Danielle In the Ballroom (Week 10)

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Speaker 1: They can try and get rid of me, but I have become one with the ballroom. It's Danielle Fischl, podcaster, TV director, mother of two and self appointed Dylan Efron good luck charm to Penga Lawrence from Boy Meets World, and yes, just two weeks ago, I myself was a contestant on Season thirty four of Dancing with the Stars, eliminated from the Elite eight, only to return like a phantom, haunting the show from the audience for the semifinals. I once again saw everything unfold with my very own eyes, and I am here ready to report back to you. Has. In addition to joining a show focused on dance with zero experience in dance, I have also consistently recorded this very podcast, hoping to take you all on the journey, right to the very last second when someone who will not be me is crowned the recipient of a Len Goodman mehr Ball Trophy. I just returned home from the semifinals. It was Prince Knight incredible night of music. I don't know how many of the younger people who are tuning in to Dancing with the Stars for the first time know about Prince or no Prince music. But for those of us who have been Prince fans and who love Prince music, let me tell you tonight was a fun night of music. I am in agreement with a lot of you that the themes can sometimes make the night's difficult to get behind as far as the dancing, because it is true that, like, if you're gonna limit yourself to one artist, which by the way, limiting yourself to an artist like Prince who has just like smash hit after smash hit, you could do worse, Like you could do worse than a Prince Night. But the hard part is not every song is made for the dance styles that we have to do. And so you know, I know that like TikTok Night and even even the first week Anthem Night were nights that people said, you know, it kind of makes it difficult, Like, you know, we're trying to do a traditional ballroom style to a pop song and it doesn't necessarily fit. So I can see how, you know, it can be a little difficult, especially if you're a newer fan and you're like, wait, what's happening here? And as you heard tonight, some of the songs had to be slowed down significantly in order them for them to work for the dance styles, and some of them had to be sped up significantly in order to work for the dance styles. So I am in agreement with the camp of people who are saying that there are too many themes. I personally think, as fun as they are, the show is better with some fewer themes. That would be my overall takeaway. Now that all the theme nights are done, next week's the finale. We've seen them all. I love it, but I think maybe maybe it would be better with just a select group. It doesn't even have to be a select few. If you have let's say ten weeks, which is what we have so far. If you have ten weeks, make five of them themes. You know Halloween Wicked was an amazing one. Make five, maybe even six of them themes and then the rest. Maybe we don't need to have all of them be themed. That's just my opinion. You can agree or disagree. So it was a celebration of Prince music, at which I love, a real coup for the show, and since they have tried it for years to clear his music and now they finally worked with the estate to make it happen. I wasn't planning on going tonight. I was, as you know, eliminated back in week eight. And the following week was the twentieth anniversary, which felt like just an event I really wanted to be a part of. It's a historical night, it's celebrating twenty years of the show. You know, they reached out and individually invited me. I felt like I really wanted to be there for that one. And then I thought, okay, and then it's Prince week, and then for the finale, I'm going to be there for the finale. I get to dance in the finale, so I'll take a week off. I'll you know, give everyone a chance to miss me or something, you know. But then last week was so special being there for the twentieth anniversary, and Dylan made such a sweet point of telling me how nice it was to be able to see me right before he went out and did his dance. And as you guys have heard us talk, we have a great friendship and a strong alliance. And he was like, you know, now, he said, superstition wise, I feel like I need to be able to see you before I go out on the dance floor. And he texted me over the weekend and said, are you going to come on Tuesday? And I said probably not. You know, unfortunately my kids are sick and I'm not feeling great this weekend, so probably not. And he just didn't He didn't respond in any way. He didn't like say that's okay, or even thumbs up it or anything. There was just like silence. And then my kids recovered. I recovered, And so I texted him today the day of the show, and I said, we recovered. If you want me there tonight, I am free and can go. And he was like, oh my gosh, yes, please come. And so I texted the wonderful Dina Cats and I said, I know it's last minute. I feel like such a heel. I'm so sorry, but if you have room for me to come tonight, I would love love to be there. And she said, let me get right on this, and then she got back to me and said that