Danielle with…Whitney Leavitt

00:00:14
Speaker 1: It's time for another episode of Danielle with I am your host, Danielle Fischel, TV director, podcaster, mother of two and from the years nineteen ninety three to two thousand and then again from twenty fourteen to twenty seventeen, I orbited the world of family sitcom, playing the character to Panga Lawrence, first as a teen and then as a poorly explained adult. But if you have been keeping up with pop culture these days, you may know me as one of the season thirty four contestants on the water cooler phenomenon that is Dancing with the Stars. Though I was eliminated on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night, or as I like to call it, the night Flave of Flave wanted us to know what he was saying. I have continued to record this podcast, giving listeners a front row seat to my own dancing journey, even if it was cut short, and in the process, I've been chatting with fellow celebs, genius pros, past participants, and crucial behind the scenes contributors in hopes that it could forever immortalize the year I tried to win a Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy, and this week I am sitting with a very special person, a fellow Dancing with the Stars competitor who has quickly become a very close friend and one of the best results of my decision to do this show. She's a founding member of mom Talk, a social media tornado or originating in Utah consisting of Mormon mom creators who first took TikTok by storm and then transformed it into a hit Hulu reality show. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives just kicked off its third season this past Monday night, during the same week that she avoided Dancing with the Star's elimination to enter the semifinals alongside her partner Mark Ballas, where arguably she has become the best celebrity dancer to ever do the show, and I will make that argument, Oh go back. I invited her to the show today to one spend some time with her during an incredibly busy schedule, and two to hopefully introduce you to the Whitney I have gotten to know over the past three months, a kind, supportive soul who turned casual, funny TikTok Dances into a larger than life celebrity brand she never saw coming. All the while she's earnestly worked through the good the bad in real time, with the cameras always running. Please welcome to Danielle with Whitney Lovitt.

00:02:40
Speaker 2: Oh my god, I'm so honored, so happy here too.

00:02:44
Speaker 1: You were saying, you haven't done this in a while, this whole being interviewed thing.

00:02:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, the last time I did it, it was in New York and it was promoting the last season that we did. Okay, I haven't done any press for the season that's coming out too.

00:03:00
Speaker 1: I know. I did notice that I'd seen everyone else have little clips and you just haven't done it. Is it mostly because you have no time, because you've given up your entire life to dancing with the.

00:03:12
Speaker 2: Stars, to living in a studio twenty four to seven.

00:03:16
Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, and like obviously people have asked, but it can be exhausting. Yeah, Like sometimes you just feel like you're saying the same thing over and over and over again.

00:03:28
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:03:28
Speaker 2: So I think I just kind of needed a little bit of a beat.

00:03:31
Speaker 1: A break is maybe saying no one of the ways you're learning to protect your peace a little bit.

00:03:35
Speaker 3: Oh, absolutely, Because I am such a yes man. I want to say to everything, like I always have this fear of like a missed opportunity. Right, but no, with press and podcasts, I've I've been saying.

00:03:49
Speaker 1: No more, Yeah, saying no more. Be guesse what.

00:03:53
Speaker 2: No, I'm like, I can't today. I'm sorry. I'm gonna take a bubble bath.

00:03:59
Speaker 1: Your poor feet. Every time I think of the struggles on this show. I mean, I snapped attendant, and yet when I think of your feet, I'm like, oh, poor, No, you had it.

00:04:08
Speaker 2: You had it the worst.

00:04:10
Speaker 3: When you walked in our room and showed us your leg. I genuinely turned the mark and I'm like.

00:04:17
Speaker 1: Why is she here?

00:04:18
Speaker 2: What is that?

00:04:19
Speaker 1: What is that?

00:04:20
Speaker 3: Call?

00:04:21
Speaker 1: Nine one one? Your leg?

00:04:24
Speaker 2: Dear god.

00:04:25
Speaker 1: I was scared for you, and I hid it from production as much as possible because I was so First of all, was so early on, Yeah I had I was like that was week three, Yeah, week two. I actually injured it during the during my first tango a week and then when it was like very bad was during week two when I had my chat chat and it was like, make sure your knee is straight, and like, can't feel my kneecap, It's just floating in a bunch of fluid.

00:04:50
Speaker 3: My mom's just like I didn't see it. I couldn't say it. I was like, that's because they literally lathered it with it.

00:04:55
Speaker 1: Makeup covered it, and yeah is a body makeup genius and spray can Yeah, thank goodness for spray Tann. But anyway, I want to talk. I want to go back to you. I want to go back to Utah for.

00:05:07
Speaker 2: A second ago.

00:05:09
Speaker 1: What was growing up in Utah like for you? After being on Dancing with the Stars, I'm convinced all of Utah is just dancing in the streets. I'm just like, is everyone there an incredible dancer?

00:05:20
Speaker 3: Yeah? There's a lot of competitive dance studios there. Yeah, yeah, which is so funny. Most of the pros are from Utah.

00:05:29
Speaker 2: I know there's a lot of dance studios.

00:05:33
Speaker 3: I just feel like in general Utah like there's this weird like you gotta be the best culture and so I think it's like with anything, Like I love the beauty industry there, I love anything. Always make fun of Mark. I'm like, Utah has like it's better in Utah. You need to go to Utah.

00:05:50
Speaker 2: Like if he's drinking a drink, I'm like, it's better in Utah.

00:05:52
Speaker 1: It's so funny. Utah is the version of like it's bigger in Texas. It's just there, you go, Yeah, like everything's big in Texas. Every thing's great in Utah.

00:06:01
Speaker 3: Like getting like my hair done, my makeup done, like shopping, like I just I don't know, I just love it.

00:06:08
Speaker 2: It's so yeah.

