← Dancing with the Stars Official Podcast
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- [00:00]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Because it's stressful.
- [00:01]
Joey
Yeah. Never empathy.
- [00:04]
Carrie Ann Inaba
It's never not been stressful because it's.
- [00:06]
Ray Chu
Like if you go to a fine restaurant and they make a great meal, well, you're not going back there to ask the chef how he make it. You just want to enjoy the meal.
- [00:15]
Danielle
Those are the moments that I will take with me for the rest of my life.
- [00:28]
Joey
Welcome to Rock and Roll hall of Fame night here on the Dance with the Stars official podcast sponsored by Sonic. Tonight we celebrated good old fashioned rock and roll with cool and the gang, Chicago and Flavor Flav. Plus, one of my favorite parts of the season, team dances. Team Chicago came out on top this time. And because there was a tie between Alex and Val and Whitney and Mark at the top of the leaderboard, the rules state that the deciding factor would be cumulative scores across the season. So ultimately, Whitney and Mark came out on top, which means they get immunity from next week's relay dances and two bonus points added to their scores. And sadly, Danielle and Pasha were eliminated. They are coming backstage to chat with me later, exclusively right here. You do not want to miss that. Plus, I'll be announcing next week's songs and styles for the remaining seven couples left in the competition. And joining me later will be Dance with the Stars music director Ray Chu. We'll chat all things music and how he and the band create musical masterpieces every week. But first, you guys. It's someone who has been on Dancing with the Stars from the very beginning. She's a dancer, actress, singer, choreographer, TV personality, and one of our very own judges. I am very excited to chat with her. It's Carrie Ann Inaba. Hi, Carrie Anne.
- [01:38]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Hi, Joey.
- [01:39]
Joey
How are we doing today?
- [01:40]
Carrie Ann Inaba
I'm good. How are you? Thanks for having me.
- [01:42]
Joey
Thanks for coming on. We were just talking. You said you don't get a lot of time to really interact on the show. I know it's quick with stuff, so I'm just excited to be able to sit down and chat with you today.
- [01:48]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Yeah, we never get to interact. I have never sat down with somebody who has won the show or even anybody who's really lost the show right after. So it's kind of. It's an honor. So thank you for having me.
- [01:57]
Joey
Well, I really want to talk about you first. I think there's a lot of new viewers on the show who only know you as a judge. So I want to get more into the background of you as a dancer, as a choreographer. Just give me a little background on how you got on the show from back in Season one.
- [02:10]
Ray Chu
Woo.
- [02:10]
Carrie Ann Inaba
That was a long time ago. I don't think I remember. 20 years is a long time. I mean, I think some of the new fan base we have, they're not even that old, which is wonderful. I think it's beautiful that we have all these new fans and they are opinionated, which I like because I am opinionated myself. So listen, the one thing about being a judge is you cannot be a judge without expecting to be judged. It is like the number one rule. So I'm used to all that. But now, to answer your question, sir, let's see. I mean, I've been dancing since I was 4 years old. I started dancing in Hawaii. I was with hula. So this is something very different. I'm not a. I don't come from the ballroom and Latin world. I come from jazz and lyrical and movement as self expression and communication and a way to preserve your history. So that's why my comments feel different than everybody else, because I'm talking about something different. But also the truth is we all have a slightly different perspective. Right. Bruno comes from his background, I come from my background. Derek comes from his background. Derek's different than Len, who came before him, and all the other judges on all the other shows and now all the people at home who are now officially judges. It's kind of amazing. Dance has always been kind of like my survival tool.
- [03:20]
Joey
Yeah.
- [03:21]
Carrie Ann Inaba
So I get really emotional about things and it means a lot to me. And I'm probably more serious than maybe people feel I need to meet because it matters. I can see how hard these people are working. I can feel you guys. I'm somewhat of an empath and I can just feel all the energy that's in the room. And every comment that I say is geared to help each one of you have the best experience possible, which means to have the full experience. You don't come on Dancing with the Stars to sort of skirt by. You have to have the full experience. And part of the full experience is that roller coaster. Right. That's the up and the down. Because what I have learned from being here from day one is that people want to root for you. They need to see you struggle like how they do in their life. That is the inspirational part of the show. And so from my background, that's easy for me because dance is like a way of life for me. I've been involved in dance and live television for most of my adult life and that's just a few years.
