September 29, 2024 • 38 mins
Tamra and Dan interview the professional dancer and Mirrorball champion from Dancing with the Stars... Cheryl Burke!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, everybody. I'm Tamra Judge and I'm Dan Geesling and
you're listening to Talking a Big Game. Hey, guys, welcome
back to another episode of Talking a Big Game with myself,
Tamra Judge.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
And Dan Geesling. Really excited to be here today.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Dan, yes, a Michigan boy in La for Is this
the first time?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, I spent some time here for Big Brother. I've
come to LA but I don't Oh.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
You filmed Big Brother in La Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Studio city. But I don't know how you pull this
off because I was taking the car, the Uber from
the airport. Yeah here, yeap, and it's like ten miles.
I'm like, in Michigan, that's twenty minutes, man. Yeah, tops.
And we're halfway there an hour. It's an hour halfway there.
We're getting there and like I get cars sick. So
I'm about two and a half miles out and I
(00:49):
tell the Uber driver like I'm good, and he kind
of looked at me like I'm crazy. He's like, what
do you mean you're good? I'm like, I'm gonna walk
the rest of the way, and I just I just
had your luggage with you. My luggage with me because
I'm not high made. Just like I can't sit in traffic,
I can walk and beat this car there and be
happier and help you beat it.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I did.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I beat them?
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Oh my gosh. So last night Dan and I went
out to dinner, Eddie wrote as harleyan to meet Dan.
I was like, do you want to meet Dan or
do you want to know? Is it to find out
who this guy is it's doing a podcast with my
wife or was it generally you wanted to come have
dinner with us?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Well?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
My thing was before we got to dinner, like we're walking,
you know, it was ten minutes from a hotel, and
there's like two or three people yelling out of cars
as we're driving by Damnar Judge, I love you, and
I'm like, I know Tamar's big, but like there's like
it doesn't end and like the funniest thing Eddie like
didn't even react. Just another day at the office.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Dan, I'm kind of a big deal. I mean, I'm
just kidding. Yeah, it's crazy like in Orange County, like
I'll get the you know, occasional wave, but when I'm
in La because I'm not here that often, they're.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Like like losing their minds.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
It's I mean, it's very grateful. But today we have
a special guest. It is Cheryl Burke, who became the
first female professional dancer to win ABC's Dancing with the Stars,
taking home the season two Mirrorball Trophy in two thousand
and six with their celebrity partner Drew Lasche. Burke earned
her second consecutive Dancing with the Stars trophy on season
(02:19):
three with their celebrity partner Emmett Smith. So let's go
ahead and get Cheryl in here.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Hi, Hi, thanks for having means.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Have you met Dan before?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
I think?
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Wait, how do I know you?
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Big?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
He was on Big Big Brother I've never seen Big Brothers. Traders?
You he was on Traders. Traders. Yes, that's it.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Nice to meet you, Nice to beat you. So a
fan of the both of you? Oh, I know you already.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
I'm a fan of you. We had Max in the
studio who was on Traders with us.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yes, I saw that.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Yes, he's amazing. Now is Trader something that you would
ever do? Totally? Absolutely? I freaking love that show?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Are you kidding? I'm a huge fan.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Well I might have some connections, but oh really, I
just need you to answer this question.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Okay, sure, sure, I'm ready for it.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
How does one get cast on Dancing with the Stars.
I'm just asking for a friend.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
The same way that they get cast on Traders. Oh,
I'm like hello, I mean yeah, the person who casts
you own Traders. You should talk to that.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Person, I know, right. I mean, actually, dancing the start
is probably my biggest nightmare because I can't dance?
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Would you want to do it?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I always like a challenge in dancing. No, but this
is a.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Different This is different. Okay, this is like Survivor meets
Dancing with the Stars, except wait, can you explain water
once a week? Really?
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Can you explain that to me? Why do you say
that it's seven days a week? Okay, it's not the glitter,
I mean it's not. Look, it's full on. It's like
you have to learn a new dance in three days.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
It's not one. It's not in a week. You don't
have a full week to learn a dance because you've
got to turn in your dance so that the director
can choreograph the cameras. It's a whole thing, and it's
physically and ment to lead challenging, and it's really about
if you're ready to which I know you are. You're
very open and vulnerable. But if you're not ready for that,
(04:08):
like this is gonna you're just gonna have a horrible time.
Like you have to strip it all down and be
ready to look stupid, to feel stupid. You gotta trust
your partner from the moment you say Hi, nice to
meet you, and that's it. Like, don't question your partner
because they obviously have your best interest in it. It's
a whole psychological thing.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
How long is a typical practice, So you said you
practice seven days a week when you're in the studio dancing,
how long is a practice for a complete beginner like
someone like myself or Tam like when you're on the show.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah, well so they only allow four hours, but we
will take you elsewhere and get your shit together because
four hours ain't gonna cut it. Like, so we do extra.
I mean, people cheat all that. Like, there's no way
that the quality of dancing that you see is done
in four hours with interviews with all of that stuff
that we need to do for television. So I mean, honestly,
back in the day when there was no rules, I
(05:00):
was eight to ten hours a day easily.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Holy hell, that's why everybody comes out so snatched and
skinny and acts and everything and secho see a therapist
at geez all that dancing and you're like burning more
calories and you're actually taken in.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah, it's the stress and anxiety of the show. I
think too, because it's like and who wants to dance
on a full stomach and then be up in someone's
girl like smelling like girlic.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Oh god, that's very true.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
How much would you have to push your partners so
I know you've had a lot of athletes, would you
have to push them to go extra? And how much
of that was you playing the role of like psychologist
slash coach to get them to where they needed.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
To be with every partnership.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
I was definitely that as far as they're you know,
we're their backbone, right as far as these celebrities go,
because like they don't know what is right, what is wrong,
what looks good, what doesn't look good? Like I could
tell them to put a clown hat on and they
have to do it like they just got you, and
to shimmy and shake their ass off until the music stops,
(05:58):
like whatever I say, And if you fight it. It's
it's just going to be a problem, right, Like there's
just no way. But as far as athletes, I never
really had to push them. Actually, Emmett Smith, that dude
behind me, he actually put me in my place, which
mad respect because anyone that can do that, I'm like, oh, okay,
you have boundaries, shit okay. But he was like, I'm
(06:20):
only giving you four hours a day, and he wanted
back then he was with his now ex wife, but
like he had a family, you know, and it's and
it easily could you could fall in this rabbit hole
of just like honestly, the family's second priority because like
the demands of the show is so intense. But we
traveled back and forth every week from Dallas to la
He gave me four hours. But the difference between Emmett
(06:43):
and let's say, any other person I dance with is
that you can tell he took my direction and rehearsed
it in his head and at home he ate he
like it was breathing this stuff, you know, constantly. Twenty
four seven, and he came into the studio the next
day improved, And that's all that matters. I don't give
a shit if you give me thirty seconds of your time.
Like the most important rehearsal is what you use, like
(07:04):
the downtime, right, Like are you memorizing your steps so
we don't have to freaking go over this again for
the millionth time? Like you've got to do the work.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
I would be a nightmare for any dancer trying to
teach me.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Are you sure? Are you not being hard on yourself?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
No?
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Are you share with dancer?
Speaker 3 (07:20):
No? No, It was not about the dancing and the ability.
We can teach that, but it's about your mental ability.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Oh, my mental abilities.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
There.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
I've done a fitness I've done a fitness competition. I
train all the time, but I just have two left feet.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
You'd be great.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Then, Oh okay, then let's do it.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
It was fine, and you come.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Out of my partner. Have you ever had two girls
dance together?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
They did?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
They did?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
See well yeah Jojo see one Jenna?
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Oh that's right, that's right. Yeah. So you won the
trophy when.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Nineteen twenty, nineteen twenty with Emmett, right, yeah, Emmett Andrew Lache,
when you.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Came out back to back, I mean, and to have
that much success early on, did that set the stage
for you, like, I'm going to win this thing every year?
How did you keep that in perspective?
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It just was a downwards downhill will spiral from there,
I mean, if as far as results go. But I
had no expectations, and I think that's why I was
so successful, because there's that whole thing right when you
grip too hard and you really want something so bad
you just don't get it. But it's when you really
go in and have no expectations. I was going to
go back to Harlem, where I was competing with my
(08:25):
partner at that time professionally in the circuit of ballroom dancing.