we could come. So thank you, Dinah, and I'm so glad I was there. It was it was it was quite a night. At this point. You guys all know Dylan's brother Zach was there. It was so nice to meet him. He is just delightful, beautiful, sweet, bubbly personality, sat with Olivia the whole time. They just have such a beautiful family. I also awkwardly inserted myself into their family. I went and sat with them during the elimination time and someone I don't even know who someone was like, let's take a family picture. And they stood up and took a picture, and I was like, guys, I'm now in your family picture. I'm apparently an honorary family member. And I said, the unfortunate thing is that that probably could have been like a really cute Christmas card, and now it just can't be. And Zach turned around and was like, no, now it's a better card, which is so cute, just so cute. Love their family so much so I'm really happy I was there tonight and forced myself into their family. We will be taping a live episode of Danielle with at Disney California Adventure Park on December fourth, twenty twenty five. If you live in the Southern California area, or if you can be in the Southern California area on December fourth, we have an opportunity for you to join us between now and November twenty fourth, of twenty twenty five, you can enter for your chance to win tickets to attend the Coast one oh three point five Private Holiday Party at Disney California Adventure Park on December fourth, twenty twenty five, including an overnight stay at the Disneyland Resort Hotel for a family of four and two day one park per day tickets to Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park. Plus you will have the chance to meet us while we are taping an episode of Danielle With inside Disney California Adventure Park. Visit Coast one oh three five dot com forward slash Danielle With now to enter for your chance to win. You know, the ballroom tonight felt different without Andy. I know that is like, you know, it should feel different every time somebody's gone home, and of course it does. And also the energy was probably a little bit different because it is the semifinals, so there was like a heightened amount of pressure. There was some tension in the air. I think everyone's just running on fumes and adrenaline. And yeah, the ballroom just kind of felt different and I don't know how to describe it. It was a little less electric tonight. Then I think it has felt previously and I cannot put my finger on what that would have been about, other than the fact that Andy's not there. I don't know. Okay, let's talk about the dances. Robert or did a jive, and I saw some people were annoyed by the amount of repeat dances because they tonight having to do two print songs. You got to do an original song and then you got to do a repeat. And this technically is Robert's third jive if you count the relay race with Soci last week. I don't care that it's a repeat. Watching Robert Irwin do a jive is one of the most joyous experiences you can have. It just suits his personality and his vibe and his energy so well, and he's so good at it. I was just so impressed. I loved it. I loved that trick they did where he went over Whitney's back. I thought that was just spectacular. I thought that was amazing. So he did a jive routine to Baby I'm a Star and a Viennese waltz to Wow I Was Not Those are not two of my favorite print songs. I know a lot of people love them. But when I first saw that he was doing those songs, I was like, huh, I wonder how that's gonna work. Knocked it out of the park, really absolutely loved that. His jive was the first perfect score of the night. He got ten ten ten. The gold confetti cannon went off, very exciting, super proud of him, just thrilled. It was very sweet. I went and said hello to Mama Terry, and I walked up and I gave her a hug, and she said, I have to thank you so much for running up into the skybox and congratulating Robert last week. He came home and told me how much that meant to him. My heart. I just love him so much. And then Whitney Levitt did a cha cha to nineteen ninety nine and a Viennese waltz to Slow Love. I thought her purple outfit for the cha cha was stunning. I love her red hair, the way it was like crimped or waved, just so good. She was giving. I saw Mayan Lopez commented on one of her Instagram posts. On Whitney's Instagram posts that she was giving Daphne from Scooby Doo and it was so perfect. She totally was just absolutely stunning. Whitney is one of the most beautiful dancers I have ever seen in twenty years of Dancing with the Stars. I just think she is spectacular. There's no denying it. You can not be a Whitney fan for whatever reason. You cannot deny that she is an incredible dancer. And Mark has really pushed her. And some people think, like watching the packages, like, oh, Mark is pushing her too hard. Let me tell you something, Whitney wants that. Whitney wants that. Whitney's been a Mark fan for years, somebody who she's somebody who's watched the show. She knows how Mark coaches. She wants to be pushed, she wants to be challenged. She really, you know, this is what she's built for. She's very clearly a