#575 - Derek Hough Talks DWTS + New Dad Life + The Stolen Mirrorball

00:00:00
Speaker 1: A push. What you coming by? Man?

00:00:01
Speaker 2: Thanks for having me, man.

00:00:02
Speaker 1: So here's what I say about you, because you've done my show on Nashville before. We've bumped into each other when I was on the show. I just random times there are two people that in my career have always been so kind, even at times whenever you're like, oh, we were just brief, and it's you and Tim Tebow really the nicest people and not nice like fake nice, like it's like people like, who are the nicest people to you? It's like randomly Tim Tebow and Derek Cuff. So you're that, oh dude, thanks you. So when you said you would come over and do this, I was so pumped because you've always been so nice to me.

00:00:36
Speaker 2: That means a lot, Man, That means thanks so much. I'm that's a good company too. Have you ever met Tim Tebow briefly?

00:00:43
Speaker 1: Brief it's probably like in a mirror and you're like moving your hands if you're doing the same thing. Yeah, he's an awesome guy. So I just wanted to start with that so I didn't forget to say that.

00:00:51
Speaker 2: No, that makes that means a lot to me, man, because obviously, uh, you know, there's you never know, you know, sometimes you're in passing and you say hi to some people and you might not be fully present or something. And so I'm glad that, you know, that was the impression.

00:01:06
Speaker 1: How's the baby, the baby?

00:01:09
Speaker 2: How's the baby? She is so good, she really is. And I feel so lucky because you know, you hear you know, people I work with they're like, oh man, you know, say goodbye to sleeping and you know all these things. She's a sleeper, really, thank god, you know, she's sleeping and we're arresting. And but there's big adjustments, of course, you know, in your life, it's everything changes, but for the better.

00:01:31
Speaker 1: And I'm askingselfishly, we're about to have our first kid.

00:01:34
Speaker 2: Tell me about that.

00:01:35
Speaker 1: You know, there's nothing to tell you because it's still in her belly. But you are going through it right now. Yeah, what what's my expectation?

00:01:42
Speaker 2: What's that's no expectation, That's that's the most important part. And now here's the thing. There's you know that great expression, right, this is a good one. It's hard to live by sometimes, but it's a good one to come back to. It's just like trade your expectation for appreciation and everything changes. That's for everything, right, relationships and like you know, situation events, people, parents, loved ones. If we always have these expectations about how they should act or how they should be, we're always setting ourselves up for disappointment. So in the moment, it's always like find yourself, like what can I appreciate instead in this moment. So the reason why I say that because even with birth right, for instance, there's people will always give their express their opinions like this is gonna happen and then you're gonna feel this emotion and then your world's gonna just like explode and then this heart and so if something like that doesn't quite happen, you're like, oh, what's wrong. There's something wrong with me and I'm not feeling that and these expectations and so I that's my advice, honestly, is like, don't have an expectation. Just just appreciate whatever it is, whatever happens, and that's right, and that's the way it should be, and that's and that's perfect.

00:02:50
Speaker 1: I was talking to my therapist and it was basically about that, and he said, you're gonna hear a lot of people say that as soon as the baby is born, you're gonna feel this euphoric feeling that has never been a feeling you've ever felt. Do not put the pressure on yourself to feel it immediately. And if you don't feel it, that's okay, you'll eventually get there. But it's completely different for everyone. But there is this societal attachment of as soon as you see this thing, you need to fall in love immediately, he said. If you don't, or if it's weird, or you're scared, or it's a or it does feel like that like all of that's right. Yes, that's what we just talked about. Yeah, it's so true.

00:03:28
Speaker 2: I mean I remember the first time I held her. First of all, they're like an animatronic. They don't it's like there's like this like a bad animatronic, like you know what I mean. And they don't look real honestly, And I'm holding her and I'm like, is this like et you know, because they're all wrinkly and like crazy looking. They're like like it looks like my grandpa heating. It was the first thing I said. Actually, when she came out, I was like crampa and and uh and I held her and I didn't quite know how to I was scared. I was honestly, I was scared to hold her, to break her because she was so fragile. And I handed her back to Haley and I kind of walked away, and I was I kind of felt like a failure in a way in that little small moment, like I didn't know what to do.

00:04:22
Speaker 1: Like it wasn't so instinctually natural.

00:04:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was like I should know holder and I didn't. And I just quietly walked away, and Haley could tell it. I was just was a little bit like disappointed to myself, I guess I could say, just quietly. And she had this beautiful moment. She says, Honey, you're you're you're you're amazing. You're doing great, like you know, and and by the way, she just gave birth to this thing. And there I am like, she's coaching a good job, Honey, good job. But uh but again it's that thing of like not putting that pressure on yourself and the timing of it all and the love of it all will will happen in the how it should be.

00:04:58
Speaker 1: Uh. Okay. So the first questions that I have for you, just generally speaking, because when I see professional dancers now there's a new appreciation for being around them a lot. Do you feel like you could have been a professional athlete at something else as well?

