Danielle Dances! (Week 3)

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Speaker 1: Hello, once again, It's Danielle Fischel, a podcaster, TV director and mom of two, but forever yelled at in airports as Topanga. Currently, I am competing on Dancing with the Stars, part of a grueling process pushing myself to the limit. Yet somehow don't ask how this is possible. I'm having the time of my life and throughout the journey I am going to keep you informed on everything thanks to this podcast, Danielle with the Stars. I have one goal in mind to forever be referred to as a mirror ball champion. So I am just off the press line. For week three, it was ticked Talk Week, which is a brand new theme for the show. They've never done that before. I did the foxtrot to Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild, so TikTok Week was a little confusing to me. At first, I was like, do all of our dances have to involve TikTok trends or TikTok dances? Because I do not consider myself to be a TikTok dancer. That's not usually where I get my bread buttered, if that makes sense. So I was a little nervous about that, and then once I kind of had the understanding that the song choice had to be something that had been viral on TikTok, and if the couples wanted, they could incorporate TikTok dances into their choreography. Pasha and I tend to be a little more I guess you would say, like rule followers. Even though the rules were taken off for this week and we were allowed to incorporate TikTok dances, both of us felt kind of against doing it. We really wanted to do a proper foxtrot to a fantastic song Manchild, which is like one of my favorites. From the moment I heard it, it has been played on my Spotify over and over and over and over again, and the minute I played it for Pasha, because one of the first things I said to him when I started this process was I wanted dance to a Sabrina Carpenter song. Manchild was the first one I played for him, and the second it started, he said, this is a perfect foxtrot and I said, great, then let's not even try to mess with something else. Let's just go with that. So he actually said that he had a very easy time this week choreographing the dance because he said, the musical nuances, the way Sabrina sings, all of the fun little moment, he said, everything about it was perfect for a foxtrot. So it was actually an easy process for him, and it made it easy for me to learn. Everything just felt very natural. Obviously, being able to listen to a song I'm obsessed with over and over and over again throughout the week also is a nice little pick me up because if you're dancing to something that you're not really that fond of, well you better get fond of it because you're going to be hearing it over and over and over again. Being able to dance to sabrina song for me was very special. I asked Sabrina very early on when I knew I was doing Dancing with the Stars, I said, would you let me dance to one of your songs? And she was so incredibly supportive right from the very beginning, she was like what. Of course, she cleared it right away for us, and then when she made me that video that I got to play for Pasha was so touching, and right away I opened up the video and I saw that, of course it's shot beautifully in black and white film noir and she looks stunningly gorgeous because she is stunningly gorgeous, and she just left me such a sweet, heartwarming message. And then I finished the press line and I came in here to do this podcast, and I have this beautiful bouquet of flowers and I was like, who set me flowers? They're from Sabrina. It's so sweet. I uh. She said, I can't wait to see you dance to Manchild. And then she said, you are not stupid, useless, or slow. I love you and I am so immensely proud of you. Love Sabrina. They're beautiful. They you guys can't smell these, but they smell so good. I mean, these are really really stunning. So anyway, thank you Sabrina. You really made my week. And I'm just so happy that you allowed me to do it. And I hope that I didn't make you proud. So TikTok Week it was great. A lot of the other dancers did incorporate TikTok dances into their performances. The performances I thought were all incredible. I have now gone early in the show order twice in a row. Last time I went second, this time I went third. Third is a real sweet spot. I think maybe third could only be topped by fourth or fifth somewhere in those first five when you are a group of twelve is great because you get to watch one performance and then you get whisked away, and now it's time for you to warm up, and you make sure you're locked in with your partner and you're practicing kind of your last minute stuff, going over anything that's maybe been bumping you or reminding yourself of something you want to do, Like in my case, I really wanted to keep my shoulders down, So Pasha and I went out there and we had like seven minutes before it was time for us to be back on stage, and we just worked on some of those things like shoulders down. He would remind me right before we did the foxtrot part or before I did the grape vine, and you you kind of get to do all of that. So I love going early. But then the best part is after you're done, you just get to watch and enjoy all of the other performances and it feels like you're at a really fun concert where a concert where every person performing is also your friend. That you're rooting for, and it's just it's the greatest, it's the greatest experience. Tonight had the not so great experience, which comes at the very end of the night when somebody has to go home. And you know, last week when we had a double elimination, it was the first week, Pasha and I were the first people called to