performer. And Whitney being the best dancer on the show, as anybody who's watched this show knows, being the best dancer or one of the best dancers on this season or on the show is never a guarantee that you're gonna win. So am I surprised that Whitney isn't in the finals. Yes, I'm surprised that Whitney isn't in the finals. I thought she was going to make it to the final round. I did not think Whitney was going to win Dancing with the Stars, even though I think she's one of the best dancers. I am surprised she didn't make it to the finals. I will say that the way the package was set up, and with the season premiere of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives coming out this week, it felt to me while I was watching the show, it felt to me like if we look at reality TV as a storytelling mechanism, the same way dance is a storytelling mechanism, the way acting is a storytelling mechanism. If we look at that, what makes the most compelling storytelling was for Whitney to go home tonight, for her ambition to be on the show on Dancing with the Stars to have been played out in the premiere episode of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and for that to then be shown in her package and talked about in the skybox, and I just thought, you know, the craziest storytelling is somebody being that honest about the things that they want and about their dreams and having no shame about it, which I applaud but storytelling wise, what makes the most captivating TV is seeing all of that and then immediately seeing that person go home. So I had a bad feeling throughout the day, like throughout the show, that it might be Whitney's time to go home. And I was hoping I was wrong, but I was not. Alex did an Argentine tango to Little Red Corvette and a Viennese waltz to Purple Rain. Her Viennese waltz was so unbelievably beautiful and man Alex's journey on this show is one of my absolute favorites. I see it personally, I see it personally, and I see it reflected on the show. When I very first met Alex was in New York for Good Morning America and we were in the same room a couple of times, she didn't make eye contact with me. I kept trying to make eye contact with her to like find find a time to introduce myself and say hi, and I kept like looking at her and she wouldn't make eye contact with me, And then we almost crashed into each other in the hallway, and instead of like using that as the opportunity to say hi, she kind of like ugh, like diverted around me, and I had to go out of my way and be like, hey, Hi, by the way, I'm Danielle. I'm going to be on the season of the show with you. And she was like hi, and immediately so nice and gave me a hug. And I could tell that whatever was stopping her from making eye contact with me before or from saying hello, was definitely not that she was a rude person. It was that she was either nervous or she was uncomfortable or something. There was something going on that had nothing to do with her trying to be snooty or rude. I could tell that right away. But I could also tell that she wasn't like necessarily super comfortable. And then as the weeks progressed and we started seeing each other more and more in the dance rehearsal space, and we got to know each other better, and we would make tiktoks together or we would do things together. Her personality just started developing more. And I'm not saying she didn't have a personality and it was developing, let's say it say it a different way. Her personality started. She started feeling more comfortable showing her personality and being her authentic self. And the more I got to know her and the more I just she is you want to wrap her up in your arms or in a blanket and cuddle her and hug her and laugh with her and have a good time with her. And there's a real sensitivity to her that I just absolutely love. And I think I think seeing her emotional journey where she first started and you could tell that maybe her face was a little more stoic and she wasn't super comfortable, you know, really revealing who she was. And now to see her tonight with tears streaming down her face, and those are tears that I know so well because I felt exactly the same way about the show. That going there every single day and meeting up with your dance partner and learning a new dance and being with the friends that we made on the season, you forget that, like, oh, this isn't my every day. This is going to end, and it is hard when it ends. So I felt for her and I thought it was really great. As much as I don't want to see her cry, I thought it was really great that she was willing to open up and show everyone that and then for her come out and just do two such beautiful dances. I thought it was really it's really nice. Her journey and her evolution on this show has been just really fun to watch. I'm so proud of her. And then he Laan did a foxtrot to I Want to Be Your Lover, and she opened the show again, and I thought, oh man, it's tough to open the show. Opening the show is so hard, so I felt for her having to be in that position again, and the judges gave it three nines. And when the show first started, it seemed like there was a lot of pressure coming