But you know, it's interesting because, as I continued, I've
done twenty six seasons of this show. It's such a
great learning experience as well, because when you become or
when I at least become competitive and I want something
(08:46):
so much, it ain't gonna happen like it has to
be for the right intention. It has to literally, it's
not the end all be all, not curing cancer like
it's just another mirror ball. But also what's interesting too,
is because I've done it and approached each season differently,
and I've learned a lesson every single time. But when
I don't make it about my celebrity partner, for example,
(09:09):
and it's like me wanting it more than anything, it's
like that doesn't work right.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
It's like dancing with the Stars. Max said something exactly
the same. He says, when I started, it was more
like here I am, and it wasn't he learned. It
wasn't about him, it was about you know, whoever he
was training at the times.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
That the antithesis of how professional dancing is. Though, So
outside of Dancing with the Stars, if you want to
go win a competition, isn't it like that where it's
like it's got to be about you and you have
to do that, and this is teaching you. It's not
like that.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
It's you know, ballroom is it takes two right, So
it's a partner dancing, so in that sense, like you
can't just care about yourself, right in that sense, Like
I think what's so beautiful about ballroom dancing is the
gravity that two people can make with one another and
the power of the execution within that, as opposed to
(10:02):
like solo dancing, like what you see on so you
think you can dance, but still like you walk into
a ball dance competition. I mean there's egos.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I mean I have one.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
We all have an ego, right, it's just a matter
of like how obvious.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Anybody that's on a stage. Sure on anybody that's there. Yeah,
they all. We all have egos an ego. Yeah, some
worse than others.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
We all want a standing ovation. Let's just be freaking real.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
So you had said that you've been on twenty you
were twenty six seasons. How many seasons a year do
you do because there's no way you did this for
twenty five years.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Oh yeah, I'm like ninety five years old.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Yeah, I you look great for ninety five.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Thanks, it's the Asian. No, we did two seasons a year.
I would say the first few year years, at least
like ten years we did two seasons a year. So
I started when I was twenty one. I'm forty, but
I'm obviously no longer on the show for the last
couple of years.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
But yeah, we did.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Starting season three, we did two seasons a year. I
mean the show was huge. We had Super Bowl ratings.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, that's crazy. Do you miss it? Of course, of
course I miss it.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
I don't necessarily miss the I mean I don't necessarily
miss the training because it's always a hit and miss, right,
Like unless if it's like I have, you know, obviously
my few that I just loved, Because for me, it's
not so much if you can dance, it's about our
if I like you as a person, like to be
quite honest, because at the end of the day, if
I don't like you as a person, this is going
to be miserable. Like it's just going to be a
(11:25):
miserable experience and vice versa. By the way, I'm sure
a lot of my partners didn't like me.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Is there a certain age no everybody loves you? Is
there a certain age for the for the professional dancers
on Dance with the Stars where you like tap out, Like,
is it you can just keep from everybody?
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Is it like if Karina Smirnoff was still on the show,
she would be just as good. Like there's certain people
that will never the age, Like at ninety nine, she's.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Still going to do a killer rumble walk. So it's
not It's not like baseball or another sport where it
is is it like when you're like, oh, you're you're
forty your way doll to be playing football?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Like but then you know, I think if you're competing
at the competitive level, yes, but when you're doing Dancing
with the Stars, I don't think it matters.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Yeah, it just depends on your confidence level when you're
in those skimpy costume. Is it going to take a
toll on your mental health? Is the pressure? It's just
so much as you know that goes behind it was
there like a body image, like you ever felt like
oh I have to be so skinny or you have
to keep your weight, like modeling where you you know,
everyone's got to be so skinny and you have to
(12:30):
wear these skimpy outfits. Like was it so much pressure
to keep your weight under a certain Sure? Yeah, but
it wasn't pressure from outside. It was pressure from I
mean for me at least, like when I you know,
on my podcast, I had someone on one of the
older pro dancers that's no longer there, who said that
she did feel pressure from the executives. Now for me,
I think I was so hard on myself already that
(12:51):
there was no need from that. But I also got blasted,
like for being too fat for television when you know,
there was a couple of people cast members that you
know basically said that I was a little bit overweight.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Wait, like your follow like competitors said that on the
show off.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Wow, I mean I wouldn't like in the press line
like and also obviously I'm not going to mention names,
but like it is, what's the past, and we're all
like have made amends and all of it. It's all good.
But like even prior to Dancing with Stars though, I
just want to be clear that my dance coach was
I had weigh ins, you know, as if I was
a boxer. So it's like I was on this thing
called like the Hollywood Diet, and it was like liquid,
(13:31):
it was like orange juice. I was like, of course,
I'm gonna have to pee every two seconds. And I mean,
anyone that's just drinking.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
The way orange juice is filled with sugar.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Tell me about it. I know this was like in
the nineties.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
So, so after you were retired from Dancing with the Stars,
did you start your podcast pretty quick after that?
Speaker 3 (13:58):
So this time last year? So no, it was like
I would say, did I retire twenty twenty two and
November of twenty twenty two, I started my podcast this
time last year.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Okay, now when we met in Napa. We were doing
a podcast together. I didn't meet there. Yeah, we didn't
meet there, but we I know, we didn't meet. They
were actually met for the first time. I think it
was like jingle Ball or something like a long time ago,
long time ago.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
And then of course we've seen each other at iHeart events,
you know, all the time. I just remember seeing you
for the first time, like, oh my god, that's Cheryl Burke.
Oh my god. And Teddy's over there, like hey Cheryl,
I'm like, you know her. I was like, oh my god,
it was It was pretty amazing.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
That's really sweet of you. And I feel like I
bonded with you right away because you're so open. We
don't do small talk, do we.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Now, we don't do small talking, you know what. One
thing that was so amazing that you've been so open
and honest about your sobriety and your journey with that,
and I just applaud you for that. I keep saying
I'm not going to drink anymore. I'm not going to
drink anymore. And then you know, you go to a
dinner and I'm like, well, I'll have a glass. Why.
It's very hear you. It's very difficult for me. I'm
(15:05):
not a big drinker. But when I do drink, especially
like on the show or something, because I get nervous,
then I'm just a big old asshole. So I've decided, like, Okay,
I'm not very aware. I'm very aware. I'm very aware.
Like I'm like, no, I'm not an alcoholic, but I am.
I'm not a I'm a bad drunk, is what. I am.
A bad drunk. So I keep saying, you know what,
because my husband hardly drinks it all, he rarely will
(15:29):
drink ever since, y, you're not an addict. No, no, no, no,
I know. But I just the simple thought like Eddie's
like we should just because he hardly drinks, and said,
but he's like that we should just not drink at all.
It's like not good for you. It's putting there just
too much pressure in your body. And then I thought,
oh my god. As soon as you tell me that,
I'm like, oh, can I drink?
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I start closet drinking, drink closet drunk.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yes. But I'm just saying it's not easy.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
It's not easy when you like, for me, I'm I'm
an addict, right, and I and I have you know,
been through the worst. And I'm great, I'm grateful that
I've been six years sober, but it really especially during
trying times like the last few years of like really
big changes that I've made in my life, I get
tested all the time. But I just know that for me,
(16:13):
and I'm sure it's not the same for you at all,
since you're not an addict. But if I ever did relapse,
I do know this one thing that I would go down.
I wouldn't stop, like because if I have broken that
trust and this in a way, it's competitive in a
odd way with myself, Like I've gone six years without
a single drop, So if I broke that, I'd be like,
(16:36):
e f it, Like we're just going to do it.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
And I said, it's six years sober, And you said,
there's been trying times. What has allowed you to be
successful in those moments when it could have gone either way?
Because obviously it's not an easy thing to do.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
No, it's a good question. It's sometimes just trying to
be present. But just like not promising that I'm never
going to drink again, because that for me is overwhelming,
Like to say that I'm never drinking ever again. In
my whole life, like I can't. I don't know what
the future holds, like none of us do, right, and
so sometimes you just have to take your life one
one second, if that's what it is, one second at
(17:12):
a time, and that feeling, like feelings do, they come
and go, will soon go away, especially if I'm just
living with whatever's unfolding in front of my eyes, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
So in the moment when you have that urge, you
just you pause.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I go straight to productivity, my socially acceptable drug. I
just work like I'm working. I have the longest to
do list at No.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
One.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
So that's like my new drug. It's it's definitely productivity, right,
and I think it's most of America's drug. But that's fine.
I'll just talk about myself. But like I am a
busy woman, you are a busy therapist. Was like, can
you sit? I'm like, I say that I meditate, but
I haven't lately because I'm clearly numbing something. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
So we know that you have your podcast Sexialize and
Bret hands.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Correct and I can't wait till you come on after
you do a season.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Get me on, girl, get me. I don't know how
long I'll last but I'll try my heart at.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
One step at a time, like my sobriety exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
So you have your podcast, are you still dancing? I
think there was a time that you had dance studios
as well. A long yeah, there was one I think
that popped up in my neighborhood in Orange County. Yes, yes,
I remember that. It's in a strip mall. It wasn't
a strip mall right next to my jeweler, right by
(18:35):
the CBS, so there's never there. Definitely didn't work, so well,
there goes that.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
But yeah, my mom wanted to open up a whole
franchise and I was like, Mom, like, it's called Cheryl
Burke Dance and Cheril Brooke's never going to be there,
like this is gonna work right like and it didn't.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
So not only do you have a podcast, you're a
professional dancer, but you're also an advocate for mental health,
and I mean in a very seasoned podcaster as well.