00:06:10
Speaker 3: But yeah, I just think it's a very like you got to be the best culture, which is also like it has its negative connotations with it too, like there's pure pressure to be perfect and to always appear like you've got it all together. Yeah, I felt like I grew up in a bubble for sure.

00:06:30
Speaker 1: Do you think that is related to Utah or do you think it's more specifically to the LDS community.

00:06:36
Speaker 2: Both?

00:06:36
Speaker 1: Okay?

00:06:37
Speaker 3: Because I served a mission of the church in Atlanta, Georgia.

00:06:41
Speaker 2: Do you know what a mission is?

00:06:42
Speaker 1: I sure do?

00:06:43
Speaker 2: You'd be such a great Mormon?

00:06:54
Speaker 3: Are?

00:06:55
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:06:55
Speaker 2: I am? This is a missionary lesson right now?

00:06:59
Speaker 1: Do you want to tell our listeners because I think there are going to be people listening to this who have never seen the secret lives of Mormon wives.

00:07:06
Speaker 2: So you don't have.

00:07:07
Speaker 3: To go on a mission, yep, Like it's option. But I went and I served a mission. It's for the women. It's a year and a half for minutes, two years, and you don't get to choose where you go. Yep, that's chosen for you. And I went to Atlanta, Georgia, and that was the first time where yes, I still was surrounded by Mormons, but not in Utah. And culturally it's just different, like I don't know why, it's just like it's like on steroids in Utah. And it's a lot more of a judgmental culture. And again like that perfectionism, like you have to appear like you've got it all together. I just didn't really, I mean still there, yeah, in Mormonism, but it's less I feel like outside of Utah.

00:07:51
Speaker 1: Right, So when you go on a mission, you are truly I mean unless it's different for I know, the men, it's door to door yeah, oh yeah, spreading the word and would knock on doors, knock on doors?

00:08:03
Speaker 3: Is that?

00:08:04
Speaker 1: Is it the same thing for And it's like from the moment you wake up until the time it's time for dinner, all day every day. Yeah, for a year and a half. Yeah. And where are you living and are you living with other missionaries?

00:08:16
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:08:16
Speaker 3: So you get once you get called to like the state or the city. Then you get called to an area and in that area, typically you're going to be.

00:08:26
Speaker 2: You always have the calm companions.

00:08:28
Speaker 3: You're always paired of the companion, just like a dance partner, right right, You're paired with the dance partner and you're there.

00:08:33
Speaker 2: You're with them for a certain amount of time.

00:08:34
Speaker 3: Again, not up to you, up to whoever your mission president is, okay, but usually it's you and your companion, and usually you have someone another companionship there too. It's very rarely just you and that other person.

00:08:49
Speaker 1: So how did going to Georgia on your mission and seeing a totally different culture outside of Utah, how did it change you?

00:08:56
Speaker 3: Well, it definitely was culture shot. I learned a lot about Christianity, Christianity in general, which was really refreshing to me because I just felt like everyone was Mormon. I genuinely believed that, like because everyone in my elementary school, everyone in my junior high, everyone in my high school was Mormon. So I just like had that assumption that majority of the.

00:09:21
Speaker 1: World we're all Mormon.

00:09:22
Speaker 2: We're all Mormon.

00:09:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, And so then going to Georgia, I was like, oh, my gosh, Like, wait a second.

00:09:26
Speaker 1: How come there are so many?

00:09:27
Speaker 2: So many more?

00:09:29
Speaker 3: It was bizarre, like because I've obviously like I've watched movies, like I watched the news, like I just had that mindset. Yeah, so weird, but yeah, I just I learned a lot about Christianity. I learned a lot about the Bible, and just like culture in general. It was very refreshing.

00:09:47
Speaker 1: And then when you went back, so you're usually it's around eighteen, right, so from like eighteen to nineteen and a half. Oh wait, wait, do you like age eighteen? Were you eighteen?

00:09:56
Speaker 2: So eighteen for men, nineteen for women?

00:09:59
Speaker 1: Okay, so little for women.

00:10:01
Speaker 2: It used to be twenty one.

00:10:02
Speaker 3: You still had to be twenty one to go on a mission, but my group of the missionaries were the first nineteen year olds.

00:10:08
Speaker 1: Oh look at you and freaking barriers.

00:10:11
Speaker 3: Wow.

00:10:12
Speaker 1: So then meeting history, Yeah, there you go. You come, you go back to Utah, and are you mission? After your mission? Yeah, so you're like twenty and a half because it's a year and a half, so yeah, twenty and a half, yeah, almost twenty one? Are you how has it changed your perception of life in general? Are you still like are you currently still a practicing Mormon.

00:10:36
Speaker 2: Yeah, like I'd still consider myself Mormon.

00:10:39
Speaker 3: I like haven't been as active as I would like to be, but yeah, if somebody asked me to be like, yeah, yeah Mormon, I practice Mormonism, right, Yeah.

00:10:48
Speaker 1: Okay, interesting I And you know, so I was told you, I would tell you. I grew up. My best friend in elementary school was Mormon. Her dad was the bishop of the Mormon Church. And you know, Sundays are sacred family days. My best friend and I were so close. We used to like to spend our entire weekends together, and her family would say, you can spend Sundays with us, but you have to go to church with us. So I grew up pretty regularly spending time. Really yeah in the Mormon Church.

00:11:16
Speaker 2: That's so cool.

00:11:16
Speaker 1: What did you think it was so long? It's you know, it's hour.

00:11:21
Speaker 3: They changed it. It's not only two, so they're they're learning.

00:11:25
Speaker 1: I remember, because you know, I grew I went to Catholic church with my family before my family left. The left the Catholic Church, and I thought Catholic church was long.

00:11:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, because how long is it?

00:11:36
Speaker 1: You our hour? Hour and a half. But there were donuts after and then I remember going to church with them and being like, and then you're separated. You know, the parents go to their part of the church, and that doesn't happen at Catholic church.