00:05:14
Speaker 2: In some things?

00:05:16
Speaker 1: Well, I don't think. Maybe not not. But you guys are such athletes, yeah, because you're you're how your hand eye coordination, Uh, how you move your bodies. And again I had no awareness of it until I was just dumped into it. Yeah, and then when I watch you and I work for the NFL and I work with a lot of NFL players, it's You're a pure athlete. So I wonder, if you had pursued a different way, could you have been a professional athlete in another.

00:05:40
Speaker 2: So I think, So, I think, could you have been a gymnast? I could have been a gymnast. I maybe. You know, it's funny, I actually went to I wanted to go to gymnastics when I was a kid because I wanted to be a ninja turtle. I was like same, I wanted to be going to karate and gymnastics so I could flip around and kick some button the streets.

00:05:58
Speaker 1: You have a favorite turtle, Uh, it was.

00:06:00
Speaker 2: Colangelo growing up?

00:06:00
Speaker 1: Of course, you know it was Raphael Yeah, wise guy. You know his guy, yeah, the wise guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I think I could have been an athlete. I don't know what sport honestly, because here's the thing.

00:06:12
Speaker 2: Football. I played flag football when as a kid I was a great receiver. I remember going to school and I was bullied severely as a kid in different schools. And I remember going to the one called Monta Vista in South Jordan, Utah, and I was like last pick always in the school yard. They would never picked me. I was this little guy. I was kind of a little runt and I was like, okay, I gotta like earn my stripes, you know. And I kept like intercepting the ball and go out there. And then eventually I remember being like first pick. It was me and this you know, the quarterback in the playground, and we would always be we'd be like unstoppable. And I remember feeling like that felt good. That felt really good to like go from here to there on the playground playing football and being a really good receiver and you know, running around being quick. But then you know, I get just like tapped on the jaw and I'm like I have no chin whatsoever. I think I just you know, anything contact wise, I just I couldn't take it.

00:07:12
Speaker 1: Were you so focused on dance and music? Because I know you're super musical as well, But.

00:07:18
Speaker 2: That was actually before. Honestly, in my house we would have drums and tim Bally's randomly, I don't know what tim tim Bally is like, it's like a snare gets without the uh, without the metal snare parts, you know what I mean. So that don't don't don't don't, And we have the guitars and stuff. So I would always be playing stuff like Beach Boys in the house. And then from there I actually gotten to dance. But I understand rhythm and music, and that helped me take the dance a lot quicker. Uh, But dance became my sole focus. I think when I walked in and I was kind of like, I'll never forget. I didn't want to go to dance. By the way, my mom made me go. I had four sisters. They went dance class. I was sitting in the parking lot doing nothing, sitting in the twitter on my thumbs. She goes, well, why you might as well go inside if you're not doing anything. I was like, I don't want to go to go She's like, you're going inside I was like, no, I don't want to go out now. It's kicking and screaming, and I'm like, there's dancings for girls. And then I walk in the door. I'm like, there's girls in.

00:08:16
Speaker 1: Here, dances for girls.

00:08:18
Speaker 2: Okay, I like this. And I had this really great teacher named Rick Robinson who made it really cool. And then I just fell in love with the community and the music, the way it made you feel blasting over the speakers, and then I'm like whoa. And then you start like sinking your body up to the music and the rhythm, and You're like, wait a minute, this is cool. I feel like in control of my body. I'm doing things, and and then it just yeah, you just fall in love with it. And then also too, gotta travel. You know. I'm like this kid in this little neighborhood in Utah. I got to go to La I get to go to uh, you know, New York London. I'm like, wow, dance is like taking me places. And then yeah, just one thing leads to another.

00:09:01
Speaker 1: You talk about being bullied, but when you go to dance, was there acceptance and was that part of the reason that you thrived?

00:09:08
Speaker 2: One hundred percent? Yeah, it was like, well, one, I had a lot of encouragement. You know, the coaches again, like I said that, Rick Robinson and my other teachers and Kim Dell grow So they were so kind and encouraging, like, hey, you got a lot of talent, like you're really great. And I was like, am I cool? You know, and okay, let me keep let me keep going at this. And it was just an encouraging environment. And when you do certain things, you know, it was like the kids you were dancing next year like that, like that's great, that's awesome. Whenever I go to school, especially in Utah or at least where I was from, it it was just I just didn't like I was just awkward, honestly, super awkward. I don't know how to socialize. I would get the crappy anaut of me. I went to like six different schools and like a very short amount of time because I kept getting beaten up. Eventually I fought back and I remember breaking this kid's nose and I got expelled from school. And then my mom was proud of me, though she was like she's like yeah, but yeah, man. It was interesting. And it was interesting because when I moved to London. I was like a it was like a safe haven because I I don't know, I just feel like I'd never quite knew how to figure out the school thing. But dance always felt like home, you know. It always felt like a good place to be.

