Dancing with the Stars Official Podcast
Episode 2: One-Hit Wonders Night Breakdown
Host: Joey Graziadei
Date: September 25, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode takes listeners behind the glitz and drama of "One-Hit Wonders Night" on Dancing with the Stars week two. Host Joey Graziadei guides an intimate and lively breakdown of the night’s eliminations, shares personal and contestant stories from backstage, and reveals exactly what it takes to keep TV’s biggest dance floor running. The show features interviews with Season 32 finalist Allison Hannigan, the unsung backstage heroes of the production team, and eliminated contestants Baron Davis and Britt Stewart, all woven together with warmth, humor, and candid reflections.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Allison Hannigan Returns to the Ballroom

Timestamps: [00:38]-[14:22]

• Homecoming: Allison Hannigan shares the emotional impact of returning to the DWTS family.

  • "It's so lovely. I love it so much. I definitely have envy. I wish I were in the shape I was in at the end of that season... but I do miss it." — Allison Hannigan [01:47]

• Personal Growth: Talks about joining the show for her daughter and the unexpected emotional journey.

  • "It’s changed my life." — Allison Hannigan [02:14]

• Advice from Dancers: Shares a memory where Brit Stewart taught her how to hold her shoulders properly, transforming her movement.

  • "She put her hand on the bottom of my shoulder blade... now put your energy there. That changed everything." — Allison Hannigan [03:35]

• Backstage Stories: Vivid recount of the infamous “balloon drop” debacle from a previous season, spotlighting the stage crew’s quick thinking.

  • "You can see the commercial countdown... one little lone balloon. And then somebody just kind of dove in, and Alfonso, just smooth as a cucumber, was like, nothing just happened. I am super professional." — Allison Hannigan [04:59]

• Memorable Moments & Goals:

  • Disney Night, Halloween Night, and especially Taylor Swift Night were Allison’s target events.
  • "I have to make it to Taylor Swift night. That is my one goal." — Allison Hannigan [05:54]
  • The added pressure upon reaching Taylor Swift night:
    "Wait, I just wanted to get here. I didn’t know I’d actually have to do it. And what if she’s watching?" [07:11]
  • Confirmation Taylor Swift did watch the performance.
    "She watched with her dancers." [07:19]

• Elimination Anxiety:

  • Shares the stress of being in the bottom two and her ritual of preemptively thanking her dance partner, Sasha.
    "Every week, I would just... say my... Sasha, this has been such a great experience. Thank you so much. And he was like, shut up. Stop it." — Allison Hannigan [08:33]

• Performance Standouts and Reactions (rapid-fire word association):

  • Danielle & Pasha: "Fantastic" [11:51]
  • Lauren & Brandon: "Amazing" [11:56]
  • Corey & Jenna: "Naughty" (for “Baby Got Back”) [12:01]
  • Jen & Jan: "Swifty" [12:07]
  • Baron & Britt: "Inspiring" [12:16]
  • Hilaria & Gleb: "Insane" [12:26]
  • Dylan & Daniela: "Hips" [12:36]
  • Scott & Riley: "Joyous" [12:46]

• Predictions for the Season: Allison favors Robert with Whitney and Mark with Whitney as likely finalists.

  • "I definitely think Robert will be in the finale... Whitney and Mark... he's just such an incredible coach." — Allison Hannigan [13:10]

• Withdrawal and Support:

  • Joking about forming a “support group” for former contestants experiencing post-show withdrawal.
  • "I feel like there should be a support club, like, afterwards." — Allison Hannigan [13:56]

2. Spotlight: Stage Management & The Magic Behind the Scenes

Timestamps: [15:25]-[20:44]

• Guests: Roger Melvin (Head Stage Manager), Shaka Stewart, Jen Marquette

• Role of Stage Managers:

  • "We’re the director’s eyes, ears, arms, feet on the stage... we’re executing vision. We’re executing timing, we’re executing positions, set moves, timing." — Roger Melvin [15:56]

• Set Change Intensity:

  • "We build houses in three-minute commercials... You want us to do it in 45 (seconds), we’ll go show speed." — Shaka Stewart [16:45]
  • Sharing the most ambitious quick build: constructing a 3-walled house with a danceable stoop in less than three minutes. "Once it hits, boom. We just went in and one wall goes up, another wall goes up, stoop comes in... Here we go." — Shaka Stewart [17:30]

• Backstage Quick-Change Chaos:

  • "We've done quick changes in about a minute 30... after an opening number, they're sweating and they're shaking." — Jen Marquette [18:41]
  • Sometimes, costumes are sewn shut; stars have only 90 seconds for bathroom breaks or fixes. "Sometimes, you know, they're sewn into their outfits, and sometimes they have to use the bathroom and you're like, you have a minute 30..." — Britt Stewart [19:06]

• Close Calls:

  • Story of Shangela’s quick-change near-disaster with a “tearaway cape”:
    "We come back and our team has their hands on. They're trying to make it happen, but I can tell they're not going to make it." — Roger Melvin [19:40]

• Unsung Heroes:

  • Joey emphasizes the immense, often unseen effort of the crew:
    "You are the unsung heroes of the show and it was great to talk to you." — Joey Graziadei [20:30]

3. Eliminated Contestants: Baron Davis & Britt Stewart Reflect

Timestamps: [21:07]-[27:55]

• Mindset and Motivation:

  • Baron Davis entered the competition less as a contest against others, more as a journey to challenge himself. "It was more so a competition with myself... if I could accomplish the moves, accomplish the steps..." — Baron Davis [21:51]
  • Did not expect to advance, wanted to have fun, challenge himself, and bring joy.

• Personal Transformation:

  • "This dancing brought it out of me. Like, Brit brought it out. She brought a lot of positive juju into my world." — Baron Davis [22:15]
  • Emphasizes gratitude for the experience, despite disappointment at early elimination. "I'm super disappointed that we didn't have the opportunity or more so everybody else didn't have the opportunity to actually see, like, what realness is, you know?" — Baron Davis [22:59]

• Britt Stewart’s Perspective:

  • "You should be incredibly proud of yourself... I knew that this would be beyond what Dancing with the Stars would be. I knew that we would really find that alignment with each other." — Britt Stewart [23:54]

• Takeaways for Life & Coaching:

  • Baron reflects on how DWTS taught him new approaches to coaching, leadership, and personal growth. "The whole process of, like, how you coach me is going to make me a much better coach... I've never thought about coaching and leading, you know, with that type of care, attention, patience, but diligence, right? So I learned a lot from this show, man." — Baron Davis [25:14]

• Future Plans & Inspiration:

  • Baron, inspired by Britt and his DWTS experience, announces plans to write a dance movie ("Eastside Story") with Britt as choreographer. "She inspired me to write a movie, a dance movie. She's gonna do the choreography. All y'all gonna be in it. It's called Eastside Story. I'm writing it. I swear." — Baron Davis [26:26]

• Humor & Banter:

  • Light-hearted discussion about possible participation in the finale, joking about "baguette rolls" instead of body rolls after six weeks off the dance floor. "It ain't gonna be a body roll. It's gonna be a baguette roll." — Baron Davis [27:48]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I just stood there like, oh no, Alfonso, you screwed that son up. And I was waiting for him to correct me, and then I... But he did. He did preface it, like, you wanted to make it to Taylor night." — Allison Hannigan [06:35]
• "We build houses in three-minute commercials." — Shaka Stewart [16:45]
• "How you coach me is going to make me a much better coach... I learned a lot from this show." — Baron Davis [25:14]

Important Timestamps

• 00:38 — Opening and Allison Hannigan joins
• 02:14 — Allison’s reasons for doing DWTS and its meaning
• 04:00 — Balloon drop crisis story
• 05:54 — Chasing the dream: Taylor Swift Night
• 07:43 — Elimination stress and family pressure
• 11:49 — One-word reactions to key dances
• 13:10 — Allison’s finale and winner predictions
• 15:25 — Stage managers reveal their behind-the-scenes magic
• 18:41 — Quick-changes and costume chaos explained
• 19:40 — On-air costume near-misses
• 21:51 — Baron Davis & Britt Stewart: reflections after elimination
• 25:14 — How DWTS changed Baron’s approach to coaching and life
• 26:26 — “Eastside Story”: Baron's new movie inspired by DWTS

Episode Tone & Style

The tone throughout is affectionate, candid, and celebratory, with lots of warmth, good humor, and vulnerability from guests. Moments of comedic banter intermingle with emotional insight, making the episode feel like an open conversation between friends and family.

Wrap-Up

This episode celebrates the resilience and camaraderie of the DWTS community—on stage and off. Allison Hannigan’s heartfelt vision for post-show support, backstage tales from the crew, and the newly inspired creative dreams of Baron Davis and Britt Stewart create a sparkling, touching, and entertaining hour for any Dancing with the Stars fan, offering backstage access to the hard work, passion, and family that make each episode happen.