00:11:50
Speaker 2: We also to the other kids.

00:11:51
Speaker 1: The kids go to their different classes, and so I remember also thinking that was where I was like, whoa, where are you guys going? And they were like, oh, they're doing classes too. It was like they they all right, and we're gonna be over here. Yeah. But I you know, I grew up and I knew a lot of Mormon kids. They were some of my greatest friends. 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 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. What were your parents like growing up? You have two younger sisters, right, have you always been close? What's your family dynamic?

00:13:29
Speaker 3: Like? So, my my dad's actually a convert to the church. Oh so he's like the only Mormon in his family. Okay, but then my mom very like past past generations, Carmen, very very active still to this day. And yeah, there's five of us, and my mom was a foster mom.

00:13:55
Speaker 2: Okay, So I grew up waiting enough foster household. Yeah.

00:14:01
Speaker 3: So, like my mom would take in typically about like four to six additional kids in our house.

00:14:08
Speaker 2: So it's like I grew.

00:14:09
Speaker 1: Up with like nine ten people in your house at all times.

00:14:13
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it was chaos.

00:14:15
Speaker 1: Did you have a giant house?

00:14:16
Speaker 3: Yeah? No, my mom. You know, my mom and dad, we had a pretty big home, okay, and.

00:14:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, like I.

00:14:25
Speaker 3: Just well, when I think of my childhood, I just think of chaos in that house, right, just because there was always somebody coming in, somebody leaving. And sometimes it was hard because we would have foster kids stay with us that were like five six years so like to me, that felt like a sibling, and then they just leave, like something happens, and then they got to go to a different home or a family member takes them in or something. Yeah, it was a very chaotic childhood, like just pure chaos in the household because my mom only took in teenage girls too.

00:15:01
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, wow, I know. And so this started when you were how old, like from as long as you can remember.

00:15:09
Speaker 3: Well, yes, so so she Okay, I should take that back, because she tried to take in kids that were like generally our age, okay, but once we were teenagers, it was just teenage girls. Yeah. So in the beginning, it's probably when I was like four years old, and she'd taken like one or two kids, and then three kids, and then four kids and then five kids, and she always wanted to try and keep siblings together too, Like if like there was a child and they're like, oh, like they have there's a sister, And then I was like, oh, absolutely, like let's keep the siblings together. So yeah, my whole life, Like even after I left home, I think it's been only like five or six years that my mom hasn't been a foster mom.

00:15:54
Speaker 2: Wow, I know, it's crazy.

00:15:55
Speaker 1: I mean that is such an incredible thing.

00:15:59
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, she is a woman.

00:16:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, your mom obviously has such a huge heart, and like what to be Like, I have three teenage daughters, you know what we should do teenage girls?

00:16:13
Speaker 2: Do you think every day.

00:16:14
Speaker 1: That then helped shape you being a person who's good at sharing? Like, how would you describe how that impacted who you are as a person and the way you think about sharing space with others. Yeah, I feel like that would automatically make you more empathetic as a person.

00:16:32
Speaker 3: Yeah, I do feel like I'm a very empathetic person. You are, and I always want to And it's probably because I also want to feel included. I want others to feel included as well. Yes, And I think that growing up in that space, those traits just naturally kind of happened, right, no, I want all of us to feel like we're together.

00:16:55
Speaker 1: You know, yes, you are very much that way. Yeah, what do you think that church thinks of the show.

00:17:02
Speaker 2: Of the Secret Life Life.

00:17:03
Speaker 1: Yes.

00:17:04
Speaker 3: In the beginning, I feel like the community wasn't excited about it because the trailer was pretty raunchy and there's a lot of Mormon shows that just like don't really have a lot of positive outlook. But then I feel like once the season came out, there was a better response because it was like, oh, like it's a bit refreshing seeing Mormons and all of us are like kind of at different stages in that faith, some more active than others, where I felt like someone who is Mormon could relate with someone in the cast. And that's the response that I saw, was like, oh, like, we're not Mormons aren't all perfect. They don't look done up every single day. Although some people in the cast do loked.

00:17:49
Speaker 2: On, I'm the one that doesn't.

00:17:52
Speaker 1: Some of them.

00:17:56
Speaker 2: Relate to me, you know.

00:17:59
Speaker 3: Yeah, Like even watch it, I'm like, which is just so cathartic, by the way, just bizarre watching yourself back on a reality show. But when I did watch it, I was like, wow, like I feel like a lot of people, specifically in the Mormon community and honestly just moms in general, could relate to at least one of us.

00:18:15
Speaker 2: Show.

00:18:17
Speaker 1: When you talk about watching yourself back on a reality show.

00:18:20
Speaker 3: It is so cringe, is it? It is so incredibly cringe. I just cringe the whole time.

00:18:25
Speaker 1: What Okay? So I have had this experience before where I have been recorded like something, you know, whatever it is. If it's in a video, that's like, say my kids are in the video, and then I can hear myself in the background and I'm like, I can hear the way I say my husband's name, and I'm like, oh, I didn't think my bubbling resentment was as obvious in my voice as it is now that I hear it when I'm like John sad not like you know, like and I'll think, ooh, so that's what I sound like.

00:18:55
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:18:56
Speaker 1: Is it a similar cringe or is it more just like, oh my gosh, I can't believe I felt so comfortable being so myself.

00:19:03
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:19:05
Speaker 3: I think it's a little bit of both, because I'll watch it I'm like, oh, why did I say that?

00:19:10
Speaker 1: Right?

00:19:10
Speaker 3: And then sometimes you're just like, what are we even talking about. And then other times you're like, I don't remember it going down.