00:10:27
Speaker 1: And you moved to London for dance. Yeah, and so when you moved there, I guess the analogy that I'm gonna compare it to. You can tell me if I'm wrong. It's like if you grow up and maybe you're not. Your high school years were rough, but you go to college and everybody's new. It's clean slate. Yeah, new culture, people do everything different, and so it almost gives you a sense to start over as well. Was London a bit like that for you?

00:10:51
Speaker 2: For sure? I mean I was so naive. I was twelve years old, so I was fully expecting like horse drawn carriages and monocles and like, and I do it, you know, and I get there, I'm like flying. I'm like, there's buildings and cars. What this is crazy? So naive, But it was cool too because growing up in Utah, which was very specific kind of community and culture, So then going to London, which was a microcosm of the whole world of different ethnicities and religions and beliefs, and I was like, what in uh it was? It was wild, It was so great. It was such a rich environment to grow up in and to learn it was. It was awesome. It was great. I mean that's where I really honed in this like this very kind of niche skill, which was Latin and barm dancing now.

00:11:39
Speaker 1: Which is weird because you're not Latin at all. There's nothing about you, there's none.

00:11:42
Speaker 2: El fake tan fool you. This is I got sprays hand two days ago and I'm.

00:11:47
Speaker 1: Like, okay, when you go to London, you only expected to go for a bit, right, but you stayed a long time, a long time.

00:11:53
Speaker 2: I was going for like three months and then I just loved it. I loved it. I love the structure. I love the structure, love the regiment. It was sort of this is what we're doing, no matter what. I don't care if you're sick, You're going you know what I mean. I'll never forget that. I was like sicker than a dog. And they're like, cool, you're going to school. I'm like, what dang. My mom would never like make me go to school, But okay, but I needed that and I loved it. I thrived off that. But yeah, London was. It was a great place to sort of, you know, nourish a skill and really discipline and a work ethic that that I think I'm more thankful for than anything else about being there. It was like it really instilled a work ethic. If like, this is what it takes to be good at something. There's no shortcuts. You gotta put the hours in. You're gonna stay up late, You're gonna you know, you can't go party. Your friends are all partying, you know, in college and high school and stuff. They're all doing all these cool fun things. And I'm like, sorry, I gotta I gotta go put a spray tan on and a riotstone outfit and go to drive to Liverpool six hours and then do a competition in a dusty ballroom and for you know, ten twelve hours and there might be two people there, but I still have to go do it and put in the hours and then drive back again. They go to school the next day, you know, our you know, to get to school on a train. It was. It was not glamorous at all. It was hard and by the way people see Dancing with the Stars, for instance, ten years before Dancing with the Stars even was like a thing, that's what we're doing. You know, we're going into those ballrooms and we're putting in that work, man, and it was it was hard. It was hard.

00:13:37
Speaker 1: Are you still happy that you put in all that work and didn't do all the things that high school kids and college kids did. You're still happy about your decision to be that dedicated.

00:13:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, I think. You know, in my early twenties, you know, when Dancing Stars came around, and you know, we're going on tours and we're doing things, and we're in LA and there's like the clubs and the whole I got. I got my time in.

00:14:03
Speaker 1: You got it in.

00:14:03
Speaker 2: I got it in there I got in my early twenties were yeah, we had it. We had a good time.

00:14:09
Speaker 1: Why did you move back to the States.

00:14:11
Speaker 2: Dancing with the Stars? Dancing Stars literally was the thing that brought me back from the States because I was I would have stayed in London. Honestly, London I considered my home. I started was doing the West End, I was doing musical theater. I did like four hundred and fifty shows with this, you know, Footloose and the lead and that, and so I'm singing every night dancing touring. I was in the West End, and and then Dancing with Stars happened, and it was funny as I originally was like, I came over. Julianne joined the show first season four, and then one of the producers said he's like, yeah, man, would you like.

00:14:45
Speaker 1: To do the show? You know, I was like, because it's a BBC show and they're all everybody's yeah.

00:14:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, And now he's actually the head of Fox now, which is kind of funny, but he was like, do you want to do Dance Stars? Like, Nah, it's not really for me, man, I'm gonna go back to England and do my thing. And then Julianne ended up winning that season and I was like, hold on, hold on, hold on, what's this thing again? It's like you still want me? And so I joined the next season, season five, and then Julianne won that season again too, back to back, so she beat me, and then that really it was just was the beginning of this really awesome experience that we could have never imagined. You know. I remember people saying back then like, oh, this show's got like three more seasons left in it, you know, and I was like, Okay, twenty years later, you know, we're still still kicking it.

00:15:32
Speaker 1: And yeah, what's crazy about the show is that it has gone definitely through cycles, but it it doesn't die and it thrives. Like there are times where just with culture and had television and you know, they will put it on Disney Plus and maybe that wasn't the best things, but man it it did awesome last year. Oh it unbelievable.