What made you talk about mental health because it's something
that a lot of people do not want to talk.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
About when it comes to mental health in general. I
think that well, selfishly, I mean I just talked to
Ginger Z on my podcast, and she wrote two books
about you know, being raped, getting abortions and like a
lot of trauma that happened to her, and even hearing
her story still inspires me. And I just know that
it's a lonely place mental health, right because there is
(19:35):
the stigma, and we do get lost in our heads,
in our thoughts, and we start to believe our thoughts,
and then it shapes who we are today, to be
quite honest, and we define ourselves. And I can say
I'm not just like preaching for everyone, but I still
am working through the fact that I define myself by
my what happened to me in my past, and it's
up to us to change the story like it is,
(19:57):
and we can still we don't have to ignore what happened.
And I don't think that's healthy either, But I think
talking about it selfishly is healing, but also really does
is so cliche, but it does help others feel like
they're not alone, and that's the thing. Rye there.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
I'm sure you get tons of emails, people reaching out
on Instagram wanting to talk to you about it as well.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
I'm all for I'm not a certified therapist by any means,
not even close, but I've been in therapy in my
whole life.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Sure, let me ask this because I want to like Pivot,
because I love the gamesmanship behind a lot of shows
and something like dancing, something like Dancing with the Stars.
You're on it for twenty six seasons, and so at
some point I would have to imagine there's like a metagame, right,
Like you've clearly displayed how competitive you are. Is there
what kind of things did you learn throughout the twenty
(20:47):
six seasons that you could do that would output a
better outcome for you, Whether it's how you played the
audience for votes or would you mess with other competitors?
Was there anything what would you do to get a
leg up in this you know, cutthroat dancing competition.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
I would say the reason for my success, like I
mentioned earlier, in a way, is that I focused on
making my celebrity shine and not myself. I learned that
from the get go, Like I learned that from day one,
and I never it never crossed my mind to showcase myself.
And I think that's what that's why I was so successful.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
And then so that you've had a super long career,
I mean twenty six seasons of anything is insane, Like
that's incredible, which is.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Odd friends, maybe right, right, yeah, so that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
But for you, like now that you look back on that,
you've been on television for twenty six seasons, You've done
so much for you at this stage in your life,
what does success mean to you now reminiscing but also
in the future.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Oh, you're getting deep. Yeah, I was going to say that.
Damn good question.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Well, success is for me, failure, like there is no
success without failures.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Gave me goose bumps, honestly.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
Because like on it, can you imagine if there was
if no one failed, you.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Wouldn't learn it? What the hell is six? What is success?
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Then?
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Like there is no there really has to be. It
has to be black and white. And I didn't know
that and there's no such thing. And now I get
it when people say, or the gurus say, there's no
such thing as perfection, because like that is just our
own perception of what perfection is. And that's not even perfect,
by the way, because there is no definition of that
and there's not one way to be perfect. So when
you like really make peace with that, right, And for me,
(22:28):
it had to be when I retired because like obviously,
like you live in a bubble, like as I'm sure
you have experienced as well when your other shows that
you've done, but like it, it's there is no peripheral
like and it's end all, be all, and the mirror
of the nasty mirror ball is what we're like buying
for Okay, we're not getting in a new car or
(22:49):
new house.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
So it does help if.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
You've been on twenty six seasons. There's no for sure
cash price, though you still get paid, okay, but it's
a like my first two balls were made from a
lamp shade, like.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
This is nuts.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Maybe you need by a rat, like like what the
hell is happening here?
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Anyway?
Speaker 3 (23:09):
But it's not about that, right, So now I look
into because as I'm still doing a show about the
show I was on, or a podcast about the show
I was on. It's interesting because what I've learned now
with what success is is to be vulnerable, to let
your ego. First of all, is to take accountability over it. All, Right,
You've got to take accountability, and all you can do
(23:31):
is change yourself. And yet when I was on the show,
all I tried to do is change my celebrity.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
So when did you learn that? When did that? When
did that moment hit you? Like, this is what's what
success is to me, because it's not easy to push.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
Of. You know, I don't just believe me, I still
have one, Like, let's not get it twisted, like and uh,
it's very rare that I pushed my ego to the side.
But like when I do, it is it's like peace
is enjoy and just contentment, honestly for me, is what
I aim for, not even joy because that's just unattainable
most of the time. It's like feeling that calmness, which
(24:06):
I defined as boring back in my day. Just that calmness,
that calm without the chaos is really important in my
life and I think it's what's going to prolong my
life of peace and maybe once in a while happiness,
Like that's all I care about.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Yeah, what do you think has been your hardest obstacle
and how have you succeeded in getting through them?
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Mm hmm, artest obstacle? Would say, I mean, like my sobriety,
That's what I was saying. But I would say the
past two years it's not just one thing. It's the
fact that I divorced. I also decided to quit my job,
and then I also decided to move and I.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Did hear something you do that all at once.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
I don't know a lot more things. Supposedly, I would
have checked myself into the nearest psych world.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Yes, five things. You can't do that, right, waite? What
is the saying?
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Because someone just said this to me, I've never heard that.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I thought it was a huge Is it?
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Oh shit?
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Is it three? I thought it was five?
Speaker 4 (24:59):
What's the.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Oh? Yeah, if you if you reach five, then you're dead.
You're dead.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
No, I think it's five. I think it's five. Thank god.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Yeah, the end. I think I've met you right when
you were going through your divorce separated. Yeah, yeah, separated.
That was a pretty difficult thing for you to go through.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Yeah yeah, And you know now, I you know. I
still haven't dated. By the way, remember in my other podcast, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
You've never been.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
I have been on one one and done done. Like
this is the other thing I learned about myself that like,
until I changed the pattern within myself first of all,
and then learn to like love and respect myself, there's
no changing the men I end up being with because
I have to that really is all work that I
(25:45):
need to do in order for me to change the pattern.
And I'm still in the process of it. Don't judge me.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I would never judge you. But have you ever considered
writing a book, because I feel like.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Everything I had to write a book? Oh? You did
currently I did a long time ago. But I'm currently
doing my second book.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Oh awesome, gratulations on that. And is that going to
be about what you've gone through?
Speaker 3 (26:04):
Ye, this is just a continue. It is called choosing Me, which.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Is that is so amazing. I'm so happy for you.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
I mean, it's literally we have any worse in the
beginning stages. So I'll get to Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
But just hearing you talk and the things you're saying
and how inspirational you are, I thought, oh my god,
Cheryl needs to write a book about this.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Oh, thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
I'd buy it. I'd buy it. Then we'll have you
on twats right, we talk about it and we'll get those.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
We'll get those, Cheryl.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I have a couple more questions for you. So you
said one of the things you define success as is failure.
Can you tell us one of the last things you
fail that that you've ended up feeling good about.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Yeah, your marriage, just kidding, is there an echoing here? Divorced? Yeah,
getting rid of that hunter.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Actually I founded in that, Thank god I got out
right right.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
That is a excess success.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
It was in it that was kind of like, no,
I'm kidding, what was your question again?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
When was the last start? This fault?
Speaker 2 (27:10):
She just got how you find success as failure? What's
one of the last things you failed that and it
was a success, so you felt good about it?
Speaker 3 (27:17):
I would say, first of all, like this whole mammogram thing,
like I'm forty and I just kept pushing it off
and pushing it off and pushing it off. And I
hate doctors, and I'm sure everyone can relate, and I
would just you know, I'm like going to turn forty
one and then I still wouldn't have gotten a mammogram,
and like the excuses that I made, and I just
felt like a failure because I just didn't have the
(27:39):
balls to do it. Then I did it, and just
those little like goals that you know you achieve and
it's not little, it's your freaking health, like it's your body,
and to have that peace of mind, I just felt like,
was I deserve a gold star for that you do.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
And everything was fine. I saw you posted on Instagram about.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
That, thank God. But you see, like are my are
they can play tricks on us. And that's the thing.
It's like when people say, watch what you say out
loud because it will manifest or even like your thoughts.
I mean, that's something I have to be very aware
of because I am very self deprecating and that isn't
necessarily though it may I think it may be funny,
(28:19):
it's not right, Like you don't want you do want
to be careful with your words and what you put
out there.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Yes, so mine's not. I mean obviously on the show
I say a lot, then I probably wouldn't say and
real life, but for me, it's not what I'm saying,
it's what I'm thinking. I suffer from like intrusive thoughts.
So and it's and I know it and I tell
myself shut up, Like I have conversations in my head.
I don't know. Maybe I'm a little crazy. I don't know.