00:19:19
Speaker 1: That way, right, but that's what happened, or at least may have been edited that way. And if you don't really remember, you don't know for sure.

00:19:28
Speaker 3: Because it's you're so far removed from it. Yeah, Like they come out like the season that's coming out this week, like that was almost six months ago.

00:19:37
Speaker 2: Like that's that's a while ago. A lot happened six months that's.

00:19:41
Speaker 1: True, you know that's true. But I did expect with the way you were setting that up that it.

00:19:45
Speaker 3: Was going to be like that came out like years ago, two years ago.

00:19:52
Speaker 1: I was like, I remember what they did yesterday. I want to explain into what mom talk is because I don't know. I've never seen an episode of Secret Lives and Mormon Wives.

00:20:06
Speaker 2: Do you want to join.

00:20:09
Speaker 1: Now that you said i'd be a good Mormon? Yeah you should. There's a reality show where we see who's the best moment.

00:20:16
Speaker 2: It would be you.

00:20:20
Speaker 1: Because everything I do now is have dancing at it. Yeah yeah, okay. So the idea for mom Talk was Taylor's idea originally, right, yes, okay, And she recruited a few women to start posting on social media to challenge the assumptions people were making about Mormon women.

00:20:36
Speaker 3: Well, I think it was it happened more organically, okay, where she got some of her friends together just to get together to make some fun videos. And then it started building traction and then more women wanted to be involved, and so then we all just start getting together and it just got bigger and bigger and bigger. Like it happened very organically. It wasn't like really thought.

00:20:57
Speaker 1: Go out there and accomplish the take the social storm.

00:21:00
Speaker 3: I actually think it was more so like hey, we're doing this together, let's have some fun. Like we're moms, Like you know how you see like those content houses. Yeah, it was like, well, we're moms. We're not going to have a content house, but maybe we can, but we also get.

00:21:14
Speaker 1: Together and have some fun and film content in them.

00:21:16
Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, and get together and have fun.

00:21:19
Speaker 2: And that's what it was in the beginning.

00:21:21
Speaker 1: Okay. Yeah, And what did you were you involved right from the beginning? Yeah? And what did you think of the idea?

00:21:26
Speaker 3: Oh?

00:21:26
Speaker 2: I loved it.

00:21:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, I loved it.

00:21:28
Speaker 2: I love the camaraderie of it.

00:21:29
Speaker 3: I just like I mean, I love making tiktoks, like I just so fun, like I just love like yeah, like I just have so much fun doing it. And so it's just like you get these group of women together, You've got great food music, Like everybody's just wanting to have a good time.

00:21:45
Speaker 2: Like that's what it was and sore having fun.

00:21:47
Speaker 1: Were you doing this like during the week while the kids are in school? Are there are the kids going to school Monday the ready or a lot of them homeschooled.

00:21:54
Speaker 2: No, a lot of our.

00:21:55
Speaker 3: Kids at the time in the beginning were like babies. I don't think anyone had like anybody in school.

00:22:03
Speaker 1: This is way more fun than a mommy and me class.

00:22:05
Speaker 3: Oh and you know what some people would bring their kids, Yeah exactly, yes, I mean it is like how some moms would have just literally had babies and they're like just either sleeping on a couch somewhere or someone was feeding them like it was so it's so fun.

00:22:17
Speaker 1: It also seems like a great way of like keeping postpartum like.

00:22:21
Speaker 3: You gus socializing, setting out of the house. Yeah, like I always looked forward to it.

00:22:27
Speaker 1: Okay, great, Yeah, when was the first moment you realized that this was gaining traction and like this was kind of a thing. That mom Talk was a thing.

00:22:38
Speaker 3: Wow, I want to say it was right before the swinging scandal. Okay, right before that I was like, well, this is getting really big. And then that swinging scandal happened and then.

00:22:48
Speaker 1: It just exploded.

00:22:50
Speaker 2: Then it just broke the group up. That group chat was wild.

00:22:56
Speaker 1: So is the group still fractured from the swinging scandal or has there we Yeah, like there's.

00:23:04
Speaker 3: Definitely women that would come to these mom Talk events that just like aren't even affiliated with the show, like have like completely separated themselves, Like we'll still see them at events and stuff. Yeah, so yeah, like I'd say, absolutely, Okay, still fractured. Like there's like you have to understand, this was like twenty twenty five women that would like I genuinely remember one time and I was like, they're twenty five moms here right now making many videos. Yes, it's incredible.

00:23:32
Speaker 1: I loved it. So what originally started as you guys kind of making videos for your community and are now being seen by millions of people around the world, and all of your adorable dances and some also maybe questionable moments are becoming trending headlines. Did you ever see that coming?

00:23:55
Speaker 2: Did you?

00:23:56
Speaker 1: Did you think ever, hey, I could end up being famous because of this.

00:24:01
Speaker 2: I'll be honest with you.

00:24:02
Speaker 1: No, Okay.

00:24:03
Speaker 3: I purely was excited for the entertainment aspect of it on social media of course, Like I had dreams, but in my mind they always just felt like unobtainable. Yeah, but I was just like having fun, Like I didn't really think that much into it until we got the offer for the reality show, where I was like, oh, oh, okay, so this is something right.

00:24:29
Speaker 2: It wasn't until then.

00:24:30
Speaker 1: So you mentioned you had dreams. Were your dreams to be an entertainer?

00:24:34
Speaker 2: Oh?

00:24:35
Speaker 1: An actor? As singer, a dancer? What?

00:24:37
Speaker 2: What?

00:24:38
Speaker 3: What?

00:24:38
Speaker 1: Did you want to be?

00:24:39
Speaker 2: An actress? An actress? An actress? Absolutely?

00:24:41
Speaker 3: Like I I would talk to Connor about it all the time, but it just like it just I didn't have like the tools for it. Just didn't feel like I had like the networking for it. Like I didn't even know how to start.