- [04:31]
Joey
Is there anything from your time before you were on the Show. Because we'll get. We'll get more into judging in the show here in a bit. But is there anything that you were really proud of that you did before or projects that you worked on?
- [04:40]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Yeah, I think. I think the proudest moment for me was Madonna's tour. So this was after. So I started my career. I went to Japan. I was a dancer first. I've always loved dancing. I got into jazz later in life. I was called a wet noodle by my jazz teacher. God love you, Mary. And J, she was like, you're a wet noodle. And you know what? Maybe this is part of how I became the person that I am. That comment shaped me, and it was like a call to action. It's like, I will prove to you I am no wet noodle. So I did jazz, and I did hip hop, and then I was doing all the cultural dancing, and then I went to. I was scouted to go to Japan to be a pop star because they were looking for somebody in Japan who could move like I could move, but that also looked Japanese. To cross over and come back to the American market the way sort of blackpink and everybody is doing now this, right, this K Pop, it was called J Pop. And I learned a lot about the business, and I'm very fortunate that I had that opportunity because I was 18 years old in Japan, studying, going to school with all of these children from all over the world and singing. I was a pop star, right? But the thing that I wanted to point out was I could not give up the dancing. So then I was a fly girl. That was 89. And that was an amazing opportunity to be a part of that show. And speaking of Flavor Flav, he was their public enemy, right? And we. We performed, I think, to one of. To one of their songs for the. The first time. We were nominated for an Emmy.
- [06:08]
Joey
I am going to date myself a little here. I don't know what a fly girl is. Can you. Can you.
- [06:13]
Ray Chu
Can you.
- [06:14]
Joey
Can you explain what that is? I'm sorry. I just. I don't know what a fly girl is.
- [06:19]
Carrie Ann Inaba
All right, well, let me get my disco ball.
- [06:20]
Joey
Get. Get the disco ball back. There we go. It's chaos here, but now I got a disco ball.
- [06:25]
Carrie Ann Inaba
You got the disco ball. Okay, you do have the disco ball. Okay, so what's a fly girl? Yes, a fly girl is. So Jennifer Lopez and I were fly girls together. This might help give you some reference. We were on a show called In Living Color. It was a very popular comedy sketch, sketch comedy show. And we were the five dancers. We were the fly girls. And I liked it.
- [06:47]
Joey
That's amazing. All the different things you did before too. And I think it's important to talk about, like you said, because a lot of people come onto the show and they just see you as a judge. This ice cold lemon and green apple Coca Cola is perfect. And only at Sonic can you get a free Coca Cola that's perfect for you. Whether you're into coke with strawberry and jalapeno or green apple and bourbon caramel, Sonic will satisfy your Coca Cola cravings. Create a Coca Cola your way, any size, any flavor, free with any purchase in the Sonic app. Live free. Eat Sonic. Tastes pretty good to me. Limited time offer C app for details. Are there any couples that you look back on that you're like performances or just couples that really, like, stick with you?
- [07:41]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Yes. Number one, Amy Purdy and Derek Huffman. That was a profound journey that she went on. She showed me somebody who's had so much experience in dance. She changed my outlook on what's possible. Right. And I think she's just amazing. Iman Shumpert and Daniela, that was special. I'm sorry. That shifted us into, I believe, this new chapter.
- [08:07]
Joey
I agree.
- [08:07]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Right. She was so creative in her approach. And look, you know what it's like to be in a hold. They had everything was stacked against them for the height difference that they were going through. And she came out and showed us something so new. And they stayed true to who he was, which I thought was really. It was such a great strategy. And it was just allowed them to be so honest every time they came on the dance floor. Instead of him trying, he learned the technique, he learned the styles, but he also educated a lot of people about where he came from.