00:15:52
Speaker 2: Who would have thought, really, twenty years ago they had been like, hey, there's this show, and trust me, trust me, television is going to be suffering a lot because streaming is gonna come around all these different things. But trust me, this show is gonna thrive in twenty years when the digital world is going to be you know, ruling, but this show will be thriving because of that. You know, you could never have guessed that. You know, it's lightning in a bottle. It's like a perfect storm and we're just lucky. And the amount of times when we're all looking around, I mean, they cut the budget like crazy a couple of years ago, and we're like, oh, okay, this is it, guys. You know, we're coming to the end here and then here we are still kicking. It's we always joke around, so the little train that could, you know, we just keep keep plugging along. Man.

00:16:37
Speaker 1: As many seasons did you do as a dancer before you quit?

00:16:40
Speaker 2: Seventeen seasons? It is seventeen seasons?

00:16:43
Speaker 1: Did you doing two a year at some point?

00:16:44
Speaker 2: Two years? Oh? Yeh h we did two year For most of it. It was like you do a season, we go on tour, and you go right into another season and then you go back on tour. I mean there was no.

00:16:54
Speaker 1: Wow, it was full.

00:16:56
Speaker 2: It was just like the whole year was packed out.

00:16:59
Speaker 1: Were you in doing it until you weren't?

00:17:02
Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, Actually there was a time before that with the season right before Sean Johnson. I can't remember who was adance? Did you dance with Sean Shawn Johnson? Yeah, I saw.

00:17:14
Speaker 1: Today, No way, Yeah, literally literally literally I saw and talk to her today. She here, No, no, we were at the airport together. We lived by each other, oh no way yeah yeah.

00:17:22
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah Sean. Oh I love her, Man. She was yeah Sean, Sean, Sean, I used to do that actually because she's she's you know, she's petite, so she'd always be here. I like, Sean, Sean, oh there you are. She would have hate that I look, but we there was before that season. I remember even then feeling a little bit like burnt out and kind of like I don't know what else to do. I feel a little bit like I don't I'm not like growing or expanding, you know. And my mom ended up going to the hospital because she hit her head and went and saw her and was with her, and then there is this lady next to her and she goes, oh my gosh, I love you on the show. It meets me so much, and all these things, and I remember being like, oh man, I'm I'm thinking about myself right now, Like I was like I was in my I was thinking about myself about like why am I not feeling this way? Why am I not getting this? And I was like, let me try this again, but let me try to like really not think about myself and just go on that show to like serve, to like really serve my partner, to like serve the show and to give it my all, but not for me, but for them. And that was my season with Sean Johnson, and that was like for me, that was kind of like my my breakout season as far as feeling personally like unleashed, and it was awesome. It was so great. We came second that season. Unfortunately, I remember like Sean didn't win, dude, she won first with Mark ballas Oh, she came back and it was the All Star season, got it And I'm not gonna lie. That season was one of my favorites because it was just every week we just did something different and We're flipping off stuff and falling in and I'm breaking all the rules and Len's yelling at me and Carrie ANNs yelling at like it was but we were just like going for it. It was just kind of a great, just full out thing and we ended up coming second, which I remember feeling devastated. I was so upset because you put so much into it. But then that season, man, it lit like a brand new fire, a brand new fire under me. And then the next season was with Kelly Pickler and now you won hem me one with her, And the next season was Amber Riley and one with her from Glee from Glee, and then the next you went back to back back to back. Yeah, and then I'm and then with Amy Purdy the following.

00:19:40
Speaker 1: Season, I know, Amy, she finished my second and we came second.

00:19:43
Speaker 2: So it was like that like a run. It was like second, first, first, second, it was and and both of the seconds were like some of my favorite seasons. So it was a really special time, and it was this catalyst of intentionally going into it to be like, all right, I'm here to like give, not to like it's not really about me.

00:20:02
Speaker 3: We interrupt this interview to bring you a message from our sponsor, and we're back on the Bobby Cast.

00:20:18
Speaker 1: Some people wonder if the pros are competitive and winning or if they're just there to make their money.

00:20:25
Speaker 2: Competitive competitive very cool and actually in the earlier seasons, even more competitive, I would say, because I feel like we came out of man what I said we, I mean, like the pros, we're kind of plucked out of the Latin ballroom competitive world. So we were competitors and we didn't come from like, you know, dance studios where it was like this camaraderie of like supporting your fellow dancers and classmates. We were soloists. I mean, you know, part we had partners, but it was like we were against everybody else. And that mindset is like I'm against you, I'm against everybody was instilled in us. So we were very, very very competitive, and you see it. You see it a lot, honestly in the earlier seasons openly, you know what I mean. And so if you can see some of that openly, you can only imagine what was going on behind the scenes. But it made it fun, It made it really like intense. It's definitely calmed down a lot now, you know, because now there's tours and now the dancers there's a lot more like camaraderie and a lot it's more more family orientated, I feel like. And a lot of these dancers they grew up watching the show. They grew up watching and being like I would love to be on the show one day, and now they're there and now like, oh my gosh, like because they're in a state of gratitude, like they're in a place like this is awesome. I'm so happy to be here, which is great. But with that said, there's definitely competitiveness. Oh my goodness. For sure.