be safe. So even though I was nervous about who was going to go home and I had nerves for all of my friends that were still out there, the pressure was off for me right off the bat. This time we were one of the last. I think we were the last couple called safe, and that was nerve racking, Like when that light is on, that red light is on and they're taking those long dramatic pauses that make for great television, but terrible for your nerves. Yeah, we were very nervous, and that hug that Pasha and I gave each other, slapped each other on the back like we were football bros, was like the most earnest reaction. We were so happy to be safe. And then we all ran off to the side and I was looking at the three couples that were in the bottom three, and I couldn't believe that one of those couples was going to be going home. This is not hyperbole. If you had said, Danielle, you will win a million dollars if you correctly guess who's going home tonight, there is a zero percent chance I would have even won a dollar. I never ever suspected that Lauren was going home, and I'm bummed about it. I really love Lauren. I love watching her perform. She has got just so I mean, first of all, her face is just a work of art, and she's expressive, and she is graceful, and she's fun and she's all those things as a person too. And I've really enjoyed the moments that we've passed each other in the halls and been able to give each other a hug and have been rooting for each other. And we were in hair and makeup today at the same time and talking about how beautiful we thought each other's makeup looked, and like, wow, look how beautiful your makeup looks. And it's just it's it's really very shocking, and it's hard. It's hard because tomorrow I want to show back up at work tomorrow and I want to see Lauren's face, and there's nobody's face I don't want to see, but I really want to see Lauren's. So I'm very sad that she went home tonight. Rehearsals this week were great for one thing. The foxtrot is quite a departure from the cha chaw, so what is remaining of my hamstring injury really got a break this week. Try as I might, Pasha refuse to put cartwheels into our foxtrot, so no splits, no cartwheels. I just got to glide around the floor, and my leg is ninety percent better. Of course, I still have a Grade three tear that is not going to necessarily heal on its own, but the swelling is significantly down, the bruising is significantly down, and I feel overall like I'm back to operating almost as if I had no injury. I'm a little tight, like I can definitely tell where that injury is. I'm not as flexible as I once was, but I'm still in pt, still taking you know, using compression leggings, and I'm elevating every night, and I'm using contrast therapy, so alternating ice and heat. I'm doing all the things you can do to get better, and I'm feeling so much better now, which is such a blessing. Tonight I got three sevens triple seven baby like a slat machine. So excited about that. Definitely my highest score up to this point. My number one goal going into this week was that Bruno was going to see my shoulders down and was going to say something about me listening to him. And then when he said that he could tell that I was a good student, I the tapanga in me just lit right on up. Yep, that's right. Your girl likes straight a's uh. So I was really happy that I accomplished my number one goal. And then I think it is the biggest compliment the judges can give you when they very specifically give you a note, because to me, it says they believe you're capable of it, and they believe that you're working hard enough that you're actually going to try to implement it, that they're not just talking to a wall. They can really give you something. They want to see you improve, and I feel that from them. I feel that from them when they judge others. I feel that from them when they judge me, I am here to learn. They obviously have so much expertise and so much knowledge, and between Pasha, the three of them, Julianne and Alfonso, I feel like I'm in a perfect situation to just be a sponge every second I can and just absorb all of their knowledge, take all of their notes, and Pasha and I keep a record of it. Like we got those notes today, we got our scores, and we looked at each other and we immediately started talking about next week. How are we going to implement what Derek said, How are we going to implement what Carrie Anne said? How are we going to make next week's dance better and stronger so that they continue to see a trajectory that I am on, which is just getting better every week. That's my goal. I didn't come in here an a plus dancer. I didn't even come in here a C plus dancer. But my goal is that every week I get better. And so maybe by the time this process is over, I can look back and be like, I cannot believe that this is where I started and this is where I ended, and I hope that the end is nowhere near insight. Next week is Disney Week. I'm very excited about Disney Week. I grew up in your Belinda, California, which is fifteen to twenty minutes away from Anaheim. My grandfather lived in Anaheim. Both my parents were raised in Anaheim, California, and I grew up watching the Disneyland fireworks from my grandfather's driveway, and it's a plus that has always been special to me. I have endless childhood memories of being at Disneyland, and I'm just super excited for next week. We get to go visit the park on Thursday, October second, we get to go on a ride, we get to eat some food. We're shooting what they call our heart to heart interviews, which is the interviews you do immediately after your last performance. So I'm looking forward to kind of recapping the dance with Pasha, seeing