But it's like Eddie's, It's it's a daily thing. Eddie's like, oh,
I'm going to take my motorcycle out into my mind.
(28:45):
I'm like he's gonna crash, I'm gonna have to plan
a funeral, and how's it going to feel to be
a widow? And I mean, I go through all these scenarios.
I'm like, okay, enough, what am I doing this for?
It's so bizarre. I don't know. I probably should.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Saying about her husband just now. She's like I had
the worst intrusive thought, like and it was about her
husband's same thing.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
I do that with everything. If my daughter dies somewhere,
and it's like.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
I do it with green lights red lights on the traffic.
I'm like, okay, well, if it turns red right now,
that means I'm gonna you know, like I go crazy
up in my head, like it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
See what happens to me if I lose my keys
or I'm like late somewhere, I lost my phone. I'm like,
I was supposed to lose that because I was going
to get hit by a car if I don't leave,
like if I left on time. That's like, that's my intrution.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
That's a good way of thinking about that's not intrusive.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
That's like, yeah, that's truth.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
Surrendering, Yes, surrendering, that's like our acceptance, Like Okay, I
lost them. It's all right, because maybe I would have
gone an accident if I got my car earlier.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Wait, there's not one. But there's not one thought that
goes through your mind. You're like like mean to yourself.
You don't like get mad at yourself.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Oh, I'm I think we're all super I'm really hard
on myself. Like if I wake up five minutes late,
I miss a workout, I'm like, I'm like, it's like
a punching bag up there. I'm like totally yeah, but
I think everyone does that to some extent.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Do you come from a solid family background.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Yeah, I mean that's different. I'm talking.
Speaker 3 (30:05):
Find assassinating another time.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Is there a key to winning with the Stars? Is
there something that you can do you can tell your
partner when you're teaching them, like, this is the key
to winning.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Shut up and listen to me.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Just shut up and listen.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
I'm kidding. I do say this before we go live
every time. It's just it's just me, you and the music. Like,
don't think about anybody else because it's it really is.
This is the beauty of ballroom. It's it's two people
dancing with each other and people who are observing it.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Dance and you judges, but don't worry about it. Okay,
sharing with a person.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
But this is the thing, and this is my pet peeve.
When I watch people dance, when they dance to the camera,
I'm like, what what are you?
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Why are you winking at me? While I'm watching you,
like what what are you winking?
Speaker 3 (30:56):
What are you winking at? Like you have a hot partner,
do something like look at the like look at the
partner you're dancing with, And that for me, it just
gets me disconnected from you and your journey in two seconds.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
So can I ask of semi inappropriate question for so
on this show, like you're spending all this time and
you and other people like intimate time, like physically touching
each other. Does that like affect people's relationships that go
on the show? And yes, like what happens?
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Well that that's on you and the other person of
the relationship because it's like your your foundation better be
strong right coming into it. And this is why there's
this thing called the DWTS curse for all the bachelor
bachelorette folks that join because they had just gotten newly engaged,
they've been like hiding out because it hasn't aired yet,
and then they do Dancing with the Stars, like that
(31:50):
really tests you and a lot of them don't come
out the same.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Is there things that, like you would give advice to
people going on, like you, here's X you can do
to prevent that from happening outside of.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Like communication, dude, Like I mean, like we can't like
we're doing listen, we're there as your teachers, and you
have to have chemistry and people can people know when
it's fake. So like I just you got to find
it somewhere right. And I'm not saying it has to
be physical or disrespectful. You need to set boundaries too,
(32:24):
Like that's another thing there, Like with Emmett, like I said,
it was four hours and.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
That was it.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
He wasn't giving me more. So there was no after rehearsal.
There's no after hours, meaning at night time sometimes we rehears.
But also my suggestion to anyone who's in a relationship
that does Dancing with the Stars, involve your spouse. Like
I was again just talking to ginger Z. Her husband
was the loudest cheerleader. She he flew with her from
New York because she had to do Good Morning America.
(32:52):
So she was going back and forth, and not only
was he the loudest in the audience, but he was
a part of their packages. And mind you, this guy
is a solid man, like zero insecurity. Didn't express any jealousy,
like he's like literally she married God, I think. And
so I was just like so fascinated by this, And
I said, well, do you think this is the secret? Right?
(33:13):
So that like nothing gets kind of shaken up right
at home? And because like I don't think I could.
I don't think I can have my spouse try hump
somebody on care.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
I might have a problem with that, thank you, right,
I problem with that is you yeah, yeah, but like
and that has nothing to do with them.
Speaker 3 (33:31):
It has everything to do with us. Who has the problem?
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Right, Like in general, my wife Chelsea, I'm like, no,
I'm cool with that.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Would she let you cool?
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Would she be cool with you?
Speaker 2 (33:40):
I think so because she knows I'm a horrible dancer
and it would look weird.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Anyways, No, that's not about but you you asked a
question and it wasn't so much about the damn I spent.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
But I think what you said, I think is really
important involving the signific absolutely.
Speaker 3 (33:56):
Like it's not like bring your wife to work day,
but it's like, oh, it's just about it's a matter
of like how open and honest you are, you know,
and also like introduce them your arranged marriage, you know,
which is the pro partner versus like your real one
at home. I think it'sant communication. It really is that.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
This is kind of a stupid question. But when you
had with your partner, right you dance with do you
guys meet at the studio where you film Dance with
the Stars to practice or do you have your own
studio or jim that you train at. Is everybody training
together at the same time, Well.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
They have Dancing with the Stars studios. Now this is
why it's four hours because there's only so many of them.
And let's say you have ten couples that start the season,
so they have to spread everyone around. But this is
super like this is not allowed by any means, but
I do. I did secret rehearsals. I don't care. I'm
not gonna get in trouble now. But like I would
you're fired now, out of my own pocket. I would
(34:54):
rent studios and I would do it at a time
where there wasn't tons of people around, and I'd make
my celebrity can go there like you're not ready, like
you tell me you can foxtrot right now and you
know your steps without me go. You know, if you
can't do it, there's nothing worse in feeling insecure the
night of a live performance, like you might as well
find the nearest exit.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Sure, chare else You wrap things up here so you've
had an incredible career and continue to do things. I
want to ask you, though, if everything you know now
and how it's affected you as a person and affected
your life, if you could go back, would you go
through this ride again, these twenty six seasons? Would you
do it again?
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Why would you do it again?
Speaker 3 (35:34):
I mean this was like the highlight of my life,
you guys, as much as as much trauma and all
of it that came along with it, there's still nothing
like it. I would do it all over again instead
of But actually I'd set up a few boundaries.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
But yeah, yeah, with everything you've accomplished and writing the
book now and the podcast, is there something that you
want to do next?
Speaker 3 (35:56):
You know, honestly, what do I want?
Speaker 2 (35:58):
You?
Speaker 3 (36:00):
No? No, you know I do want This is going
to be random, but I would love there's a whole
another story of like my father, there's just so many
unanswered questions about people for example, and loved ones and
their death right and like some a lot of people
may not know they're real reason anyway, there's all this
(36:20):
like crime side of things, and I definitely had one
of those stories with my real father, and I believe
since you know the police situation and when it comes
to like it's a little slow, like let's just be honest, right,
like when people are trying to find loved ones or answers,
(36:41):
like you don't get answers right away. I think there's
a need for this and I would love to help
others because I would say that I'm a natural private investigator.
It just comes easy. I don't know if that's something
you developed, it's genetic or kidding, but like, yeah, anyway,
this is what I want to do, want to help
people and be of service, but in a way where
(37:03):
they get answers because it's like never because I still
don't have answers with how my father died. But that's
a whole other podcast.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Wow, that's interesting. That was not what I was expecting
or I'm like where No. I thought, I'm like when
you said, well, this is like random and I and
I'm like, she want to go to medical school. She
want to be a doctor, like a lawyer.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Like light bulbs firing off. I'm going to talk to
you when we're done wrapping.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Really, No, I just like I have lots of you know,
there's a lot of layers to my onion.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
Yeah, would you be interested in doing like a true
crime podcast?
Speaker 3 (37:36):
Totally? You know, I love this mic you sleep with it?
Speaker 1 (37:39):
How often do you podcast too much?
Speaker 3 (37:42):
Three days a week? Yeah, like today, this is two
out of the way. I just did one. We've got
four more episodes. Let's hit it and quit it.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
That's good though, you're killing it.
Speaker 3 (37:53):
You know you're killing it and we all know that.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
Well, congratulations, and thank you so.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
Much for coming on.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
Thanks for having me try not to work too hard whatever.