00:21:51
Speaker 1: Whenever you finished your run as a dancer, did you have the thought that you would come back into a capacity at all?

00:22:00
Speaker 2: When I finished the runners the Master, Yeah, by the way, you asked me if I until it wasn't. I remember the last my last season, there was like a moment. I remember just being like, oh, yeah, I don't have that same thing anymore where I'm like, you know, it kind of went away, and it was kind of a good moment for me to like walk away, you know, and do a different project and then miss it. You know, I really missed it.

00:22:26
Speaker 1: I like love.

00:22:27
Speaker 2: I was like, Wow, this show really is special. I love this show and then come back into different capacity, you know, I feel so fortunate if I'm so lucky and and have to have been a part of that show for so long, it's been really special. Yeah.

00:22:42
Speaker 1: I really liked off camera Lynn and they don't encourage camaraderie between the contestants and the judges. I had a slightly different lifestyle on that show where I didn't know any rules, so I didn't live by them. Yeah, I wasn't breaking them. I just didn't know them anyway, like from the show or dancing. And I would see Lynn out at the car. He was awesome to me until we were on camera and he had to be Lynn. Yeah, and he was the hardest on me, and people would go, Lenn is such a dick to you, And now I'd be like he is on camera, but like I loved that dude. He was so nice to meet off camera.

00:23:23
Speaker 2: You know What's funny, Like I joke around because obviously Dancing Stars has a whole brand new, you know, audience, and it's funny. I'll people, I'll say something like, you know, it wasn't really for me, and I'm like, oh my.

00:23:37
Speaker 1: Gosh, Derek, you're the worst.

00:23:39
Speaker 2: I'm like, Yo, you didn't see Lynn. Guys, I don't think you quite understand I am. If anything, I'm actually a little bit too. I'm too too, you know forgiving. No. Len is awesome. I've known him so I was fifteen years old, you know, I've known him be way before Dancing on.

00:23:56
Speaker 1: The Stars when you were competing.

00:23:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, I knew back in London when i there. So actually when he was on Dancing with the Stars, I was like, wait, Len's on that shit, what is Lenn doing up there? You know? It's so random and uh, getting to know Len, having our careers kind of like just be parallel and just share the space with him in different ways was so awesome. But you're right, Lyn, Yeah, man, this is nobody like him, you know. He one had the gift of the gap. I always I begged him. I said, can you write a book of just like lenisms? Because the things you would say they were so good and so funny and charming and witty and and.

00:24:39
Speaker 1: That nice and yeah, but not nice. But you would be like, that's Len cuttingly funny? He would cut you, but it was hilarious. Yeah, yeah, actually I'll tell you, yeah, but it's funny. There was a time actually to go off what you said. And I've shared this story a bunch of times, but it was with Kelly Pickler. And I saw Lynn in the hallway and he.

00:25:02
Speaker 2: Goes, oh, Derek, you know, I was like, I would love I was like, what dance you have next week? I'm like, the pasta doble and he goes, oh, I love the dance. It's like it's like throwing a coupda peek into that dance because I haven't seen one of those in a long time. I'm like, oh, you got it, Lynn, you got pa.

00:25:17
Speaker 1: I'm gonna put two in there.

00:25:18
Speaker 2: You got it, you know, And so I do the pasta doble. We do it. It's this trio thing. And and I'm like, oh man, we got it in with Lynn. We got this on lock.

00:25:28
Speaker 1: We're good.

00:25:29
Speaker 2: We do the dance. I go up to the judge table and I'm like, you know, looking at Kelly, like all right, we got this, and carry Anne was like, oh my gosh, it's my favorite dance I've ever seen.

00:25:38
Speaker 1: Bruno, Oh my god, Darling, my love.

00:25:41
Speaker 2: I loved it. The theatrics are wonderful. Lenna is like, how dare you, Derek? That was an abomination, disgraceful. You're letting your partner down, and like I was like, you betrayed me? What are you doing? Man? It was it was such a funny thing. But then afterwards I saw I saw him and he got two tens from Lennon sorry from Bruno and Carrie Inn and he gave us a six.

00:26:05
Speaker 1: Wow.

00:26:05
Speaker 2: And that was in like the semi finals, Like this is a big times. So so again when I saw him afterwards and I was like, Lannes, he goes, oh, Derek, it's a bit of TV.

00:26:19
Speaker 1: Did you like that?

00:26:20
Speaker 2: I was like, ah, oh no, I didn't.

00:26:23
Speaker 1: I didn't like that.