- [08:42]
Joey
Yeah. And I thought something that was really cool about Iman too is there was something that he just made it cool, you know, not like Dancing with the Stars wasn't cool. Cause I always knew about the show from growing up. But I remember. I remember the Emmett Smith, Jerry Rice. Like, I remember those. I remember those guys. And I was like, wow, this is really cool that they're doing this. But it was with the new age, I feel like Iman brought something different and they had some really different breakdowns and had some fun when they got the chance and maybe not be in ballroom. That was. It was really cool to see what they did on the dance for each week.
- [09:08]
Carrie Ann Inaba
I like hybrids. I like evolution. This show has. The way it evolves is when the choreography and the boundaries are pushed. And Daniella, she just tore open those boundaries, and I think that's powerful.
- [09:21]
Joey
That's amazing and perfect segue in. What I want to talk about next is judging in general. Segues are important. Judging. It's hard. Okay. We have to just call it as it is. There's different opinions each time because, as you said, you're a different person from Derek, who's a different person from Bruno. You all read into it differently. But can you also talk a little bit more about how much time you actually have? What's going on with punching in the scores? I don't think people actually get how quickly it is, and I think they see it more and more. Maybe when there's a guest judge, how it's. It's a skill you have to learn.
- [09:56]
Carrie Ann Inaba
We used to have more time.
- [09:58]
Joey
Okay.
- [09:59]
Carrie Ann Inaba
I do want to say that tonight. I do believe we were told seven seconds at one point.
- [10:03]
Ray Chu
Wow.
- [10:04]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Yeah. So if people want to be like, I encourage people to judge at home, get in on the action, learn about dance, and talk about dance. That makes me happy. You can call me out, you can dislike what I'm saying. No problem. But it is hard to do it live. It is hard to tell people while they're looking at you like this. Like, I will tell you. It was hard for me to tell you what I had to say about your. Was it your freestyle? Yeah, that was hard. And, like, it breaks my heart inside. It does. It breaks my heart. But I also go, if I'm in that position, what do I want to hear? Do I want to. Like, I. I want to hear the truth, like. And listen, people don't have to agree with me. In fact, if they don't agree with me, that's also fine because they get to vote. But I believe it's important for us all to have the courage to speak up about what we're saying. Right. So I always try. Trust me. See, I'm gripping the table like I'm gripping right now because it's. It's stressful.
- [10:57]
Joey
Yeah. As you said, you're an empath.
- [10:59]
Carrie Ann Inaba
It's never not been stressful. This show, I used to throw up before I went out there. Every single time. I don't know when it stopped. It was like, in the last 10, seven years. Because I like to dance. I don't want to speak, but I also felt like it was an important perspective to share. I feel that my role on the show is important, and it's often minimized. And it's because I'm a woman. I Can say the same thing as men, and I will be hammered for it. I can give a higher score than men, and I'll be hired for it. And this is nothing against my fellow judges at all. This is sort of the state of the world. So this is why I take it so seriously, because as a woman, who's the minority, also a minority in the room, it's important for me to speak up and have courage. I'm trying to teach people and young girls out there how to have their voice, even if it's different. And I think what's great about the panel and always has been, is we can have different opinions, and yet we still can be comrades and friends, and we're still doing it together. That's something that I'm really proud about.
- [12:04]
Joey
I'll speak from the experience of being on the other side, too. Like, I do think it's important to have different opinions from the judges. I do. Like when there's feedback and things that you can take. And, like, yeah, I'll be honest. Like, the nine hurt for the freestyle. Like, we put so much into that. But that's your opinion, and there's nothing I can say about that. And that is you're in that position for a reason. You have the ability to give that score, and. And that's how it goes. So it's amazing to see that it does hurt you to say that, and I get that, but that's your job, and that's how you're going to do it from time to time. And, like, I think that's what's most important for people to remember is you have that position. You have the right to be able to give your voice and your opinion, and people are gonna have their differing opinions. But that's also the beauty. As you said, they're judges at home. You have the judges that are at the table and the people that are making their different opinions, and you have people at home. And if we all agreed, there wouldn't be as much magic on the show. I think it's amazing when everyone does. That's the part where you have those perfect scores or someone's like, that was unbelievable. Like, those are the moments you hold on to, but sometimes you don't agree, and that's part of it.