I'm going to go right back to it so I
don't have to feel my feeling.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
I'm sure I'll see you soon at some event.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
Yeah, sure, Thank you guys.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Bye bye,
Hi, everybody. I'm Tamra Judge and I'm Dan Geesling and
you're listening to Talking a Big Game. Hey, guys, welcome
back to another episode of Talking a Big Game with myself,
Tamra Judge.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
And Dan Geesling. Really excited to be here today.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Dan, yes, a Michigan boy in La for Is this
the first time?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, I spent some time here for Big Brother. I've
come to LA but I don't Oh.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
You filmed Big Brother in La Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Studio city. But I don't know how you pull this
off because I was taking the car, the Uber from
the airport. Yeah here, yeap, and it's like ten miles.
I'm like, in Michigan, that's twenty minutes, man. Yeah, tops.
And we're halfway there an hour. It's an hour halfway there.
We're getting there and like I get cars sick. So
I'm about two and a half miles out and I
(00:49):
tell the Uber driver like I'm good, and he kind
of looked at me like I'm crazy. He's like, what
do you mean you're good? I'm like, I'm gonna walk
the rest of the way, and I just I just
had your luggage with you. My luggage with me because
I'm not high made. Just like I can't sit in traffic,
I can walk and beat this car there and be
happier and help you beat it.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I did.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I beat them?
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Oh my gosh. So last night Dan and I went
out to dinner, Eddie wrote as harleyan to meet Dan.
I was like, do you want to meet Dan or
do you want to know? Is it to find out
who this guy is it's doing a podcast with my
wife or was it generally you wanted to come have
dinner with us?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Well?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
My thing was before we got to dinner, like we're walking,
you know, it was ten minutes from a hotel, and
there's like two or three people yelling out of cars
as we're driving by Damnar Judge, I love you, and
I'm like, I know Tamar's big, but like there's like
it doesn't end and like the funniest thing Eddie like
didn't even react. Just another day at the office.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Dan, I'm kind of a big deal. I mean, I'm
just kidding. Yeah, it's crazy like in Orange County, like
I'll get the you know, occasional wave, but when I'm
in La because I'm not here that often, they're.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Like like losing their minds.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
It's I mean, it's very grateful. But today we have
a special guest. It is Cheryl Burke, who became the
first female professional dancer to win ABC's Dancing with the Stars,
taking home the season two Mirrorball Trophy in two thousand
and six with their celebrity partner Drew Lasche. Burke earned
her second consecutive Dancing with the Stars trophy on season
(02:19):
three with their celebrity partner Emmett Smith. So let's go
ahead and get Cheryl in here.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Hi, Hi, thanks for having means.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Have you met Dan before?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
I think?
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Wait, how do I know you?
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Big?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
He was on Big Big Brother I've never seen Big Brothers. Traders?
You he was on Traders. Traders. Yes, that's it.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Nice to meet you, Nice to beat you. So a
fan of the both of you? Oh, I know you already.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
I'm a fan of you. We had Max in the
studio who was on Traders with us.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yes, I saw that.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Yes, he's amazing. Now is Trader something that you would
ever do? Totally? Absolutely? I freaking love that show?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Are you kidding? I'm a huge fan.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Well I might have some connections, but oh really, I
just need you to answer this question.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Okay, sure, sure, I'm ready for it.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
How does one get cast on Dancing with the Stars.
I'm just asking for a friend.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
The same way that they get cast on Traders. Oh,
I'm like hello, I mean yeah, the person who casts
you own Traders. You should talk to that.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Person, I know, right. I mean, actually, dancing the start
is probably my biggest nightmare because I can't dance?
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Would you want to do it?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I always like a challenge in dancing. No, but this
is a.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Different This is different. Okay, this is like Survivor meets
Dancing with the Stars, except wait, can you explain water
once a week? Really?
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Can you explain that to me? Why do you say
that it's seven days a week? Okay, it's not the glitter,
I mean it's not. Look, it's full on. It's like
you have to learn a new dance in three days.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
It's not one. It's not in a week. You don't
have a full week to learn a dance because you've
got to turn in your dance so that the director
can choreograph the cameras. It's a whole thing, and it's
physically and ment to lead challenging, and it's really about
if you're ready to which I know you are. You're
very open and vulnerable. But if you're not ready for that,
(04:08):
like this is gonna you're just gonna have a horrible time.
Like you have to strip it all down and be
ready to look stupid, to feel stupid. You gotta trust
your partner from the moment you say Hi, nice to
meet you, and that's it. Like, don't question your partner
because they obviously have your best interest in it. It's
a whole psychological thing.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
How long is a typical practice, So you said you
practice seven days a week when you're in the studio dancing,
how long is a practice for a complete beginner like
someone like myself or Tam like when you're on the show.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah, well so they only allow four hours, but we
will take you elsewhere and get your shit together because
four hours ain't gonna cut it. Like, so we do extra.
I mean, people cheat all that. Like, there's no way
that the quality of dancing that you see is done
in four hours with interviews with all of that stuff
that we need to do for television. So I mean, honestly,
back in the day when there was no rules, I
(05:00):
was eight to ten hours a day easily.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Holy hell, that's why everybody comes out so snatched and
skinny and acts and everything and secho see a therapist
at geez all that dancing and you're like burning more
calories and you're actually taken in.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah, it's the stress and anxiety of the show. I
think too, because it's like and who wants to dance
on a full stomach and then be up in someone's
girl like smelling like girlic.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Oh god, that's very true.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
How much would you have to push your partners so
I know you've had a lot of athletes, would you
have to push them to go extra? And how much
of that was you playing the role of like psychologist
slash coach to get them to where they needed.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
To be with every partnership.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
I was definitely that as far as they're you know,
we're their backbone, right as far as these celebrities go,
because like they don't know what is right, what is wrong,
what looks good, what doesn't look good? Like I could
tell them to put a clown hat on and they
have to do it like they just got you, and
to shimmy and shake their ass off until the music stops,
(05:58):
like whatever I say, And if you fight it. It's
it's just going to be a problem, right, Like there's
just no way. But as far as athletes, I never
really had to push them. Actually, Emmett Smith, that dude
behind me, he actually put me in my place, which
mad respect because anyone that can do that, I'm like, oh, okay,
you have boundaries, shit okay. But he was like, I'm
(06:20):
only giving you four hours a day, and he wanted
back then he was with his now ex wife, but
like he had a family, you know, and it's and
it easily could you could fall in this rabbit hole
of just like honestly, the family's second priority because like
the demands of the show is so intense. But we
traveled back and forth every week from Dallas to la
He gave me four hours. But the difference between Emmett
(06:43):
and let's say, any other person I dance with is
that you can tell he took my direction and rehearsed
it in his head and at home he ate he
like it was breathing this stuff, you know, constantly. Twenty
four seven, and he came into the studio the next
day improved, And that's all that matters. I don't give
a shit if you give me thirty seconds of your time.
Like the most important rehearsal is what you use, like
(07:04):
the downtime, right, Like are you memorizing your steps so
we don't have to freaking go over this again for
the millionth time? Like you've got to do the work.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
I would be a nightmare for any dancer trying to
teach me.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Are you sure? Are you not being hard on yourself?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
No?
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Are you share with dancer?
Speaker 3 (07:20):
No? No, It was not about the dancing and the ability.
We can teach that, but it's about your mental ability.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Oh, my mental abilities.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
There.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
I've done a fitness I've done a fitness competition. I
train all the time, but I just have two left feet.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
You'd be great.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Then, Oh okay, then let's do it.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
It was fine, and you come.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Out of my partner. Have you ever had two girls
dance together?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
They did?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
They did?
Speaker 3 (07:41):
See well yeah Jojo see one Jenna?
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Oh that's right, that's right. Yeah. So you won the
trophy when.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Nineteen twenty, nineteen twenty with Emmett, right, yeah, Emmett Andrew Lache,
when you.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Came out back to back, I mean, and to have
that much success early on, did that set the stage
for you, like, I'm going to win this thing every year?
How did you keep that in perspective?
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It just was a downwards downhill will spiral from there,
I mean, if as far as results go. But I
had no expectations, and I think that's why I was
so successful, because there's that whole thing right when you
grip too hard and you really want something so bad
you just don't get it. But it's when you really
go in and have no expectations. I was going to
go back to Harlem, where I was competing with my
(08:25):
partner at that time professionally in the circuit of ballroom dancing.