00:26:25
Speaker 2: But again it makes me laugh because you know, again in these seasons, like you know, we'll have like we'll give like two weights and then a judge will give us seven, and the the energy that is thrown at that judge for giving you know, a seven and seven eight is crazy And I was like, gave me a six when then you're giving me tens like this is that was a different discrepancy. So no, he's he's wonderful. And it was a big shock when he passed away. Honestly, we knew he was wasn't quite himself, and he was, you know, the energy wise. But the last season, our last season together, is interesting. I felt really drawn to his trailer and going to see him and talk with him. I was like, hey, man, let's shot this TikTok. We'll do something kind of fun together, and he would be open for it, you know, he'd be down. And we spent we spend a lot more time than usual. And so at the end of that season when he said that he was stepping away one, I couldn't believe it. I just I was like, this is like the end of an era, and we're losing the heart of Dancing with the Stars essentially that foundation. And then a couple months later when we found out we we lost him completely. We had no idea. It was such a shock to us. And uh and again that's why I really, I genuinely don't take it lightly. You know where I sit and being in that position, you know when I go on my tours. I I'm going out on tour this summer, and a couple of years ago when he first passed away, I did a tribute for him on my tour, And even as I'm building this one, I was thinking, I was like, should I take that out now? And I was like, no, I'm keeping that in. I'm keeping that in because it doesn't matter. I don't care if it's ten years. I'm still keeping that in there because I think, you know, we wouldn't be here really without him. He really helped build that show.

00:28:32
Speaker 1: And now the mirror Ball is named after him. Yeah, yeah, the Lynn Goodman mirror Ball Drunk. Yeah, I love him.

00:28:37
Speaker 2: It has a little bow tie on there like it's it's It's amazing.

00:28:40
Speaker 3: Hank Ty, The Bobby Cast will be right back. Welcome back to the Bobby Cast.

00:28:55
Speaker 1: Do you have how many do you have? Mirror balls? Six? Six? Are they all knee least? Stacked beside each other? In a no CD manner.

00:29:03
Speaker 2: They Where are theyre? Actually, I have no idea where they are right now, If I'm honestly, I think they're They're like in a road case right now somewhere, because I take them to travel with them. I take them on tour, and I put them in the lobby, you know, and just just for people to come come check them out.

00:29:15
Speaker 1: And look at you. Ever broken one had to get a replaced Oh yeah, Oh so what do you do if that's the case.

00:29:20
Speaker 2: Oh no, I've I've lost like two of them. Wait, okay, I'll tell you this story. This is kind of kind of funny. Actually in my earlier days when I would go out and have them have fun. I think I had three at the time, and there's somebody at my condo where I was living. I was a bachelor, you know, the whole thing. And then I woke up, you know, the next day, and I was like, where's my where's my trophy? No way? And I was like, wait a minute, somebody took somebody took my because I had like an after party at my house and there's a bunch of people there and stuff, and somebody took my trophy and uh or I think it was like, honestly, it was I think it was two of them because there's only one there, like, wait, hold on. Luckily, there was like a card on the ground. It was like somebody's card. I don't know. I was random. I was like, let me let me call this person, say, hey, did you take my trophies? Yeah, we took them, and they're in They're in like Korea Town, which is nowhere near where I live, in the bush somewhere at this address. I'm like, first, why did you do that? Secondly? What? So? I had to find them and sure enough they were in a bush, had to grab them, take them home in one piece and one piece. They were fine, but I have broken them. I've lost a few. But you could get a remade. But they're like five thousand dollars a piece, which you're like, you know, yeah, I feel like you could just get like a I have one.

00:30:51
Speaker 1: Actually, wow, I did not know they were that expensive. Yeah they're cool, they're fine. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah they're cool.

00:30:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, what happened? What happened yours?

00:31:02
Speaker 1: That's not why you're here. But I'm happy. I'll talk about whatever. I don't want to preface it by saying this, but I must I just had surgery, like two days before you did. That's not an excuse, but I was not right in my mind. So I had surgery, and they were they everybody was going back to for like that. It was the big episode where all the winter everybody came back. If you were on the show, you get to be a part of it. And I couldn't go to that, and I was just awful little And I love and still love Tom Bergeron. He was the nicest guy to me. And so I was a little messed up on paint bills and I felt like I got a slight from somebody I really admired, and I was like, this sucks. I get beat up by the audience all the time anyway because I didn't I don't I don't want to dance. I worked really hard and we won, but I don't want to dance. I don't claim I know how to dance, like I'm not fighting for my dance skills. But it really hurt my feelings, like really bad, and so I I packaged it up and mailed it back because I was like, you don't want me to be a part of the show. I don't want this thing around me now. Clearhead. I don't think I would have done that. And I know the head of BBC, and because I wrote for BBC for a while, I had them produce my Nat Geo show. I have great relationships and I was talking to him and I said, Hey, Ryan, have you seen the trophy? And he was like, no, We've been looking for it. And I was like, I don't know where it is. He said, it's in a bush and Korea town. I was just going to say that it's there.

00:32:32
Speaker 2: It's just it's like all trophies go to that place and it's like a black hole.