- [13:00]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Yeah. And I think it's also a responsibility. Like, it's a responsibility to say, if I see something like, oh, it was hard tonight to say about Whitney what I saw, but I saw it. And look, also, something that's important to point out is we have a Different angle than the people at home. The people at home have the camera angles. We're watching it from this angle.
- [13:20]
Joey
That is very important.
- [13:21]
Carrie Ann Inaba
So that's something to, like, notice. And I think, you know, I try to see what's going on here, but, like, my eyes can only be in one place at the moment.
- [13:29]
Joey
Well, let's talk a little about tonight's show. What happened with Flavor Flav in the beginning of the show, because it looked like he didn't punch in a score. What was going on?
- [13:36]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Yeah, I don't think he punched in the score. And so I was trying to go over to show him how to do it. Cause he didn't quite know. But then it was his turn to talk. So I also know how hard it is to get your thoughts in a row. So then I backed out of frame. I'm like, okay. It was just. It was a lot going on.
- [13:50]
Joey
It was a little chaotic.
- [13:52]
Carrie Ann Inaba
But, you know, it kind of shows how difficult it is to judge. It's not that easy.
- [13:55]
Joey
Exactly. And I also think it's one of those things. It shows that it's live. I love when the show is not perfect at times because people forget how much goes into it until things go wrong, and they're like, wait, why did it look so great last week?
- [14:08]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Then live television?
- [14:10]
Joey
It's great.
- [14:10]
Carrie Ann Inaba
It's my favorite thing in the world. If anything goes. It happened, it happened.
- [14:15]
Joey
There's only three shows left in the time. I know what. Which is crazy. And you said this is one of your favorite shows. Favorite seasons we've had in a very long time. What would be your advice to the remaining couples? What would you say? You can. You can talk about people individually if you want, but, like, in general, what do you think is most important? To be able to take it home this season because it's.
- [14:33]
Ray Chu
It's a.
- [14:34]
Joey
It's a tight competition right now.
- [14:36]
Carrie Ann Inaba
It's very tight. I also want to point out that we have so many strong women in the running, and it feels different for that reason. That's something I've never experienced that before. I think everybody's doing a great job, and I think the pros are supporting their celebs in such a beautiful way. And I think this season has been more taxing than any season ever, ever in the history of Dancing with the Stars. The key to winning Dancing with the Stars is momentum and having impact. You have to keep surprising the audience. You have to keep bringing something new. That is a true insider tip. When you bring something that surprises the judge, because now we all know everybody's good. If you're this far, if you've come this far, you are good, and you have to keep improving, and you also have to keep surprising us. That has always been one of the secrets behind Dancing with the Stars and winning that trophy.
- [15:32]
Joey
Yeah. And I think it's harder this season, too, because they came out the gate so strong. So it's like, how do you have this ability to keep improving but also bring in something new? Because we said it. Week two, week one dances felt like week four, week five dances. So where we're at now, it's crazy because they are getting better, but it's like, what's the next step? What's it gonna be?
- [15:51]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Dancing with the Stars is a tall order. You have to impress the judges. You have to win the votes from the fans at home. You have to continue like you have to. I think you. I guess this is what I want to say to find a blanket statement, because I believe in fairness. So I wouldn't want to give each couple a point of advice because I'm supposed to do that at the judging table, not go around giving people advice behind the scenes. Right. So what I would say to all of them is that have your integrity because people sense that. People feel through the lens who you are. That's important in this competition. I think, obviously, you must continue this upward trajectory of dancing. The level I feel sorry for almost. I kind of feel sorry for them because this is a brutal season. The level of dancing is. Is beyond anything we've ever seen before, and it's only getting better. I also think show us something you haven't shown us before. You've got three more episodes. Impress us. Wow us. You gotta pull out all the stops and don't do a lift.