00:24:57
Speaker 1: Right, where would I begin this?

00:24:58
Speaker 2: Yeah? And here we are and here you are.

00:25:03
Speaker 1: I mean, it really is like it's really inspiring and aspirational that you talk to Connor about it for so many years and what did Connor say did?

00:25:13
Speaker 3: We always was like you know, like I even remember like making an actor's access like account and like looking at the breakdowns and like auditioning just like literally for anything and everything, and just I didn't have representation at the time though, like I didn't really have I didn't have a team, Like I was just like kind of doing it all on my own, no bites, like, but I just kept doing it, and Connor was always just like, yeah, you just you just keep going, You just keep doing it, and I'm just like, this is so stupid, Like this is just such a waste of time, because yeah, like at one point you're just like, well, if nobody is saying something, maybe it's not maybe I.

00:25:57
Speaker 2: Don't have it.

00:25:58
Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe this isn't something.

00:25:59
Speaker 3: Made me feel yeah, And then the reality show just kind of naturally presented itself, so then all of my time and energy went into that.

00:26:07
Speaker 1: But no wonder making all the tiktoks was then so fulfilling for you.

00:26:11
Speaker 3: Is because it was like it was like my outlet to entertained correct.

00:26:14
Speaker 1: It was a you got to go perform. I get to go do a performance, and you have immediate feedback because the second you posted.

00:26:22
Speaker 3: Those mom talk earlies will tell you I am crazy with my I am I turn into and Mark will tell you too, I turned into this director.

00:26:30
Speaker 2: Or I'm like, I've taken this a little too seriously, but do it again.

00:26:36
Speaker 1: Yeah, I wanted to look like the TikTok my the most impressive TikTok I've ever seen anyone do ever in my life. You did five what felt like five minutes at the People Magazine party.

00:26:54
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, the group one.

00:26:55
Speaker 1: That one was fun, the group rap that somehow you were able to get you.

00:27:00
Speaker 3: I want to know the organization and that's I went into that. Okay, this is my type a personality coming out because I literally watched it and I.

00:27:07
Speaker 1: Was like, how does anyone know how to do this? It felt like I had just watched someone do brain.

00:27:15
Speaker 3: I was like, well, I knew it was gonna be hard task because the cast is so big, and I mean, these are all stars, and I like, we weren't really close yet, so I just like wasn't sure what the vibes were. You know, first of all, what a great freaking cast.

00:27:32
Speaker 1: Like we will talk about that.

00:27:33
Speaker 3: Oh gosh. So I wrote it out in my notes app like where I needed go.

00:27:41
Speaker 2: I needed each person.

00:27:43
Speaker 3: Bruno was a plus in your shot that was that was just a plus, Like that was just a happy share on top.

00:27:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, but I wrote it.

00:27:51
Speaker 3: Out my notes, like this person goes here, this person goes here, and then before in the TikTok app you can you can record it all and like I already have it pre spliced, and then once you go into editing, you can replace that one little clip. So I'd have it all set and I would know which person was when, and then I just hit replaced and then you say, hey, this is your line.

00:28:15
Speaker 1: So this makes sense because I Mark then showed me my little place tricks, so because it takes time to go back and find me. Yeah, so you do. How long does it take you? So like before you're going to the people party, you're like figuring out what you're gonna wear and you're doing your glam yeah, and you're like, I'm doing it while I'm in glam, right, And so I'm sorry, this is so boring for everyone except for me. So are you you're deciding like Bruno and Danielle. I know, Harvy surprised Danielle is going to be from point five to one point seven.

00:28:49
Speaker 3: Yes, and I knew I needed to like group people together everything to fit everyone and not everyone could have a single shot. Right.

00:28:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was fun.

00:29:00
Speaker 1: How you enjoy even that process, like breaking it down and figuring it out my thing and it's just because I haven't used it enough. My thing is I'm going to like why are we talking? No, they're gonna be like why is Daniel asking? He's so many questions about TikTok, So you do all of that before, that makes sense because I could not figure out. It would have taken me. It would have taken me the entire I tried to do a carousel post on Instagram for my husband's birthday, and when I tell you, it took me like three and a half hours because I was like, why can't I find why.

00:29:32
Speaker 2: Is that picture?

00:29:33
Speaker 1: Oh that's not where that's supposed to go? And then you hit back and then somehow something gets deleted, and then why do they make you hit a thing like you're about ready to delete all your TikTok sake it's new.

00:29:44
Speaker 2: Which I really don't like.

00:29:45
Speaker 3: And they also have like the post to story where the draft button is as well. So sometimes you got to really because I've done that too, and I'm.

00:29:54
Speaker 1: Like, great, I lost.

00:29:55
Speaker 3: Yeah, I've just you have to remember I've done this for like I would post three to four times.

00:30:03
Speaker 1: A day, oh Mike, six years ago.

00:30:06
Speaker 3: So I just have like a rhythm down right, like where I'm just like I know what I need to do, and then that's how it works, you know.

00:30:11
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. Okay, So, yeah, you've got your ten thousand hours in TikTok, that's for sure.

00:30:16
Speaker 2: That's right.

00:30:17
Speaker 1: I've never seen the Hulu show, as I told you, and I think a lot of us who have been around for the last three months getting to know you are completely shocked to hear that you are the quote unquote villain on the show. I don't know how that's possible. And there's a lot of chatter online that is like I don't like the Whitney on Mormon Wives, but I love Dancing with the Stars. Whitney. Who is the real Whitney? Oooh?

00:30:43
Speaker 2: I mean this is the thing.