But you know, it's interesting because, as I continued, I've
done twenty six seasons of this show. It's such a
great learning experience as well, because when you become or
when I at least become competitive and I want something
(08:46):
so much, it ain't gonna happen like it has to
be for the right intention. It has to literally, it's
not the end all be all, not curing cancer like
it's just another mirror ball. But also what's interesting too,
is because I've done it and approached each season differently,
and I've learned a lesson every single time. But when
I don't make it about my celebrity partner, for example,
(09:09):
and it's like me wanting it more than anything, it's
like that doesn't work right.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
It's like dancing with the Stars. Max said something exactly
the same. He says, when I started, it was more
like here I am, and it wasn't he learned. It
wasn't about him, it was about you know, whoever he
was training at the times.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
That the antithesis of how professional dancing is. Though, So
outside of Dancing with the Stars, if you want to
go win a competition, isn't it like that where it's
like it's got to be about you and you have
to do that, and this is teaching you. It's not
like that.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
It's you know, ballroom is it takes two right, So
it's a partner dancing, so in that sense, like you
can't just care about yourself, right in that sense, Like
I think what's so beautiful about ballroom dancing is the
gravity that two people can make with one another and
the power of the execution within that, as opposed to
(10:02):
like solo dancing, like what you see on so you
think you can dance, but still like you walk into
a ball dance competition. I mean there's egos.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I mean I have one.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
We all have an ego, right, it's just a matter
of like how obvious.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Anybody that's on a stage. Sure on anybody that's there. Yeah,
they all. We all have egos an ego. Yeah, some
worse than others.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
We all want a standing ovation. Let's just be freaking real.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
So you had said that you've been on twenty you
were twenty six seasons. How many seasons a year do
you do because there's no way you did this for
twenty five years.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Oh yeah, I'm like ninety five years old.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Yeah, I you look great for ninety five.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Thanks, it's the Asian. No, we did two seasons a year.
I would say the first few year years, at least
like ten years we did two seasons a year. So
I started when I was twenty one. I'm forty, but
I'm obviously no longer on the show for the last
couple of years.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
But yeah, we did.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Starting season three, we did two seasons a year. I
mean the show was huge. We had Super Bowl ratings.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, that's crazy. Do you miss it? Of course, of
course I miss it.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
I don't necessarily miss the I mean I don't necessarily
miss the training because it's always a hit and miss, right,
Like unless if it's like I have, you know, obviously
my few that I just loved, Because for me, it's
not so much if you can dance, it's about our
if I like you as a person, like to be
quite honest, because at the end of the day, if
I don't like you as a person, this is going
to be miserable. Like it's just going to be a
(11:25):
miserable experience and vice versa. By the way, I'm sure
a lot of my partners didn't like me.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Is there a certain age no everybody loves you? Is
there a certain age for the for the professional dancers
on Dance with the Stars where you like tap out, Like,
is it you can just keep from everybody?
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Is it like if Karina Smirnoff was still on the show,
she would be just as good. Like there's certain people
that will never the age, Like at ninety nine, she's.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Still going to do a killer rumble walk. So it's
not It's not like baseball or another sport where it
is is it like when you're like, oh, you're you're
forty your way doll to be playing football?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Like but then you know, I think if you're competing
at the competitive level, yes, but when you're doing Dancing
with the Stars, I don't think it matters.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Yeah, it just depends on your confidence level when you're
in those skimpy costume. Is it going to take a
toll on your mental health? Is the pressure? It's just
so much as you know that goes behind it was
there like a body image, like you ever felt like
oh I have to be so skinny or you have
to keep your weight, like modeling where you you know,
everyone's got to be so skinny and you have to
(12:30):
wear these skimpy outfits. Like was it so much pressure
to keep your weight under a certain Sure? Yeah, but
it wasn't pressure from outside. It was pressure from I
mean for me at least, like when I you know,
on my podcast, I had someone on one of the
older pro dancers that's no longer there, who said that
she did feel pressure from the executives. Now for me,
I think I was so hard on myself already that
(12:51):
there was no need from that. But I also got blasted,
like for being too fat for television when you know,
there was a couple of people cast members that you
know basically said that I was a little bit overweight.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Wait, like your follow like competitors said that on the
show off.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Wow, I mean I wouldn't like in the press line
like and also obviously I'm not going to mention names,
but like it is, what's the past, and we're all
like have made amends and all of it. It's all good.
But like even prior to Dancing with Stars though, I
just want to be clear that my dance coach was
I had weigh ins, you know, as if I was
a boxer. So it's like I was on this thing
called like the Hollywood Diet, and it was like liquid,
(13:31):
it was like orange juice. I was like, of course,
I'm gonna have to pee every two seconds. And I mean,
anyone that's just drinking.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
The way orange juice is filled with sugar.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Tell me about it. I know this was like in
the nineties.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
So, so after you were retired from Dancing with the Stars,
did you start your podcast pretty quick after that?
Speaker 3 (13:58):
So this time last year? So no, it was like
I would say, did I retire twenty twenty two and
November of twenty twenty two, I started my podcast this
time last year.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Okay, now when we met in Napa. We were doing
a podcast together. I didn't meet there. Yeah, we didn't
meet there, but we I know, we didn't meet. They
were actually met for the first time. I think it
was like jingle Ball or something like a long time ago,
long time ago.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
And then of course we've seen each other at iHeart events,
you know, all the time. I just remember seeing you
for the first time, like, oh my god, that's Cheryl Burke.
Oh my god. And Teddy's over there, like hey Cheryl,
I'm like, you know her. I was like, oh my god,
it was It was pretty amazing.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
That's really sweet of you. And I feel like I
bonded with you right away because you're so open. We
don't do small talk, do we.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Now, we don't do small talking, you know what. One
thing that was so amazing that you've been so open
and honest about your sobriety and your journey with that,
and I just applaud you for that. I keep saying
I'm not going to drink anymore. I'm not going to
drink anymore. And then you know, you go to a
dinner and I'm like, well, I'll have a glass. Why.
It's very hear you. It's very difficult for me. I'm
(15:05):
not a big drinker. But when I do drink, especially
like on the show or something, because I get nervous,
then I'm just a big old asshole. So I've decided, like, Okay,
I'm not very aware. I'm very aware. I'm very aware.
Like I'm like, no, I'm not an alcoholic, but I am.
I'm not a I'm a bad drunk, is what. I am.
A bad drunk. So I keep saying, you know what,
because my husband hardly drinks it all, he rarely will
(15:29):
drink ever since, y, you're not an addict. No, no, no, no,
I know. But I just the simple thought like Eddie's
like we should just because he hardly drinks, and said,
but he's like that we should just not drink at all.
It's like not good for you. It's putting there just
too much pressure in your body. And then I thought,
oh my god. As soon as you tell me that,
I'm like, oh, can I drink?
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I start closet drinking, drink closet drunk.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yes. But I'm just saying it's not easy.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
It's not easy when you like, for me, I'm I'm
an addict, right, and I and I have you know,
been through the worst. And I'm great, I'm grateful that
I've been six years sober, but it really especially during
trying times like the last few years of like really
big changes that I've made in my life, I get
tested all the time. But I just know that for me,
(16:13):
and I'm sure it's not the same for you at all,
since you're not an addict. But if I ever did relapse,
I do know this one thing that I would go down.
I wouldn't stop, like because if I have broken that
trust and this in a way, it's competitive in a
odd way with myself, Like I've gone six years without
a single drop, So if I broke that, I'd be like,
(16:36):
e f it, Like we're just going to do it.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
And I said, it's six years sober, And you said,
there's been trying times. What has allowed you to be
successful in those moments when it could have gone either way?
Because obviously it's not an easy thing to do.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
No, it's a good question. It's sometimes just trying to
be present. But just like not promising that I'm never
going to drink again, because that for me is overwhelming,
Like to say that I'm never drinking ever again. In
my whole life, like I can't. I don't know what
the future holds, like none of us do, right, and
so sometimes you just have to take your life one
one second, if that's what it is, one second at
(17:12):
a time, and that feeling, like feelings do, they come
and go, will soon go away, especially if I'm just
living with whatever's unfolding in front of my eyes, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
So in the moment when you have that urge, you
just you pause.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I go straight to productivity, my socially acceptable drug. I
just work like I'm working. I have the longest to
do list at No.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
One.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
So that's like my new drug. It's it's definitely productivity, right,
and I think it's most of America's drug. But that's fine.
I'll just talk about myself. But like I am a
busy woman, you are a busy therapist. Was like, can
you sit? I'm like, I say that I meditate, but
I haven't lately because I'm clearly numbing something. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
So we know that you have your podcast Sexialize and
Bret hands.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Correct and I can't wait till you come on after
you do a season.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Get me on, girl, get me. I don't know how
long I'll last but I'll try my heart at.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
One step at a time, like my sobriety exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
So you have your podcast, are you still dancing? I
think there was a time that you had dance studios
as well. A long yeah, there was one I think
that popped up in my neighborhood in Orange County. Yes, yes,
I remember that. It's in a strip mall. It wasn't
a strip mall right next to my jeweler, right by
(18:35):
the CBS, so there's never there. Definitely didn't work, so well,
there goes that.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
But yeah, my mom wanted to open up a whole
franchise and I was like, Mom, like, it's called Cheryl
Burke Dance and Cheril Brooke's never going to be there,
like this is gonna work right like and it didn't.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
So not only do you have a podcast, you're a
professional dancer, but you're also an advocate for mental health,
and I mean in a very seasoned podcaster as well.