- [16:59]
Joey
That's. That seems fitting.
- [17:00]
Carrie Ann Inaba
That's a big wow.
- [17:01]
Joey
That seems fitting.
- [17:02]
Carrie Ann Inaba
It's actually easier on the lift this year.
- [17:04]
Ray Chu
I know.
- [17:04]
Joey
I know. Karianne, it was so great to have you here. I really appreciate it. It was nice to learn more about your background, but also just your opinions on the show and this season. Just g those tips, too. I really, really appreciate you coming in.
- [17:15]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Thank you. And thank you for having me. It means a lot to me. I. I really appreciate this interaction. We've never had this before.
- [17:21]
Joey
I know. I love it. Stay right where you are, guys, because Danielle and Pasha will be here in just a bit, and I'll be giving you songs and styles for each couple next week. But up next is music director Ray Chu, right after this. Joining me now is Someone you see and hear on every episode. But I guarantee you probably have no idea how much he really does behind the scenes. He's worked with legendary artists like Diana Ross, Prince, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Aretha Franklin, and a whole lot more. He's the man behind the amazing music every week. It's music director Ray Chu. Ray, what's up, man?
- [18:03]
Ray Chu
Hey, man.
- [18:04]
Joey
How you doing?
- [18:04]
Ray Chu
I'm doing good. I'm good. Glad to be here.
- [18:07]
Joey
I am glad you're here, man. I think this is one of the conversations I've been looking forward to. To. Because you do something on this show as a music director that when you do it so well, I don't think people know what you're actually doing. You have the ability to create, perform, and arrange everything live for the music on the show. So I'm going to give you the floor right now to explain a little bit of what you do every week and how your process works.
- [18:28]
Ray Chu
I will. So. And I'm glad you said that, because it's like if you go to a fine restaurant and they make a great meal, well, you're not going back there to ask the chef how you make. You just want to enjoy the meal. Exactly. Now, if you could. If you asked the chef to do that 10 times in the night for you, you're like, wow, he's made 10 great meals for me. How do you do that? Well, you know, I think that it's a. It's a real testament to, you know, great teamwork. I've learned over the years. This is not a process that happens on any other show.
- [18:59]
Joey
Yeah.
- [19:00]
Ray Chu
That we have to recreate these songs in their fullness to the exact specificity of the dancers and the teams they're looking for. When. When they give us a song assignment, they're looking for everything that has occurred in that song originally. So when I've done other shows, I've been able to, like, do my own arrangement, my own rendition. This show, I have to. I have to do it just, you know, everything that they did with the original, I have to do. And that. That can mean throughout the show, 10 different styles.
- [19:35]
Pasha
Right.
- [19:36]
Joey
Well, and that's so impressive because I will say from being on the show, one of the cool things is you'll get the master track some weeks, and that will be what you first listen to when you're dancing. And then we get the song that you guys create. And there are some weeks when you guys put them together where I'm just blown away. It sounds exactly like the original. And that's what you're trying to accomplish every week. Right. Because you want it to be like when you're dancing it. It's the same thing that you did before.
- [19:58]
Ray Chu
Exactly. In the preparation that the dance teams. You know, I want to make sure that they. That they feel like everything that they wanted from the original is present with what we do. And that takes a lot of. A lot of work to do that.
- [20:13]
Joey
And I love one way you described it to me. You said you have to unbake the cake. Right. Can you explain exactly why that's the case? Because it goes down to the rhythm of the song, how the singers are singing at certain moments. Why do you have to unbake it? What is the idea of that?
- [20:26]
Ray Chu
Well, the idea of unbake the cake, which, again, nobody else has to do. Well, first of all, you have to decide. You have to find out what the ingredients are in that song. So each song could be different. If we have a big band song. Well, big band songs got 13 horns and a rhythm section and a different sound, you know, special sound, you know, to that big band. Then we'll switch and have to do a Katy Perry song. It's got all these synths and, you know, all these, you know, effects. And we have to do that. Then, you know, then we have to figure out, you know, and there's another song that's got all these special sounds. We have to. It's like a sauce.