00:32:37
Speaker 1: Yeah. I mailed it back because I was upset. I was very sensitive. I love Tom and my feelings got really hurt. And also I think I would I just get pounded and then I'm going to move off me because it's not about me. But yeah, yeah, here's the thing that hurts my feelings about that show a little bit. On my season, I wasn't the bad dancer. There were three or four bad dancers. I was never in the mix of being the bad I was. I'm the bad winner. Big difference because there were three or four people that lasted. People were like, how are these people staying on I was never that guy during the show because I was fine, But when it comes to like winning, I didn't have the dance skills to be a winner according to the traditional winners. So I went from the fan favorite obviously I won to I'm now associated with every bad dancer on the show, when I wasn't even the bad dancer on my season. Yeah, I have three final questions for you.

00:33:32
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:33:32
Speaker 1: Something that people ask me about and I was also very uncomfortable with it when I first started the show is all the touching, because how I have lived my whole life is you don't touch people really like, especially like that in dance. It took me a couple of weeks to realize that's just the culture. That's what you have to do it in order to actually do any sort of performance, Like fundamentally, your hands have to be on the other person's body, all over their body all the time. When you're learning, you're moving, it's great. My mind was blown by all of it. If here's this girl I don't know in small shorts and the top and she's like, put your hands right on my butt, put your touch my hips, and I'm like, am I me too? I don't want get hashtag me too.

00:34:16
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:34:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, so that was very uncomfortable for me at first. But people all the time say, man, they're all touching each other. Everybody's got to be doing it with each other. You hear that a lot, right, Yeah, what's your response to that?

00:34:30
Speaker 2: Most of the time, it's funny. Actually, I would say this. In the earlier seasons, there was a lot of there was a lot of stuff that would you know, go on, I feel like.

00:34:43
Speaker 1: But the touching is like it's like but they're looking at a bank and taking money, like yeah, yeah, no.

00:34:47
Speaker 2: No, no, here's the thing. Here's I'll say this the dancing part of it again for a dancer. For a dancer, it's not it's not intimate, you know what I mean. It's not like like this is like get in here. It's not that at all. It's very uh, it's very clinical, you know, it's like, hey, get your get there. No no, no, that doesn't feel right, okay, good, No, no, get that get that hip up in here, and you're and you know, for me, I'm not thinking like ooh, I'm thinking the mechanics of it, and you know, anatomically, does that make sense? Does it feel good? From a balance perspective or from you know, just that push and pull to create the speed and the dynamics. I'm thinking of the performance, you know what I mean. But I remember my first partner, Jenny Garth. You know, I was like this young kid, and I remember it's all on camera. I remember us doing ball room and I kind of like, all right, put your hip here, and she remember me like she'd be like whoa hey. And again for us, does it even like you know, this is just what we're doing. You know, it's very clinical, it's very technical.

00:35:49
Speaker 1: That's what I tell people, Like it doesn't even like factor to professional dancers that there's anything romantic happening, because it's another day on the job.

00:35:58
Speaker 2: Yeah it is. And it's interesting too because I think even like, you know, it's like in acting, you know what I mean, and in in in film. You know. I was with Mark Robbie yesterday talking about her Weathering Heights film and it was like all this stuff about her and Jacob be Lord, You're like, oh my gosh, this is like crazy. And but again for me, I was like, it's like dancing. It's like a dance partner, you know, it's it's not it certainly looks that way, like, wow, there's something going on there. The amount of people think thought that things were going on with a bunch of my partners and couldn't be further from the truth. Like I was like, they're like my sisters, you know what I mean, Like they're like my family. And but we could just we could just you know, we could just dance.

00:36:41
Speaker 1: You know. How's the extra job going.

00:36:43
Speaker 2: That's good?

00:36:44
Speaker 1: Man, Yeah, it's good.

00:36:45
Speaker 2: It's different. I'm different skill. It's a different muscle, you know, learning uh, just learning those ropes.

00:36:51
Speaker 1: Man.

00:36:52
Speaker 2: You know, they're doing a certain voice in the vos and stuff and then the interviews, and it's been great. It's been good. I caught my like my dad job because it's like I go, I have an office, and it's like, you have an office.

00:37:03
Speaker 1: They gave you an office. That awesome.

00:37:04
Speaker 2: It's a dope office. Yeah, it's nice. Haley came in and she did it all up and we did the walls and the shelves and the things, and it's a nice office. And uh, you know, I go from like eight thirties and I'm done by like noon or eleven sometimes and go home.

00:37:18
Speaker 1: How many days a week four days a week.

00:37:20
Speaker 2: So today I shot two shows and you know, yeah, yeah that's super cool.

00:37:25
Speaker 1: Yeahs on that.

00:37:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's fun. It's fun if people.

00:37:28
Speaker 1: Want to see you on tour this summer.