what he has in store for this week. I can tell you if the foxtrot is slow and graceful, what we have planned next week is quick if you catch my drift. So I'm a little nervous about it because it's a dance that's unlike anything else I've ever done. I'm also realizing that as an actor or somebody who started my career as an actor, I like to play things a lot more subtle. I'm just not as expressive as I maybe thought I will. And boy, there's no room for subtlety on the ballroom floor, like it's just time to go big or go home. And I'm really working on that. So that's another area that I'm really looking forward to improving. I had such a wonderful group of friends in the audience with me. I had three of my best girlfriends from junior High. They are girls I met when I was twelve years old. They're women now, of course. But my girlfriend Jamie Hargreaves, who you know as the Forever Fine Jewels Lady. So I'm wearing being that we're talking about her, might as well cover this. I'm wearing her Marquis diamond ring. Check out this bad boy set on an angle, absolutely stellar. I'm also wearing two of her earrings over here and three of her earrings over here, and they're all called Chubby Chubby Huggies. And I alternated between white gold and yellow gold. And I am also wearing the most gorgeous watch on loan to me from Eric Wind from Wind Vintage. It is this white gold and diamond pige watch. I'm gonna have to see if I can show it to you. It's covered by some feathers. There's Sabrina Carpenter feathers. If you will take a look at this, I mean, what what? Look at this? Watch? This thing is stunning. So I don't own it, obviously it's on loan, but it sure is pretty and I love it so much. I felt like it perfectly fit the elegant vibe of this dance and this night for me. So Jamie Hargreave's one of my best friends since I was twelve. She was here. Jen Kaminski one of my best friends since I was twelve. She was here. Jamie Leff my best friend since I was twelve. These are girls I have met. I literally met on like the first day of sixth grade. Now they are only three of my girlfriends from that time I'm still friends with, like twelve, we are a big group. Unfortunately, they still only give me six tickets to this tape night. It's pretty difficult to keep it to only six. So my three bestest girlfriends from junior high were here tonight, and then my husband, of course, who hasn't missed a show today. I forgot my shoes, I left my fox trot shoes in my car and they drove me here to work. They send a very beautiful car to drive me here on tape day, and I left my shoes in the car. What did Jensen do. Jensen said, I'm on my way be there in thirty eight minutes, and he hopped in the car and he delivered my fox trot shoes to me. So my husband, the biggest support, couldn't do any of this without him. Means the world to me. He's not missed a show. He was here tonight. And then my very very very good friend CM Punk wrestler extraordinary, maybe one of the biggest wrestling superstars in the history of the world, came to watch me dance in the ballroom like that really means so much to me. So Ciampunk was there. My dear friend Lauren Lapkiz, she was here tonight Arden Marin, she came with Lauren Incredible. George freaking Lopez was in the house for me tonight. Mayan Lopez was in the house for me tonight, which means the world to me because I love them, adore them, directed their television show several episodes. I just George and I have such a great bond. Mayan and I are such good friends, and Mayan is a very big Sabrina Carpenter fan, so I was very excited that they got to be here for that as well. Also, my dear friend w Wolf showrunner from Lopez versus Lopez, who's become one of my nearest and dearest love her, she was there. She brought her friend and another showrunner I have directed for, Jessica Kaminski, who did was the showrunner for Pretty Freaking Scary, So they were here as well. It was quite a star studded night. Now you may be thinking, well, that's more than six people. Here's a little trick. You get six friends and family that means non fames, non famous people. But then if you've got friends and family who were famous, those don't count toward your total. Ah, there's a loophole. So unfortunately for all my non famous friends, you have to fight and to the claw to the death for those six tickets. But if you're famous, you're welcome to come anytime you want. That's just the way the Dancing with the Stars production works. So anyway, it was really great to have all of those people in the audience for me. Oh I can't even believe this. Also, my friend Amanda di Piazza, Dear, dear, dear friend, my friend Hillary Zwick Turner also here. Guess how they got tickets by submitting online asking for tickets, and they they got tickets. They acted as though they were fans because they know how hard it is for me to give part of my six tickets away. So they just showed up like what what kind of lovely, wonderful, supportive people do I have around me who are willing to do that. Also, dear friends and listeners of pod Meats World who have come to pod Meets World live shows, they also submitted online and tried to get tickets and got them. They had to fly from out of town. They don't even live in the state. They flew in to come to the show to support me. So, when I tell you that the amount of love and support I have felt from the time I started this process, when I tell you that it is through the roof, that is the understatement of the year is it has just been absolutely incredible, and I hope it doesn't stop. I appreciate all of you. Thank you for all of your comments. You guys are blowing up our social media are we every time we post something, we are amazed