- [21:03]
Joey
Yeah.
- [21:03]
Ray Chu
So again, back to the. The analogy of the chef and he's. It brings out this wonderful special sauce. Nobody's telling you what's in there.
- [21:12]
Joey
You have to figure it out.
- [21:13]
Ray Chu
You gotta figure that out. Right.
- [21:14]
Joey
And I got to see it live during one of our times last season. We had to. It was during our Tarzan dance. We had to, like, kind of reconstruct them. We had that breakdown section, and I saw you live, literally be on the keyboard being like, okay, what does that sound right there? And you were trying to find it, and seeing it live was, like, the craziest thing ever, because you really did listen to the original track and find a way to make that sound without anyone actually showing you how to do it, which I thought was unbelievable to see in person.
- [21:40]
Ray Chu
Yeah. Yeah.
- [21:41]
Joey
It's crazy.
- [21:41]
Ray Chu
Thank you. And I'll tell you, I will also we have a little research team, because sometimes a song, it's not always apparent what those sounds are. Yeah. So I have to get my guys and go and hunt down what is that sound. And sometimes they're little samples in there that we have to. To Recreate. Because we can't use other people's samples. We never use other people's samples or tracks. We have to recreate those sounds. Yeah.
- [22:07]
Joey
Well, I love that you touched on how great your team is, but I also want to talk about how you have the ability to do this. Like, where did the training come from for you to have this musical knowledge to be able to do all of this and reconstruct something like that?
- [22:18]
Ray Chu
There ain't no training.
- [22:19]
Joey
Come on, there's gotta be a little bit. What was your upbringing, I guess, in music? How did you kind of start and where'd you kind of get into all of this?
- [22:25]
Ray Chu
In New York. I went to every music school I had early scholarship, you know, the Juilliard thing, and third Street School, Manhattan School, music and art. Every, every. My mother had me in every music program. So that's, that's just formal training and that's wonderful. But I got started as a professional at age 16. I went right out on the road with Melba Moore and then at 19, started working in the studios as a first call session musician. I got my first TV job was Saturday Night Live during Eddie Murphy is. Wow, that's a way back. That's a way back. And then I spent many years at the Apollo. And if you know, that's some training because if you can work in front of that audience. I spent 15 years with Steve Harvey at the Apollo and then I came out here and started doing specials. And so it takes all of that experience poured into one wonderful glass of wine.
- [23:26]
Joey
What season do you actually start on Dancing with the stars?
- [23:28]
Ray Chu
Season 18.
- [23:29]
Joey
Oh, wow.
- [23:30]
Ray Chu
So this is my 11th year, you know, because some years earlier they were doing double seasons.
- [23:36]
Joey
Yeah, yeah.
- [23:36]
Ray Chu
So this is 11 years for me here. Yeah.
- [23:39]
Joey
How has it changed from your time? I know there's been a big up like surge this season and everyone's been really excited about it. But how has the music side changed for you from the time on season 18 to now?
- [23:48]
Ray Chu
Well, I think when I first started, I really didn't have a real, real specific plan other than I knew that they wanted to bring me in. I've seen the show before. It was. It was straight up ballroom. And I was like, well, I kind of want to contemporize it a little bit. And then little by little, I was like, well, wow, man, I gotta. I have to go back. And these songs can't sound almost. They have to like really be that. And especially the feedback I would get from the dance teams, they would say, well, can you give Me a little more of this, a little more of that. And can you make it sound a little more like. And I'm like, okay, bit by bit, season by season, to where we are now.
- [24:28]
Joey
Yeah. Another thing I want to talk about, too, is the singers. I think they are unbelievable. We obviously have cj, Travis, Felicia, and Kelly. They have the ability, I feel like, to do a lot on the show and to have all these different ranges and style of music. Can you talk about how hard their job is and what they deliver every week?