00:30:46
Speaker 3: If someone is following you around every single day, yeah, and showing your worst moments, I don't think anyone's going to like you. Yeah, I really don't. Yeah, and those were some of my worst moments. Yeah, and that's just the truth. As someone who wanted to be a performer, wanted to be an entertainer. Was there a part of you who was maybe willing to create worst moments even knowing they might end up using this, but where you were almost playing a character?

00:31:22
Speaker 1: Whitney M.

00:31:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, I definitely think like everybody has this.

00:31:31
Speaker 3: Camera front ye almost like yeah, like I can tell like when a camera is in front of me, like I almost like, like, I don't know, I tense up a bit of a front just naturally happens. It's hard to fully authentically be yourself. Yeah, And I don't know. I don't think I've met any reality star that would say, oh yeah, I can just fully be my one self when there's a camera right there in front of me.

00:31:58
Speaker 1: But did you know maybe while it was going on, that you were gonna be And maybe the answer is no, I would have never. Did you know maybe that you were gonna because of some of the worst moments you had that did you think, like, I wonder if they're going to use this and I should play it up a little bit?

00:32:16
Speaker 3: Ooh No, absolutely not, Okay, No, I did not feel that at all.

00:32:20
Speaker 1: It was not fabricated No, Okay.

00:32:23
Speaker 3: No, And I think that's why it was so successful God is because like these were genuine friendships that were just in real scenarios that happened that were just blown out of proportion, right. And I will say, when there is a camera in front of you in that reality space, emotions are naturally heightened. Yeah, And so you know, even when I watched back on it, I'm like, well, like, why did I make that such a big deal. It wasn't really that big of a deal. But it just like naturally feels that way. It's bizarre, totally.

00:32:51
Speaker 1: I can I can totally see that how you could be sitting down having a normal conversation if there wasn't a camera in your face, Because you do, you start thinking of lots of other things. Is where you're like, you just said that and it's on camera, yes, and what are people are gonna think?

00:33:04
Speaker 3: And you just are overthinking and over analyzing and you know, because I don't care what anyone says, like, of course you want to be liked, you want to be like you want to be the fan favorite, and I'm just not on that.

00:33:17
Speaker 2: Shew.

00:33:20
Speaker 1: That sounds okay, that's okay. I want to talk about your prior dance experience. Okay, you graduated BYU with a degree in modern dance. Please explain what that means that you studied and what was yours?

00:33:35
Speaker 2: This? I studied shapes.

00:33:43
Speaker 3: Modern dance is I mean, have you ever seen a modern dance before? No? Right now, it's very you know, it's it's just a lot more artistic, Okay, is the best way that I can put it.

00:33:58
Speaker 2: And I think some people would think it's weird.

00:34:00
Speaker 1: Right, I know. I know when Mark was telling me. Mark at one point was like, I mean she has a dream in modern dance. What's this?

00:34:06
Speaker 2: Which is this? Yeah? I was like what, Yeah, just like weird shapes?

00:34:12
Speaker 3: No, Like I I absolutely loved getting my dance degree, but yeah, like I never was professionally trained in ballroom no, like people just kind of took that as I will say, a lot of the stuff that I did learn, you know's tools that's helped me in this space.

00:34:32
Speaker 1: Of course, you know, timing, counting.

00:34:34
Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, like even having your shoulders up by your ear lower Yeah, exactly, I get it. You know, like I think that any sort of experience, like Elaine had some dance experience, Alex had some dance experience, but I think like people took this like modern dance degree and was.

00:34:53
Speaker 2: Like, oh my god, she's a professional.

00:34:56
Speaker 3: I was like, you need to calm down, because if I was a professional, I probably wouldn't be doing a reality show.

00:35:01
Speaker 2: I'd probably like be like a rocket or something like.

00:35:05
Speaker 1: You know, so you have had three kids since you got your modern dance degree. Did you dance after after college? Yeah, you did it.

00:35:15
Speaker 3: I would go to classes, but then oh wait after college or after kids?

00:35:21
Speaker 1: After college?

00:35:21
Speaker 2: After college, yes, but then once I started having kids, you have not.

00:35:25
Speaker 3: No, Like after I had Billy, I would take some hip hop classes like my local like small Town, which was so fun. I bet I really miss it. The vibes were immaculate.

00:35:40
Speaker 1: But just like everything's better in Utah.

00:35:42
Speaker 2: It really is.

00:35:43
Speaker 1: Go to Utah hip hop classes in Uta knows that's where you go.

00:35:50
Speaker 2: I just.

00:35:52
Speaker 3: I would do dances on TikTok though, right when I had kids, and that was again like an out for me because I love dancing, like it just makes me so happy. So learning these like quick little fifteen second dances like.

00:36:07
Speaker 1: The TikTok of you showing Connor that you learned the Shrek Dance Wild is incredible, one of my favorite videos and rely on the internet. Yeah, it's just it's just so funny. I want to talk to you about Mark.

00:36:21
Speaker 2: Oh love that man?

00:36:24
Speaker 1: What do you How would you describe Mark and your relationship?

00:36:28
Speaker 2: Wow?

00:36:30
Speaker 3: Mark is the type of friend who's going to show you. He's going to show you what you can do. Yeah, he's going to help you believe even more in yourself because there will be moves that he'll show me where I'm just like, man.

00:36:46
Speaker 2: I don't know, Man, Yeah, you're great, but.

00:36:52
Speaker 3: Then I'm I'll get so frustrated because I'm not getting it the first second or maybe even third time.

00:36:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe even the tenth time.

00:36:59
Speaker 3: But she's no, like, I believe you can do this, And it's like having that friend that believes in you helps you believe even more in yourself.

00:37:06
Speaker 2: Like that's who Mark is.

00:37:07
Speaker 3: But I see it with everyone, Like it's not just with me, Like he does that with every single person he's with, completely agree Yeah, yeah, which is very admirable. He's so sassy hello and why.