from the judges now that we were in the semifinals to up our games, like everybody's game needed to be elevated and raised and upped because it was the semifinals. And I thought there were quite a few dances that deserved higher scores than they got, but they were saying, like, listen, it's the semifinals. I'm not gonna let little mistakes go. If I see a slip up, i'm gonna mark you down for it, which I can also appreciate, like at this point in the competition, you are fighting for your place in the finale. So I also understood that, and then they said she wanted they wanted to see more fight from her, and she went up into the skybox and she said, the next thing you're gonna see for me is some fight. And they had a perfect dance to do that with. They had Apasa Doble to win Doves Cry. I loved their costumes. I thought their costumes were just great. I thought Elaine killed this dance. And you know, you'd never know, like you see people as graceful and elegant as Whitney and Alex and Elaine, and you see them in the ballroom styles and you see them with their long arms and it's so beautiful and flowing, and then you think, how are they gonna do stomping around? And then you're like, wow, you're good at that too. So that was great, and sure enough the judges were just thrilled, and Carrie Anne came out from behind the judge's table and fell down to her knees and said, that's what I wanted to see. And I thought right away, like, all right, Elaine's going to be in the finals for sure. Based on these reactions, Elaine is going to be in the finals. And she got three perfect tens for that dance, which I know meant the world to her, because, if I'm not mistaken, the only other ten did she she must have gotten a ten last week, but maybe not. I think her only other ten may have been a flav of Flave ten, which not to say that a flav of Flave ten is not the same as any other ten, But if you're one of the core three judges and you're a contestant on this show, you probably place a little more weight into what they think, So getting a ten from them, or three tens, as it were, really means a lot. So I'm sure she was absolutely thrilled about that. And then my girl, Jordan, she did a jive to Ratsberry Beret Oh, one of my favorite songs, and you saw them set up in her package. How badly she wanted a perfect score. She wanted it so bad she was calling it out. I was rooting for and she did the jive. I thought her jive was amazing. I thought her kicks and flicks were on point. It was so enjoyable. I loved her costume, I loved her hair. I just I thought it was great. I thought it was a great jive. I thought the choreography was incredible. Ezra killed it. That little like breakout moment they had over on the side I thought was unbelievable, very exciting. And then they called out a mistake and she got three nines and I thought, oh my gosh, I just want her to get her perfect score so badly, and she made sure she got it. She came out with an Argentine tango in a pose upside down. She looked incredible. Ezra has really become one of my favorite choreographers on this show. I love how risky he is. I love the risks he takes, and I love that Jordan trusts him enough and goes, yeah, I know this doesn't look like a conventional you know, this doesn't look like conventional choreography I've seen done by a bunch of other people. I don't care. That's exactly why I want to do it. I want to stand out. I want it to be different, like I just love it. So they came out and absolutely killed an Argentine tango to you got the look. It was so well done, and she got her perfect score and I cried. It was the only time I cried in the ballroom. Tonight. You'll be happy to know. I think everybody thinks I'm just a giant softie who cries all the time, But that was the only time I cried. I was so I was just so immensely proud of her, really truly so proud of her. And she got her perfect score, and I was sitting not too far behind her family, and so I got to congratulate them on not only making the finals, but on the perfect score. And Jordan's dad was so kind and he said, I am so grateful that you guys are friends, which is just so sweet. How did this cast luck out so much that not only do we all love each other so much and support each other so much, but we love all of our families too, Like what it's you, It's it's not this is not easy to have this many people spend this much time together during a competition show, and for everyone to just be so supportive and loving to one another. And it's very genuine. Speaking of things that are very genuine, Connor, Whitney's husband. Immediately after Whitney had been Whitney and Mark had been eliminated, Connor turned like he watched Whitney walk off stage with Mark, and I gave him a hug, and I told him the same thing I told Whitney, which is she has already won. Being in the finale is not going to change the fact that Whitney Levitt is going to be a massive star. It just she already is. And I think the opportunities for her to be a performer are going to if they have not already started, they are just going to continue, and she is going to have her pick of anything she wants to do in the entertainment industry. And one more