- [24:46]
Ray Chu
It's incredible. It's incredible. I tasked them and I asked them to go beyond what normal singers would do. Now, by the way, that we had to grow into this product. You know, they. And there's very few singers. There's not. Well, let's put this way. There's not a lot of singers that can do what they do. What they do is, first of all, they morph their voices and they shape. We do what they call vocal shaping. This is a terminology that I'm employed to use because nobody else has to do that on the show. I'll say it again. They have to shape their voice into whatever it is. So if. If we have again, a Katy Perry song, well, Felicia, you know, she could morph her voice and then. And you'll listen. Wow. She sounds pretty close to her, you know, while. While, you know, still, you know, being able to retain her own self. Right. Travis, he can sound like anybody. CJ's many different characters. Disney week. He's. He's, you know, he's. He's one of the characters. Next thing, he goes into salmon day. It's incredible what they do, you know?
- [25:51]
Joey
Yeah. As you said, I love. How'd you word that again? What's it.
- [25:54]
Ray Chu
What's vocal shape?
- [25:55]
Joey
Vocal shaping? I'm gonna remember that because it is. They do have their own personal style, but they are embodying someone because that's what you have to do every week. You have to make it sound like the original song. And I feel like the compliment is when it sounds like the original or sometimes say even better. I feel like that's when you guys know you're doing your job correctly.
- [26:10]
Ray Chu
Yeah. Thank you. And I'm going to give a hats off to them. They do an incredible job. And I push them. Yeah. Oh, I push them because I'm like, you know, if it's not quite, you know, if the dish is not, you know, perfect, we got to get it perfect.
- [26:25]
Joey
Yeah.
- [26:25]
Ray Chu
There's a lot of subtleties sometimes that people don't even Realize. But I tell you what, the dance teams, they hear it, and they'll come back to me and say, hey, there's not enough essence sandwich.
- [26:37]
Joey
Yeah.
- [26:37]
Ray Chu
I'm like, oh, okay, now I have to call back and say, singers, let's focus on the S in sandwich. Make sure that's right.
- [26:44]
Joey
That's amazing. Yeah, there's. Sometimes they pay so much attention to those lyrics and little moments that if it doesn't sound exactly the same, the move doesn't feel the same to them, too.
- [26:51]
Ray Chu
But I've learned to get that because they've all expressed to me at one point or another that that essence sandwich might be a shoulder turn or something. Or something expressing. And then so now, you know, I guess it's like my interaction with them has evolved over the years to where we feel like it's refined, where I first of all, understand the importance of that essence sandwich.
- [27:16]
Joey
Right. Is there a certain genre or style that you guys do that you're most fond of as a music creator?
- [27:22]
Ray Chu
Sure, sure, there is all of them. But no, no, really, my background includes every genre. In my experience, every genre we've done, you know, it's jazz, country, rock, funk, everything I've. I've actually professionally performed with. You know, matter of fact, this week we're doing. This is. You know, we're doing Rock and Roll Hall Fame, and we have. Most of the people that we're doing. I perform like, there's a picture of me and Steven Tyler. It's crazy, you know, And I. And I did the song that we do, you know, and I was like, I had to roll back to that experience. I was like, yeah, I remember rocking out with him and then, you know, other times with the Kuna Gang people and working with, you know, the hip hop artists. So it's really fun for me to reach into my wonderful trove trust and bring that into the show.
- [28:11]
Joey
That's got to be crazy when you get these songs sent to you, or you're like, okay, this is the style that we're doing this week that you actually can pull on your own experience with them as well, too.
- [28:20]
Ray Chu
Not only that, some of the songs are actually recorded. No way. That's right. They pulled up some songs from Fame, you know, from. From the soundtrack of Fame, which I played on, and some stuff from the. You know, there was. There's many shows where it's like, well, you know what I played on that record? They're like, come on. No way. And I'm like, look into the crates. Look, go into the crates. You'll see my credits.
- [28:42]
Joey
That's amazing, man. So there isn't a specific style you would say?
- [28:46]
Ray Chu
There is. I would say the style of Wicked. Oh, I love that, that, you know, I love the challenge of it, by the way, that. That was one of the most challenging shows ever. One is that the, the, the level of delivery had to be not only to what we do, but also the people who, you know, at Universal who own the Wicked product, we had to really go in and interact with them. They had to. We had to get them to sign off on, you know, what we were doing. They had to really say, hey, you know, we believe that, you know, we believe in you doing this.