00:37:22
Speaker 1: Say so obsessed with Oh my god.

00:37:26
Speaker 3: That too, I'll like be stretching and I just like he does it all the time. Yeah, give me Lord Noises, give me an example of sassy.

00:37:35
Speaker 1: Mark.

00:37:36
Speaker 2: Oh well, I'm sassy too, you are, so say we're sassy together.

00:37:41
Speaker 1: Was he good at tiktoks before you?

00:37:43
Speaker 3: He didn't ever really like make those types of tiktoks? And I'm like, what are you doing?

00:37:47
Speaker 1: Like his personality is really he really is perfect?

00:37:50
Speaker 2: He is he is.

00:37:51
Speaker 3: He's just such a good actor. He's just good at everything. Goodness save some for the rest of us.

00:37:56
Speaker 1: Mark, I'm on Mark, what is wrong with you? Nothing is the problem? Actly, And so the internet, yeah, oh god, we've seen lots of stuff about whether or not Mark is of getting any sort of favoritism. What do you think about the favoritism conversation? What have you seen and experienced?

00:38:23
Speaker 3: It's so interesting because Val has also been on the show for I'm pretty sure just as long yep Osher has been on the show for.

00:38:32
Speaker 2: A really long time.

00:38:35
Speaker 1: Posh has been on the show for seven years, but Val has been on the show since like the second season, right, so a very long time. Mark and Val have been there for a very long time.

00:38:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, I think, just like sometimes people, it just takes one person to like start a Domino, and then it just goes crazy because when I tell you that man works his ass off, Yeah, yeah, there's no favoritism there. He works his ass off. He works really really hard to choreograph the music. There's so much start that goes into it, and not only pushes me, pushes himself.

00:39:13
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:39:14
Speaker 3: Again, I just think it's like somebody just says something and then people will just like kind of every words.

00:39:20
Speaker 2: I believe everything that's done on the Internet.

00:39:21
Speaker 1: I'm like, right, okay, no, right. Have YouTube been able? What has the experience been like of reading some of the backlash, reading some of the hate. Has it been harder for you, harder for Mark? How have you helped each other through it?

00:39:39
Speaker 2: It's been hard for both of us.

00:39:41
Speaker 3: Like it's nice because sometimes I'll be having a really bad day with it, and then he'll be having a good day. And then sometimes we'll be switching roles or I'll be having a really good day and he'll be having a really bad day, and so it's I feel like we haven't had a day where it's both of us.

00:39:58
Speaker 2: Great, which is great good.

00:40:00
Speaker 3: It almost like makes me think of like mom and Dad, where it's like a kid is being upset and you're like I can't handle I can't help, but one of the parents can.

00:40:07
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:40:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'd be lying if I didn't say, like it definitely like has affected us. In Mark, I think has just never seen it to like this gratitude. So he's just like whoa Like, how do you find like the resilience in not necessarily dealing with it, but dealing with it?

00:40:32
Speaker 1: How do you find the resilience resilience to deal with it?

00:40:37
Speaker 3: Mark asks me the same question, and I don't really have an answer, Like I don't know these people. Yeah, it would hurt more if I knew them, right, And sure, I have insecurities and sometimes people will tap into those insecurities and then that's probably when it's going to affect me the most. But when it's just nonsense, I'm just like like.

00:40:58
Speaker 2: Right, what this is crazy?

00:41:02
Speaker 1: Like right?

00:41:03
Speaker 3: And sometimes if I see a video and it just takes a second to look at the comments and be like, oh, this is like not team Whitney, So let me just scroll.

00:41:11
Speaker 1: Back, right, I won't read this one.

00:41:13
Speaker 2: I'm not going to read this one. They don't like me.

00:41:15
Speaker 1: Here people that like me exactly on the other side of the ad.

00:41:22
Speaker 4: Yeah, okay this week, Yes, the People's Princess.

00:41:39
Speaker 2: The People's Princess.

00:41:40
Speaker 1: Andy Richter was eliminated The People's Princess.

00:41:42
Speaker 2: My heart after seeing those apps, hello.

00:41:45
Speaker 1: I know. Well, I mean, for a while, it really felt like the audience was pitting Whitney against Andy, which I think is so ironic because I don't think Andy Richter has a bigger fan than Whitney. You are his biggest fan. I was sitting next to you during the Holiday show. Yeah, and I am facing the stage, you are sitting over here, and he comes walking out and Whitney goes, oh, I can't my harm.

00:42:16
Speaker 2: I love that man so much.

00:42:18
Speaker 3: I'm telling you, I freaking And I told him when after the elimination because it's such a bittersweet feeling. And it was the same thing when you got eliminated. It's like, I'm so used to seeing these people in the studio. And Andy was also that person for me where it was like he just has just this light that just if I was having a bad day, I literally just needed to like hear Andy speak yeah, I say it really dumb joke, and then I'm happy again. Like he just has that energy, that ambiance about him like that's just how he carries his I'm just like, how can you not be happy around this man? You will be happy, you know what I mean? Like I could not ever be sad or mad around that man.

00:43:06
Speaker 2: It's so cute.

00:43:06
Speaker 1: I talk about his banana bread every opportunity. Did you ever taste his banana? He makes the best banana bread. Well, now I'm pissed, and now I have never had a rotten banana in my kitchen without thinking of Andy. Every time I see a rotten banana, I go God, I wish I could give those to Andy to make some banana bread. How do I get these rotten bans over to Andy?

00:43:26
Speaker 2: You know what he told me when I saw him.

00:43:29
Speaker 3: He was like, well, you might still see me because no one's using this trailer and I need to finish this book.

00:43:35
Speaker 2: He's like, I need a quiet work space. Like, okay, i'll see you next week.

00:43:41
Speaker 1: I love that, Like the way he's not wrong.

