's the thing like, Obviously, sometimes I
like things for the bit and the plot. I just like,
I like rooting for the villain in a reality show,
and she cast They cast her as the villain, So
sometimes I like reading for her. But her her exit
speech was icon if I'm going to be.

Speaker 1 (51:02):
Nothing nothing, Listen, I get I get that. I get
her defense mechanism is to be dry and sarcastic. But
you can't just show that and only that for people
to like if you're trying to warm people's hearts.

Speaker 2 (51:14):
Listen, they they wanted the press, they wanted the I
don't think this.

Speaker 1 (51:20):
Yeah, no, the press they got.

Speaker 2 (51:21):
And they got the press, and she got her check
and she's on her way.

Speaker 1 (51:25):
Okay, quickly, rapid fire. What's the one thing about Dancing
with the Stars that no one talks about but every
contestant should know?

Speaker 2 (51:31):
Oh oh there's tons, just like I think more soinly
just the emotional the emotional wear and tear. It's a
lot you have to you have to remove yourself from
people's opinions, even the judges. And just like I wish
I you know, I wish I had more I wish
I allowed myself to have more fun.

Speaker 1 (51:49):
Do you believe the judge's critiques are scripted or and
or do they play favorites?

Speaker 2 (51:55):
I don't think. I don't think that they play favorites.
I think they are scripted because it's a reality TV
show and that one element that they can that they
can control to create a narrative. So yes, Like I
will always say this, Like the biggest victim on our
season of like the scores being part of the narrative
was Melsey. They wanted they gave her a bad score

(52:15):
so that Olivia could like they could choose Olivia over her,
and that it would be.

Speaker 1 (52:18):
Press Do you know what I'm saying, Oh, because of
that elimination.

Speaker 2 (52:22):
Yeah, yeah, I think that like they understood her so
that they would that she would get eliminated.

Speaker 1 (52:28):
I hate that she had a terrible time. What's one
backstage secret about dancing that should shock viewers if they knew? Hmm,
that would shock Sorry, I don't know, come on, maybe
like it could be light, it could be dark, it
could be traumatizing.

Speaker 2 (52:47):
I I feel I always say this, like I always
thought people were nasty about Tyra Banks and I loved
Tyra Banks, Like, I don't know, people people were always
like hating on her. I was like, I think she's fears.

Speaker 1 (52:57):
Yeah, they were there.

Speaker 2 (52:59):
They were mean to her. Also, I feel like maybe
it's not talked about enough, the disconnect between the relationship
of the judges, the contestants, and the pros, Like they're
judges are so siloed from the experience and it's almost
like heart You're you're on a TV show with them,
but you never get to connect with them.

Speaker 1 (53:16):
Did you ever fake a smile after a performance knowing
deep down you hated how it went.

Speaker 2 (53:22):
I don't know if I faked a smile, but do
you know what you know? It gave me anxiety every
time after a dance, from the anxiety, from the anxiety
and from like sweating and working out. My mouth was
so dry, it was so dry, and they'd asked me
questions and I was like, I don't I can't even
speak right now, Like my mouth won't even open because

(53:43):
it's so dry.

Speaker 1 (53:44):
No, remember when you cried it was so sweet that
after the first dance. Yeah, is that the overwhelming emotions
that were just running through your body.

Speaker 2 (53:52):
The crying was one thing. The dry mouth and not
being able to speak as.

Speaker 1 (53:56):
There were there any weeks where you thought the elimination
was unfair? And who do you think should have gone
on home instead?

Speaker 2 (54:01):
Oh? Yeah, I think I don't maybe them, maybe the
Melse moment, but it was just not good. It wasn't good.
I don't think she should have been in the bottom
to begin with. But Olivia did do better than her,
so I will say that, like they did keep the

(54:21):
right person, but I think they put her in that
scenario so that she would go home and they would
be pressed.

Speaker 1 (54:26):
Which pro dancer other than me? Did you secretly wish
you would you could switch to half halfway through the season.
You know, we used to do switch up week where
we would switch partners. Oh was so fun. I thought
it was healthy for the partners.

Speaker 2 (54:38):
Well, I definitely would have loved to dance with a
guy just just for the experience and they need to
do love. I loved well, I would have loved to
dance with gleb.

Speaker 1 (54:48):
Or Valle to be honest, would have whipped your ass
into show.

Speaker 2 (54:51):
You know, well, technically Changela is a man, so like
they did have a boy on boy but they covered
it with a wig. So you know, That's what I'm
going to say on that.

Speaker 1 (55:01):
I just think, like body wise, like just from the
outside looking in, I think, well, how tall are you
taller than Gleb?