with how well it does. Your comments are so funny. I'm so enjoying reading everything you have to say. I'm loving the support. Thank you for your votes, thank you for texting, Thank you for going to ABC dot com. It really means the world Without you, guys, we just go home, so we need you. Thank you very much. My dress tonight is very Cinderella Codd and I love it so much. It's a little funny that I feel like such a Disney princess this week when Disney Week is next week. But I'm also another thing. I love anytime you can separate yourself from the pack and be a little bit different. I thought, if there's ever a week that I want to go old Hollywood glamour Sabrina Carpenter vibe, it's something like TikTok Week, which is not what you're generally gonna think of. You're not going to think of old Hollywood glames when you hear TikTok. So I wanted to separate myself maybe from some of the things other people were doing, and I'm so happy I did. We chose a very old school, glamorous soft wave look. We did a red lip which we actually mixed with quite a bit of brown. It's gone now. I've just eaten my lipstick off my face because one I'm hungry and two it's been a long time. But I absolutely love this look. I'm obsessed with this stress. I love the feathers. All of our inspo pages were all Sabrina. It was Sabrina in her baby blue Sabrina and her feathers, Sabrina with her gorgeous blowout and her curls, and so we just tried to emulate as much of her glamour as we possibly could. I am sure they had to show her on TV, because yeah, like how could they not. Chris jen Or was in the audience. What if I slipped and fell on my face in front of Chris Jenner. I'm so glad that did not happen. She was sitting next to Alec Baldwin right in the front row in the center, and everyone up in the skybox was like, I can't believe we're just in the same room with Chris Jenner. Like Jordan Chiles looked at me and she goes, I can't believe that's just Chris Jenner. Just sitting right there, like, what are we doing up here? Just Chris Jenner down there, and I was like, I know, I mean, and let me tell you, face looking beautiful, I mean really stunning, Like gosh. The only thing that could have made the night better was if Chris had looked right at me and said, you're doing amazing, sweetie. That's really all I wanted, but probably won't ever get that again. Anyway, it was a really wonderful night. Definitely still sad about Lauren. Really shocked like it just I mean, she has great scores. It's not even like she's been in the bottom score wise, so it just really goes to show you how important votes are, because the only thing I can figure is that somehow she didn't have enough votes, and I mean shocking, truly a shocking night. I can't believe we get to do it again. I live to see I dance to see another week Disney Week. Really looking forward to it. I also have something so cute I'm gonna wear. I can't wait to show you guys. I am very if you haven't noticed, I'm very obsessed with all things vintage. I love vintage bags and vintage clothes and vintage watches and vintage everything. I had a sheet from the song that we're doing. It's actually from the movie that we're doing. I had a vintage sheet. I follow this wonderful woman named Kelsey and she is on Instagram at rope Drop Design and she up cycles. I don't know if you know about upcycling, but she takes vintage pieces and she turns them into something new. And she makes bows, and she makes dresses, and she makes sets, and she makes puffer jackets, and she makes Disney ears and she does these exclusive drops and they almost always sell out. I have tried to get pieces from her for I can't even tell you how long. And if you are not on there the second her drop opens and you don't immediately check out, you've missed out. The only thing I've ever been lucky enough to get was a hair bow. And then when Disney Week came around and I'm very excited about the song that I'm doing, and I knew that I had a sheet, a vintage sheet that was perfect for it. I sent her a direct message and I was like, let's see if I could use some of this Dancing with the Stars glamour to see if she could make me a piece, and she made me the most adorable dress that I'm going to wear for our Heart to Heart at Disneyland. I've showed a picture of it to Pasha, but he hasn't seen it in person yet. It's just going to be amazing. I think Kelsey's also going to meet me at Disneyland, so I'm going to get to introduce her to all of you as well via social media. But very excited. So special thank you to Kelsey for my next week's Heart to Heart dress. Special thank you as always to Jamie for her forever fine jewelry and Eric Wind for this gorgeous watch that's going to be very hard for me to part with. Thank you especially to all of you for your love, your support, your votes, your kind comments. Also, I'm taking social media requests. I want to know what would you like to see more of? Pasha and I have so much fun doing tiktoks, We have so much fun doing reels. I want you to start sending me some ideas. What do you want to see us do more of? Because we have been having such a great time churning out the content and I think you guys are enjoying watching it so we'd love your suggestions. Thank you. Thank you all for listening to this episode of Danielle with the Stars. This Friday, I have a very special guest, Val Schmerkovski. We have been trying to book Val. Let me tell you that guy's hard to buck. No surprise, but very excited to interview Val. I can't wait for you all to hear that, so you'll hear that on Friday. Thank you all, see you next week. Danielle with the Stars Produced and hosted by Danielle Fischl. 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