What made you talk about mental health because it's something
that a lot of people do not want to talk.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
About when it comes to mental health in general. I
think that well, selfishly, I mean I just talked to
Ginger Z on my podcast, and she wrote two books
about you know, being raped, getting abortions and like a
lot of trauma that happened to her, and even hearing
her story still inspires me. And I just know that
it's a lonely place mental health, right because there is
(19:35):
the stigma, and we do get lost in our heads,
in our thoughts, and we start to believe our thoughts,
and then it shapes who we are today, to be
quite honest, and we define ourselves. And I can say
I'm not just like preaching for everyone, but I still
am working through the fact that I define myself by
my what happened to me in my past, and it's
up to us to change the story like it is,
(19:57):
and we can still we don't have to ignore what happened.
And I don't think that's healthy either, But I think
talking about it selfishly is healing, but also really does
is so cliche, but it does help others feel like
they're not alone, and that's the thing. Rye there.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
I'm sure you get tons of emails, people reaching out
on Instagram wanting to talk to you about it as well.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
I'm all for I'm not a certified therapist by any means,
not even close, but I've been in therapy in my
whole life.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Sure, let me ask this because I want to like Pivot,
because I love the gamesmanship behind a lot of shows
and something like dancing, something like Dancing with the Stars.
You're on it for twenty six seasons, and so at
some point I would have to imagine there's like a metagame, right,
Like you've clearly displayed how competitive you are. Is there
what kind of things did you learn throughout the twenty
(20:47):
six seasons that you could do that would output a
better outcome for you, Whether it's how you played the
audience for votes or would you mess with other competitors?
Was there anything what would you do to get a
leg up in this you know, cutthroat dancing competition.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
I would say the reason for my success, like I
mentioned earlier, in a way, is that I focused on
making my celebrity shine and not myself. I learned that
from the get go, Like I learned that from day one,
and I never it never crossed my mind to showcase myself.
And I think that's what that's why I was so successful.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
And then so that you've had a super long career,
I mean twenty six seasons of anything is insane, Like
that's incredible, which is.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Odd friends, maybe right, right, yeah, so that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
But for you, like now that you look back on that,
you've been on television for twenty six seasons, You've done
so much for you at this stage in your life,
what does success mean to you now reminiscing but also
in the future.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Oh, you're getting deep. Yeah, I was going to say that.
Damn good question.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Well, success is for me, failure, like there is no
success without failures.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Gave me goose bumps, honestly.
Speaker 3 (21:59):
Because like on it, can you imagine if there was
if no one failed, you.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Wouldn't learn it? What the hell is six? What is success?
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Then?
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Like there is no there really has to be. It
has to be black and white. And I didn't know
that and there's no such thing. And now I get
it when people say, or the gurus say, there's no
such thing as perfection, because like that is just our
own perception of what perfection is. And that's not even perfect,
by the way, because there is no definition of that
and there's not one way to be perfect. So when
you like really make peace with that, right, And for me,
(22:28):
it had to be when I retired because like obviously,
like you live in a bubble, like as I'm sure
you have experienced as well when your other shows that
you've done, but like it, it's there is no peripheral
like and it's end all, be all, and the mirror
of the nasty mirror ball is what we're like buying
for Okay, we're not getting in a new car or
(22:49):
new house.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
So it does help if.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
You've been on twenty six seasons. There's no for sure
cash price, though you still get paid, okay, but it's
a like my first two balls were made from a
lamp shade, like.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
This is nuts.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
Maybe you need by a rat, like like what the
hell is happening here?
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Anyway?
Speaker 3 (23:09):
But it's not about that, right, So now I look
into because as I'm still doing a show about the
show I was on, or a podcast about the show
I was on. It's interesting because what I've learned now
with what success is is to be vulnerable, to let
your ego. First of all, is to take accountability over it. All, Right,
You've got to take accountability, and all you can do
(23:31):
is change yourself. And yet when I was on the show,
all I tried to do is change my celebrity.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
So when did you learn that? When did that? When
did that moment hit you? Like, this is what's what
success is to me, because it's not easy to push.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
Of. You know, I don't just believe me, I still
have one, Like, let's not get it twisted, like and uh,
it's very rare that I pushed my ego to the side.
But like when I do, it is it's like peace
is enjoy and just contentment, honestly for me, is what
I aim for, not even joy because that's just unattainable
most of the time. It's like feeling that calmness, which
(24:06):
I defined as boring back in my day. Just that calmness,
that calm without the chaos is really important in my
life and I think it's what's going to prolong my
life of peace and maybe once in a while happiness,
Like that's all I care about.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Yeah, what do you think has been your hardest obstacle
and how have you succeeded in getting through them?
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Mm hmm, artest obstacle? Would say, I mean, like my sobriety,
That's what I was saying. But I would say the
past two years it's not just one thing. It's the
fact that I divorced. I also decided to quit my job,
and then I also decided to move and I.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Did hear something you do that all at once.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
I don't know a lot more things. Supposedly, I would
have checked myself into the nearest psych world.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Yes, five things. You can't do that, right, waite? What
is the saying?
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Because someone just said this to me, I've never heard that.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I thought it was a huge Is it?
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Oh shit?
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Is it three? I thought it was five?
Speaker 4 (24:59):
What's the.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Oh? Yeah, if you if you reach five, then you're dead.
You're dead.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
No, I think it's five. I think it's five. Thank god.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Yeah, the end. I think I've met you right when
you were going through your divorce separated. Yeah, yeah, separated.
That was a pretty difficult thing for you to go through.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Yeah yeah, And you know now, I you know. I
still haven't dated. By the way, remember in my other podcast, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
You've never been.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
I have been on one one and done done. Like
this is the other thing I learned about myself that like,
until I changed the pattern within myself first of all,
and then learn to like love and respect myself, there's
no changing the men I end up being with because
I have to that really is all work that I
(25:45):
need to do in order for me to change the pattern.
And I'm still in the process of it. Don't judge me.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I would never judge you. But have you ever considered
writing a book, because I feel like.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Everything I had to write a book? Oh? You did
currently I did a long time ago. But I'm currently
doing my second book.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Oh awesome, gratulations on that. And is that going to
be about what you've gone through?
Speaker 3 (26:04):
Ye, this is just a continue. It is called choosing Me, which.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
Is that is so amazing. I'm so happy for you.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
I mean, it's literally we have any worse in the
beginning stages. So I'll get to Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
But just hearing you talk and the things you're saying
and how inspirational you are, I thought, oh my god,
Cheryl needs to write a book about this.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Oh, thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
I'd buy it. I'd buy it. Then we'll have you
on twats right, we talk about it and we'll get those.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
We'll get those, Cheryl.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I have a couple more questions for you. So you
said one of the things you define success as is failure.
Can you tell us one of the last things you
fail that that you've ended up feeling good about.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Yeah, your marriage, just kidding, is there an echoing here? Divorced? Yeah,
getting rid of that hunter.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Actually I founded in that, Thank god I got out
right right.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
That is a excess success.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
It was in it that was kind of like, no,
I'm kidding, what was your question again?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
When was the last start? This fault?
Speaker 2 (27:10):
She just got how you find success as failure? What's
one of the last things you failed that and it
was a success, so you felt good about it?
Speaker 3 (27:17):
I would say, first of all, like this whole mammogram thing,
like I'm forty and I just kept pushing it off
and pushing it off and pushing it off. And I
hate doctors, and I'm sure everyone can relate, and I
would just you know, I'm like going to turn forty
one and then I still wouldn't have gotten a mammogram,
and like the excuses that I made, and I just
felt like a failure because I just didn't have the
(27:39):
balls to do it. Then I did it, and just
those little like goals that you know you achieve and
it's not little, it's your freaking health, like it's your body,
and to have that peace of mind, I just felt like,
was I deserve a gold star for that you do.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
And everything was fine. I saw you posted on Instagram about.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
That, thank God. But you see, like are my are
they can play tricks on us. And that's the thing.
It's like when people say, watch what you say out
loud because it will manifest or even like your thoughts.
I mean, that's something I have to be very aware
of because I am very self deprecating and that isn't
necessarily though it may I think it may be funny,
(28:19):
it's not right, Like you don't want you do want
to be careful with your words and what you put
out there.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Yes, so mine's not. I mean obviously on the show
I say a lot, then I probably wouldn't say and
real life, but for me, it's not what I'm saying,
it's what I'm thinking. I suffer from like intrusive thoughts.
So and it's and I know it and I tell
myself shut up, Like I have conversations in my head.
I don't know. Maybe I'm a little crazy. I don't know.
But it's like Eddie's, It's it's a daily thing. Eddie's like, oh,
I'm going to take my motorcycle out into my mind.