Speaker 2 (55:08):
I'm he's a I might be a little bit taller.
Oh maybe they've done a like a male presenting man
and a male pro on Strictly, but they haven't done
it on Dancing with Stars yet.

Speaker 1 (55:19):
And it was amazing on Strictly.

Speaker 2 (55:20):
By the way, it's amazing yea.

Speaker 1 (55:22):
Who do you think should do it like a celebrity
wise and pro wise next season if they do it.

Speaker 2 (55:27):
Gleb always said that he wanted and he I mean,
he danced with Changela, so he always said he would
be willing to do.

Speaker 1 (55:33):
I don't think.

Speaker 2 (55:33):
I think partnership.

Speaker 1 (55:35):
Yeah, but Val is too. I heard an interview he
said he was awesome.

Speaker 2 (55:39):
I love that. I don't know who would be a
good celebrity for that. I don't know, trying to think
of people like in the zeit guys like queer people
in the zeit guys that would be like I.

Speaker 1 (55:49):
What I loved about by the way strictly did it.
They had too like real like I don't know, their
tango was amazing. I watched that ship and it was
just like and you don't have to like there's not
really the gender that plays. It's like it's kind of
like what they did was very clever because they went
from like one time it was like the leading steps,
and then they would switch throughout within the routine, you know.

(56:12):
So and it wasn't like what people may think in
America that it was. You know, it wasn't like one
guy wore skirt, Like no, that's not what it was.

Speaker 2 (56:19):
Like that would look good, Like that would look great.

Speaker 1 (56:25):
It would so be so powerful. Pasa doble would be
like a sword fight.

Speaker 2 (56:29):
It would be Amazingas was my favorite dance.

Speaker 1 (56:32):
It was really good. And you know what I have
to say, yours also was still good. Regardless by the
way everyone misses hand connections. Okay, I just want you
to know.

Speaker 2 (56:39):
That, See, my favorite dance was Pasa dobla. Looking back
on the Chaschaw, the Halloween Taschaw, that one was actually really.

Speaker 1 (56:45):
Good okay, fan questions, and then we're done at Shakti Herbalism.
What was the hardest part of the season for you
that nobody really knew about? I mean, obviously I know.

Speaker 2 (56:58):
I don't think I maybe because I didn't live in
La it did feel a little. I don't even think
it's the fact that I didn't live in La. You
feel so removed from your family, your friends, your social life.
You're living this like twenty four seven that you don't
have a life. And I think also the hardest part
was like I wasn't working out and I wasn't eating right,

(57:20):
so I really didn't feel feel good about myself. Like
everyone I've said this before, like I feel like some
people like Dancing with the Stars you're in the best
shape of your life. I was in the worst shape
of my life because I wasn't working out and I
was eating garbage.

Speaker 1 (57:33):
Well that's the thing like with women that we say
that maybe because we lose so much weight, you know,
when we're doing it. It's different. For me, it was
bad at Leah Salloway fourteen. Unlike Annadelvi, who took away nothing,
What did you take away from Dancing with the Stars?

Speaker 2 (57:48):
I think just a reminder that I'm like so resilient
and no matter what's thrown at me, like I'm always
going to figure out and persevere and succeed at you know, I.

Speaker 1 (57:58):
Hear you going on with your life now are you
your single? Happy, striving? But then like your podcast, how's
that doing?

Speaker 2 (58:07):
Yeah? I mean I released my podcast Tackle Pettiness one
of my best friend Andrew Japelle. It's who a Riot.
We have a lot of fun. I'm focused on my
peloton rides. My book came out a year ago now
it's in paperback on it and audible, thank you great plug.
And honestly, you know, I'm like kind of in this
season of saying no a little bit more and giving

(58:27):
myself a lot more space to be just like be
boring and take care of myself. And sometimes that that
means saying no to to opportunities and that's okay, Like
what is meant for me is going to be for me,
And I got.

Speaker 1 (58:43):
To just trust that mass singer or Traders? Which one
would you do?

Speaker 2 (58:46):
Traders? Oh my god, I'd love to do Traders. But
here's the thing.

Speaker 1 (58:49):
I I would not last very long because I'm a
horrible liar, I'm a horrible liar. Well maybe you wouldn't
be a trader though, and mask.

Speaker 2 (58:57):
Singer, I can't hold a note, so nobody wants that.
Love you, Thank you you soon, okay.

Speaker 1 (59:07):
Okay, and that's the wrap. As always, don't forget to
Please take a moment to rate and review this episode
wherever you're currently listening to it, no matter if you've
done so a million times already, as it's key to
the podcast success. Your feedback and support is invaluable. Make
sure to drop in on Wednesday as I recap the
latest episode of Dancing with the Stars, and we will

(59:27):
see you again on Friday for headlines. Until next time,
love you guys. Bye,