week making it to the finale wouldn't have made it moren't It wouldn't have changed it. She's already one. And he said that he was really proud of her, and I said I was proud of her too, And immediately after I was done talking to him, he turned to Jordan's family and just with so much enthusiasm and like genuine support, said, I am so excited and I'm so proud of Jordan. Congratulations to you and your family. It was so nice because no one would have judged him for just kind of being in his own head and not saying anything or even just saying like hey, congratulations and being down, and he just didn't he is Connor is the hype man in the audience for everybody's family, and especially for Whitney. His love and support for her is unmatched. I also really want to specially acknowledge Mark. Everyone knows that Mark is one of the best dancers and the best choreographers the dance world has ever seen. Definitely one of the best dancers and choreographers Dancing with the Stars has ever seen. He started on Dancing with the Stars in season five and has been there for fifteen years. He has been around for a lot. And I don't think I'm speaking out of turn when I say that this season has been the most difficult season to manage opinions and online criticism and hate and you know, death threats, the things people will say online about his family and just truly insane and through it all, I think I'm the most amazed by is how well Mark handles it all. And I know it's difficult. I know it's not easy, But his strength of character and the goodness of his heart, oh boy, it's he is a special He's a special d vial, he really is. He. He is a great, great friend, and he is a friend to every single person and every single celebrity, every single pro that's on this season, and I believe probably of every season in the past that he's that he has been a part of. He is there for and if you need a pep talk, if you need advice, if you want help with something. I don't know how he has the bandwidth, but he he's just he's a really special man. And I told him that tonight. I told him that, you know, his choreography the season was incredible, his dancing the season was incredible. All of it's great, and yet none of it, to me, is as beautiful as the character he showed throughout this year. And I told him I would continue to scream it from the rooftops to anybody who would listen, because I just think it should be known what an amazing man he is. And then my boy Dylan, he did a tango too. I would die for you. I thought his tango was amazing. I will say I did not see the feet. I wasn't super paying attention to his feet because I was so focused on his sharp head turns because I remember from when I did my tango, like knowing how important those sharp head turns were. I was watching his elbow because I saw that something they were talking about in his package, I was really paying attention to like everything other than he'll leads, and I know that he'll leads are important. Derek called it out tonight, and I can't say that I paid any attention to that, so I can't even say, like what, But I will say because I did not without seeing that, I thought this stance deserved at least one ten. Call me crazy. I thought this dance was a little underscored. I really liked it. I thought the tango was great. I thought he did a great job keeping his booty tucked, and then they did a cha cha to kiss, which I was so proud of him for doing a chat cha because they didn't decide to do his best dance. They decided to do a dance that would really show how far he's come, which is you know, you're calling it out. You're saying, hey, look at me, this is gonna be good. That's why I'm doing it, because I want you to compare it to my other one and notice how much better it is. I just I think that kind of stuff is really I love that. I think that, you know, it's what Whitney and Mark said, why they decided to do their dance as well. I thought this dance was incredible. Danny's choreography for this Cha Cha was spectacular, the way they used the musicality to punctuate the dance moves. I just thought it was great. And it didn't get as high of a score as I thought, and they were on the bottom of the leaderboard. And although that made me nervous, if there is one thing this season has showed us, it's that being at the bottom of the leaderboard doesn't mean it doesn't mean that you're going home. So I wasn't too worried, but I was just a little bit worried. And when it came time to the elimination, I looked at Jensen, who was sitting next to me, and I said, I'm sorry, but I need to go sit with Dylan's family. And he was like, okay, go, go go, And I got up and I ran across to the other side and that's when I sat myself down in the chair and inserted myself into what eventually became a family photo, but without Dylan, so they wouldn't use it for a Christmas card anyway. Dylan's not in it. Oh maybe they could just replace me with Dylan. They can photoshop me, or they can photoshop Dylan over me. That's a good idea. I'll give him that suggestion. Anyway, I still ran over there, and I sat down next to Dylan's stepmom, and I held Dylan's girlfriend's shoulder. I held Courtney, she was