(28:45):
I'm like he's gonna crash, I'm gonna have to plan
a funeral, and how's it going to feel to be
a widow? And I mean, I go through all these scenarios.
I'm like, okay, enough, what am I doing this for?
It's so bizarre. I don't know. I probably should.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Saying about her husband just now. She's like I had
the worst intrusive thought, like and it was about her
husband's same thing.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
I do that with everything. If my daughter dies somewhere,
and it's like.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
I do it with green lights red lights on the traffic.
I'm like, okay, well, if it turns red right now,
that means I'm gonna you know, like I go crazy
up in my head, like it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
See what happens to me if I lose my keys
or I'm like late somewhere, I lost my phone. I'm like,
I was supposed to lose that because I was going
to get hit by a car if I don't leave,
like if I left on time. That's like, that's my intrution.
Speaker 3 (29:26):
That's a good way of thinking about that's not intrusive.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
That's like, yeah, that's truth.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
Surrendering, Yes, surrendering, that's like our acceptance, Like Okay, I
lost them. It's all right, because maybe I would have
gone an accident if I got my car earlier.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Wait, there's not one. But there's not one thought that
goes through your mind. You're like like mean to yourself.
You don't like get mad at yourself.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Oh, I'm I think we're all super I'm really hard
on myself. Like if I wake up five minutes late,
I miss a workout, I'm like, I'm like, it's like
a punching bag up there. I'm like totally yeah, but
I think everyone does that to some extent.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Do you come from a solid family background.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Yeah, I mean that's different. I'm talking.
Speaker 3 (30:05):
Find assassinating another time.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Is there a key to winning with the Stars? Is
there something that you can do you can tell your
partner when you're teaching them, like, this is the key
to winning.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Shut up and listen to me.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Just shut up and listen.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
I'm kidding. I do say this before we go live
every time. It's just it's just me, you and the music. Like,
don't think about anybody else because it's it really is.
This is the beauty of ballroom. It's it's two people
dancing with each other and people who are observing it.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Dance and you judges, but don't worry about it. Okay,
sharing with a person.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
But this is the thing, and this is my pet peeve.
When I watch people dance, when they dance to the camera,
I'm like, what what are you?
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Why are you winking at me? While I'm watching you,
like what what are you winking?
Speaker 3 (30:56):
What are you winking at? Like you have a hot partner,
do something like look at the like look at the
partner you're dancing with, And that for me, it just
gets me disconnected from you and your journey in two seconds.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
So can I ask of semi inappropriate question for so
on this show, like you're spending all this time and
you and other people like intimate time, like physically touching
each other. Does that like affect people's relationships that go
on the show? And yes, like what happens?
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Well that that's on you and the other person of
the relationship because it's like your your foundation better be
strong right coming into it. And this is why there's
this thing called the DWTS curse for all the bachelor
bachelorette folks that join because they had just gotten newly engaged,
they've been like hiding out because it hasn't aired yet,
and then they do Dancing with the Stars, like that
(31:50):
really tests you and a lot of them don't come
out the same.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Is there things that, like you would give advice to
people going on, like you, here's X you can do
to prevent that from happening outside of.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Like communication, dude, Like I mean, like we can't like
we're doing listen, we're there as your teachers, and you
have to have chemistry and people can people know when
it's fake. So like I just you got to find
it somewhere right. And I'm not saying it has to
be physical or disrespectful. You need to set boundaries too,
(32:24):
Like that's another thing there, Like with Emmett, like I said,
it was four hours and.
Speaker 1 (32:29):
That was it.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
He wasn't giving me more. So there was no after rehearsal.
There's no after hours, meaning at night time sometimes we rehears.
But also my suggestion to anyone who's in a relationship
that does Dancing with the Stars, involve your spouse. Like
I was again just talking to ginger Z. Her husband
was the loudest cheerleader. She he flew with her from
New York because she had to do Good Morning America.
(32:52):
So she was going back and forth, and not only
was he the loudest in the audience, but he was
a part of their packages. And mind you, this guy
is a solid man, like zero insecurity. Didn't express any jealousy,
like he's like literally she married God, I think. And
so I was just like so fascinated by this, And
I said, well, do you think this is the secret? Right?
(33:13):
So that like nothing gets kind of shaken up right
at home? And because like I don't think I could.
I don't think I can have my spouse try hump
somebody on care.
Speaker 1 (33:23):
I might have a problem with that, thank you, right,
I problem with that is you yeah, yeah, but like
and that has nothing to do with them.
Speaker 3 (33:31):
It has everything to do with us. Who has the problem?
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Right, Like in general, my wife Chelsea, I'm like, no,
I'm cool with that.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Would she let you cool?
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Would she be cool with you?
Speaker 2 (33:40):
I think so because she knows I'm a horrible dancer
and it would look weird.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
Anyways, No, that's not about but you you asked a
question and it wasn't so much about the damn I spent.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
But I think what you said, I think is really
important involving the signific absolutely.
Speaker 3 (33:56):
Like it's not like bring your wife to work day,
but it's like, oh, it's just about it's a matter
of like how open and honest you are, you know,
and also like introduce them your arranged marriage, you know,
which is the pro partner versus like your real one
at home. I think it'sant communication. It really is that.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
This is kind of a stupid question. But when you
had with your partner, right you dance with do you
guys meet at the studio where you film Dance with
the Stars to practice or do you have your own
studio or jim that you train at. Is everybody training
together at the same time, Well.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
They have Dancing with the Stars studios. Now this is
why it's four hours because there's only so many of them.
And let's say you have ten couples that start the season,
so they have to spread everyone around. But this is
super like this is not allowed by any means, but
I do. I did secret rehearsals. I don't care. I'm
not gonna get in trouble now. But like I would
you're fired now, out of my own pocket. I would
(34:54):
rent studios and I would do it at a time
where there wasn't tons of people around, and I'd make
my celebrity can go there like you're not ready, like
you tell me you can foxtrot right now and you
know your steps without me go. You know, if you
can't do it, there's nothing worse in feeling insecure the
night of a live performance, like you might as well
find the nearest exit.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Sure, chare else You wrap things up here so you've
had an incredible career and continue to do things. I
want to ask you, though, if everything you know now
and how it's affected you as a person and affected
your life, if you could go back, would you go
through this ride again, these twenty six seasons? Would you
do it again?
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Why would you do it again?
Speaker 3 (35:34):
I mean this was like the highlight of my life,
you guys, as much as as much trauma and all
of it that came along with it, there's still nothing
like it. I would do it all over again instead
of But actually I'd set up a few boundaries.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
But yeah, yeah, with everything you've accomplished and writing the
book now and the podcast, is there something that you
want to do next?
Speaker 3 (35:56):
You know, honestly, what do I want?
Speaker 2 (35:58):
You?
Speaker 3 (36:00):
No? No, you know I do want This is going
to be random, but I would love there's a whole
another story of like my father, there's just so many
unanswered questions about people for example, and loved ones and
their death right and like some a lot of people
may not know they're real reason anyway, there's all this
(36:20):
like crime side of things, and I definitely had one
of those stories with my real father, and I believe
since you know the police situation and when it comes
to like it's a little slow, like let's just be honest, right,
like when people are trying to find loved ones or answers,
(36:41):
like you don't get answers right away. I think there's
a need for this and I would love to help
others because I would say that I'm a natural private investigator.
It just comes easy. I don't know if that's something
you developed, it's genetic or kidding, but like, yeah, anyway,
this is what I want to do, want to help
people and be of service, but in a way where
(37:03):
they get answers because it's like never because I still
don't have answers with how my father died. But that's
a whole other podcast.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Wow, that's interesting. That was not what I was expecting
or I'm like where No. I thought, I'm like when
you said, well, this is like random and I and
I'm like, she want to go to medical school. She
want to be a doctor, like a lawyer.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Like light bulbs firing off. I'm going to talk to
you when we're done wrapping.
Speaker 3 (37:28):
Really, No, I just like I have lots of you know,
there's a lot of layers to my onion.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
Yeah, would you be interested in doing like a true
crime podcast?
Speaker 3 (37:36):
Totally? You know, I love this mic you sleep with it?
Speaker 1 (37:39):
How often do you podcast too much?
Speaker 3 (37:42):
Three days a week? Yeah, like today, this is two
out of the way. I just did one. We've got
four more episodes. Let's hit it and quit it.
Speaker 1 (37:50):
That's good though, you're killing it.
Speaker 3 (37:53):
You know you're killing it and we all know that.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
Well, congratulations, and thank you so.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
Much for coming on.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
Thanks for having me try not to work too hard whatever.
I'm going to go right back to it so I
don't have to feel my feeling.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
I'm sure I'll see you soon at some event.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
Yeah, sure, Thank you guys.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Bye bye,
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Teddi Mellencamp
Tamra Judge
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