00:43:45
Speaker 2: I know, I know, come on over.

00:43:51
Speaker 1: And the minute I was eliminated, I started acting like I wasn't allowed to be there. I like show them. I'm like, Hi, it's my bad. I was eliminated, But it still works. Can I use it.

00:44:02
Speaker 2: I like literally walk around there. It's Danielle, don't shoot.

00:44:05
Speaker 1: I literally act like I'm not supposed to be anywhere.

00:44:09
Speaker 2: You're definitely eating.

00:44:09
Speaker 1: And then last night when Robert did his dance and he got hit the first perfect forty yes, and then I realized there was a commercial break, I jumped up and went to go run up into the skybox and a woman in a red vest was like, where are you going? And I was like, do I just knock her down? Please?

00:44:27
Speaker 2: Did you? I basically said, I need.

00:44:28
Speaker 1: To go see Robert.

00:44:29
Speaker 3: Good, Okay, good, I just ran up to the skybox for you.

00:44:33
Speaker 2: So anyway, I've but that meant so much to Robert. Oh my god, you're so sweet.

00:44:37
Speaker 1: Oh I just I love everybody so much. Can we talk about that, because I do want to talk about this. Why yeah, why do we all love each other so much?

00:44:45
Speaker 3: I think it's just like we all just have such good vibes, like we're It's funny because all Al was even telling me Al pop out, no, not Al Alfonso.

00:44:56
Speaker 1: Oh Alfonso, okay, the other al other. Oh my god, there's so much Alan Alfonso Okay.

00:45:05
Speaker 3: He was telling me, is like this cast I just love how like nobody's petty. Everybody's supporting each other, everybody's rooting each other.

00:45:13
Speaker 1: Someone's got to be secretly petty, you think I mean somewhere right.

00:45:18
Speaker 3: I mean I don't feel those vibes. No, I don't feel those vibes. I I feel like we're all rooting for each other and we all want each other to do our best. And that's why eliminations suck and every single time, because we all just want to keep doing this together. I know, but it was it's like we don't know anything else though. It's like we don't know what the other casts were, Like, we weren't there, but it's kind of cool to hear. It's like, man, this cast, like you guys have just brought the vibes.

00:45:45
Speaker 1: It really we felt it. I think from GMA, even from that gm A weekend, I was like, Wow, this is gonna be this is gonna be fun, and this is gonna be this is gonna be good times. Okay, I want to just last thing. I want to well two last things yeah, one yeah? Do you want to win Dancing with the Stars?

00:46:04
Speaker 3: Wow?

00:46:04
Speaker 2: Can you imagine people have an uproar.

00:46:09
Speaker 3: Listen all of us there because we want to win. Listen, I would be so grateful to win. That would be incredible. I would love to make it till the end. And to me, the end is the finals.

00:46:23
Speaker 1: You know, That's exactly how I felt when I first started. Yes, when I first started, I was like, I'm gonna win a mirror balls, right, And then I started and I was like, I Am.

00:46:32
Speaker 5: Not gonna win a mirror ball, but I am gonna make it to the finals.

00:46:39
Speaker 1: And then it was like, what if I even make it.

00:46:41
Speaker 5: To the semifinal and I made it wrong way Listen, that's far though, It's fine out of eleven I'll take for my forty four year olds.

00:46:51
Speaker 1: Yeah, no dance experience person who has never done any of this before. Yeah, I'm thrilled. I look at you and I see Broadway really on your vision board.

00:47:01
Speaker 3: Wow. You know what's been so crazy about this whole experience is and I made a post about it today where and Mark's having that friendship has helped me a lot too. Where like having someone I mean obviously my husband me Connor like crazy, but having someone who's like done it, like because Mark's done Broadway, Like I look up to that man, like crazy.

00:47:26
Speaker 2: Where He's like, no, like you could do it.

00:47:28
Speaker 3: You could do it, like you've got a shot. So hearing someone and like Mark's not like he'll tell you straight up. Like that makes me feel like, oh, okay, if you believe it, then maybe I would love to. I would absolutely love to love to be in the movies Broadway.

00:47:50
Speaker 2: I want to do it.

00:47:51
Speaker 1: You've got representation.

00:47:52
Speaker 2: Now, I do have representation now.

00:47:55
Speaker 3: Yeah, it does help because there's networking plays such a huge role in it. It's like meeting people, them getting to know your personality and oh and then they're creating a movie and then maybe they'll think of you and like, oh, she'd be great for this role.

00:48:10
Speaker 2: Like that's what I'm hoping.

00:48:12
Speaker 1: Any chance you're going to move to la Ooh, I know everything's so much better.

00:48:19
Speaker 2: Show, but I mean, I don't know.

00:48:24
Speaker 3: Okay, I'm telling you, we move around so much. Blessed Connor's heart. He's probably like he's always down for the ride. But I'm for my kids. I'm like, man, I really need stability for them. But I yeah, I don't know what's next.

00:48:38
Speaker 1: Okay. I'm I can't wait to watch I can't wait to support you.

00:48:43
Speaker 2: Better be there.

00:48:43
Speaker 1: Oh, every step of the way. Good You're stuck with me. Thanks for the long haul. I love you so much. Thank you for doing this. I hope everybody gets to see a snippet of the person I have gotten to know this open book. Who is you? Just you will tell it like it is and there's no there's no affronts or trying to hide, which is so refreshing, and I hope you never change.

00:49:09
Speaker 2: Thanks. Thanks Danielle, Thank you.

00:49:11
Speaker 1: Bye. Danielle with the Stars Produced and hosted by Danielle Fischel. Executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge of production Danielle Romo, producer, editor and engineer Tara Sudbosch. Theme song by Justin Siegel. Follow us on Instagram at Danielle with Stars and vote for me