sitting in front of me. I held Courtney's shoulder, and I had my arm around Dylan's stepmom and we sat there holding our breath. And Elaine was the first one called safe when Alfonso said she's fifty four, and the whole place erupted celebration for her, and she ran off, and then Alex and Val were next. They were called safe, and then Robert and Whitney were called safe and left standing up. There was Jordan and Ezra, Dylan and Danny, Whitney and Mark. And the second there was silence, I said out loud, Dylan and Danny, Dylan and Danny, Dylan and Danny, Dylan and Danny, Dylan and Danny, and they announced that Dylan and Danny were safe, and they walked off. And the minute I knew that it was down to Jordan and Whitney, I said Whitney's going home, And sure enough they called Jordan and Ezra safe and that was it. Whitney came walking down and I was wondering if she was surprised, but I also know that she told me last week that she really thought she was going home last week. And you know, I went out onto the ballroom floor and she seemed very composed, and I said, I told you what I told her. I said, you know you've already won. She said, I know I have. She gave everybody a hug, and then her and Mark walked, you know, after they talked to everybody, her and Mark walked up and then walked off the stage, and she seemed very composed. She seemed like she was, you know, probably a little bit in shock and taking it all in. And then she changed clothes and she was on her way to go do the Dancing with the Stars podcast, and I saw her. I saw her one more time outside and then, you know, she was more emotional at that point. I think she had had some time to be with Connor and to let some of the emotions hit her. And it's never easy. It's never easy when this, when this journey ends, even if you make it all the way through the semifinals. You know it won't be easy next week for the people in the finals. The show has a weird It has a weird emotional hold over all of us. And I don't know if it's just dance. I think it's the immersion. I think it's the full immersion of our lives and our time and our physical bodies and the amount of vulnerability and trust it takes to do this kind of a schedule and in front of millions of people, and to like really let the world see you for who you are. The pros, the cons, the skills, the lack of skills, the flaws, all of it. And it's I think maybe we're all trauma bonded. But like good trauma, is there such a thing. I don't think there's such a thing as good trauma, but like, you know, it's such a unique experience and it is so like in the trenches. I just think, yeah, there's there's a weird bond. But I'm sad for Whitney. I'm sad for all of us who didn't get to do it for all eleven weeks, and even when it's over at eleven weeks. So I'm gonna be sad for just all of us that it's over. I can't believe we don't get to like do this for the rest of our lives. I know that sounds insane. I sound like an insane person. I'm gonna stop. It's late. It's nine thirty. This is, you know, almost my bedtime. I mean minutes away from my bedtime. So, guys, we're at the finals. I can't even believe it. We're at the finals. It's just gonna be incredible. We get an Ezra freestyle, we get an Alan Burston freestyle, we get a Daniella Kara Gosh freestyle. We get a Val Schberkowsky free style, we get a Whitney Carson free style. Guys, we are going to be just floating in free style goodness. I can't wait to see them. It's gonna be it's gonna be spectacular. I cannot wait. Also, in the finale, you girl, that's me, I'm your girl. I get to dance in the finale. It's a very small little thing. I think there's like an opening number that I get to be a part of, and then there's some sort of bumper that I get to do. I don't know who I'm I mean, obviously I'm paired with Pasha. Pasha's my forever, forever partner, but I don't know like who I'm going to be in a grouping with. I think there's like two other couples. I don't know who they are. I will find out soon. Rehearsals for that start later this week, and then, I mean, it's a week from now. It is a week from now the finale, and I can't wait to be there. I can't wait to tell you you all about it immediately after it's over. I hope you guys are looking forward to it. And while we wait, I am going to be sitting down with one half of the dynamic duo that hosts Dancing with the Stars. That's right, he's nineties royalty, he's two thousands royalty. He's just American royalty. It's Alfonso Rivero. Can't wait to sit down and talk with Alfonso about what it's like to host Dancing with the Stars. It really does seem like a total dream job. And I want to know is is it as dreamy as it looks? And I want to talk to about his dance schedule too. I want to know what kind of classes? Is he in? What's he up to? What's he doing anyway? Thank you all for listening to this episode of Danielle with I will see you all next time. Bye. Danielle with the Stars Produced and hosted by Danielle Fischl. Executive producer Jensen Carpon, Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer, editor and engineer Tara Sudbasch. Theme song by Justin Siegel. Follow us on Instagram at Danielle with Stars and vote for me