00:37:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, like, what's the deal, dude, my tour. Well, first of all, performing live is for me number one. It's the best, you know, being on television, you know, I love that, don't get me wrong, of course, but there's nothing like performing live in in you know, in a room, having that shared experience, you know, how it feels, that instant response, that relationship. And uh, I'm going back out on the road with the tour that I've done before called Infany of Dance, and it's a really special show. I'm so proud of this show so much so that I want to do it again and go back out. We're gonna change things, of course, there's gonna be different songs, different pieces, different things happening, and there of course make it different, But for the most part, it's the same show, and it's we have a live band, live musicians, incredible cast of dancers that I handpicked that are just they're superheroes. They can do things. I specifically pick dancers who do things that I would only dream of doing. I can never do what they do. And yeah, there's music in it, singing and audience participation, but it's also very personal. It's very heartfelt. I always try to make my shows feel connected and feel like there's an emotion there, So I'm really proud of it. This is also the show that Haley actually a couple of years ago, she ended up having a brain bleed during the show and we had to go off the stage, and there's just something and then she came back. She came back and it was incredible, and we were talking about what tour we wanted to go out with this summer, and we both were like, we want to go back out with that show. The show is really special. There's something about it that's really special. And I think part of that might because of the experience that we had together, but also we're really proud of the show. It's a good one. It's a good the music, the energy, it's rock and roll, there's ballroom, there's there's contemporary, there's ballads. There's just a bit of everything tap old Hollywood musical theater, you know, it's it's a it's a bit of everything in it. It's really fun.

00:39:45
Speaker 1: I really appreciate you coming by. This has been great.

00:39:48
Speaker 2: Thanks man.

00:39:48
Speaker 1: I one bonus question, do you ever have any input at all on who your next partner is going to be?

00:39:54
Speaker 2: Do you have any input? No, you don't. You don't have any, But.

00:40:01
Speaker 1: You answered that a little suspect.

00:40:04
Speaker 2: I love that so much. Sorry, I was just trying to think.

00:40:07
Speaker 1: I'm just trying to the only.

00:40:08
Speaker 2: Reason why I'm saying that is because of this. Because a while ago, and I'll be completely honest with you, I was doing a show. I was doing Radio City Music Hall. I was in a show there, and I was like, I can't do Dancing with the Stars. I'm gonna go do this show at Radio City. I'm doing thirteen shows a week, which is insane, by the way, three shows a day sometimes with the rockheads. I'm on stage were I'm singing and dance and it's fifty thousand gallons of water falling on that stage, like it's incredible, sold out shows every night, you know, six thousand per show and we're in rehearsals, and I kind of was like, I think I could do Dancing with Stars at the same time as this, which was crazy, and I remember calling them and saying, hey, guys, I think I can do both. I think I can fly Red Eyes and go back do thirteen shows a week, teach my partner in between shows in my dressing room. You needed someone in New York and I was like, but the person needs to be in New York and they're like, well, okay, let me. Then they were like, well let's think about it. And then funny enough, Nasty Lucan was going to school in New York City and so it just happened to work out that way. So it wasn't like I was like, hey, I want this partner. It was like, we could make this happen, but my partner has to be in New York.

00:41:25
Speaker 1: So that's and they need to be an Olympic gymnast. And you've had two Olympic gymnasts.

00:41:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, I did, I have. I have he's the Olympic gymnast and it'd be amazing. No, it wasn't that. It was just was by chance and uh but it was amazing. She was incredible as well. But but yeah, there's you know, it's interesting of course, especially now with like the the energy around the show, there's a lot of like wanting to figure things out and look into things and all this stuff. It really isn't that complex, really honestly, it's it's just like, hey, these guys go well together, let's put them together. There are, of course, sometimes when partners, you're kind of like, man, I wish this person would you know, have a different opportunity, you know, And I think, yeah, I don't know what I'm trying to say right now, but.

00:42:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, there were people I'll just keep names that there are people on our season that really didn't like each other, like really like partner and that really and I felt bad. Yeah, I felt because they just it just didn't mix, you know.

00:42:27
Speaker 2: I feel like now I could be wrong, but I feel like we're sort of in a different time now where I think that people who come on the show now, you know, celebrities will come on the show. They want to be there, do you know what I mean? I feel like there's gonna be like now, they want to be there, They're here, Take me, what am I? What do I gotta do? Doesn't mean they're not gonna have conflict. They're gonna hit heads and that's gonna happen. But I feel like in some cases in the past it'd be people who are there like what am I doing here? Like my agent made me be here.

00:42:58
Speaker 1: I've heard of those two. You're go for the the pro as well.

00:43:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, and there're just like, come on, please come in to rehearsal, you know, and you feel bad for them and that that's a bummer. That's bummer. But I feel like we're in a that time now where it's like there's like a people want to be on the show, they want to be there, and you feel that.

00:43:12
Speaker 1: So congratulations man, Thanks dude, killing it. Love the spent an hour here, big fan of your work. You filled Lynn's spot wonderfully because you're not trying to be Lynn, You're just being you. Thanks, And I think that is a really hard thing to do. Like when you're coming in after somebody legendary, you think, well it should be somewhat like this, but you've really embraced just being you and that is probably exactly what Lynn would have wanted to So Derek going to see you man.

00:43:35
Speaker 2: Thanks man, he's a lot. Thanks so much.

00:43:36
Speaker 3: This has been a Bobby cast production.