- [29:27]
Joey
Yeah.
- [29:27]
Ray Chu
Here. And trusting me with their product. I loved it. It was, it went from these, like, these lush ballads to big, voluptuous orchestrations and, and big impactful. It. It was everything in this big, wonderful show. And we did every song on that show.
- [29:46]
Joey
And that needs to be clearly stated. You guys did every song. Because there was moments that I think people didn't even realize that because it sou. The original. You guys did an amazing job with that week. It was. We were sitting there, I remember, in dress, me and some of the producers were watching, and we were like, this is unbelievable. I, I, it was almost hard to focus on the dancing at sometimes during dress because we were watching the performance you guys were putting on with music. It was, it was incredible. That was, I agree, so far this season. That was unbelievable.
- [30:13]
Ray Chu
Thank you. Thank you. And what. Matter of fact, that throughout the whole, My whole journey, that, that night, that whole week, it was a week.
- [30:21]
Joey
Yeah.
- [30:22]
Ray Chu
So by the way, I'll share with you. Please, I'll share with you. That week, we had no sleep because of what it took to, you know, again, unbake the cake, first of all, find out what's in the sauce. And then all the preparation, you know, getting the. Who's gonna sing behind Ariana and Cynthia and not. You better be really on it, you know, and they were, they were cooking that and, and I'm really, really happy with what we did for that.
- [30:50]
Joey
You guys should be proud of it, because it was incredible. And I love. That was one of your favorite weeks. We have to talk about later in the competition. We're gonna be going into Prince night. And you work with Prince, right?
- [30:59]
Ray Chu
I did, yeah. Yeah.
- [31:01]
Joey
How was that whole experience working with him and how much are you looking forward to Prince night?
- [31:05]
Ray Chu
What a unique person, first of all.
- [31:07]
Joey
Yeah.
- [31:07]
Ray Chu
You know, he was. Prince could be. He could be this. He could be that he could be hot, he could be cold, he could, you know, he, and I think by his own design, he wanted to be enigmatic. Yeah. He didn't want you figuring him out all the way. There was no figuring him out. So that's the same way musically, you know, you, you, if you listen to early Prince, you know, and, and his, his whole journey musically, you know, it's, it's a wonderful ride of experiences. Funk, rock, this, that, you know, pop, you know, 19, 1999. He, you know, it's all, he's got it all cooked in there. Yeah. And you can expect that when we go to Prince night. You're gonna get it all.
- [31:50]
Joey
I love it, man. And then obviously, another one we have to talk about is going into the 20th birthday episode. I feel like one of the things I'm looking forward to most is the opening number, because I think there's going to be a lot of people coming back. Can you give me a little bit about what's going to be happening with that?
- [32:02]
Ray Chu
Absolutely. So, first of all, Derek and I, you know, we sat down and we really, we cooked up a dish together, right? We sat down and he had an idea, and I put some things together. We sat down for. This has been weeks working on this thing, you know, and we went through different phases, different beats, different things. You know, we, we wanted to make sure everybody felt the full experience of Dancing with the Stars. And then near the end, we're going to have a moment and then we're going to bring out our guest. So it's going to be pretty cool.
- [32:33]
Joey
Oh, man, I can't wait to see that.
- [32:35]
Ray Chu
It's going to be, it's going to be pretty cool.
- [32:36]
Joey
That's going to be awesome. How was it working with Derek?
- [32:39]
Ray Chu
Well, Derek's also a musician. A lot of people don't know that Derek was a drummer.
- [32:42]
Joey
Oh, yeah.
- [32:43]
Ray Chu
And so, so when Derek expresses himself, you know, well, I'll pull out my keyboard and he sit there hammering away and, and then he'll express himself with beats and he'll sit right in my, my trailer there and, and start, you know, doing his dance moves and tell me he wants to, you know, a hit there. Oh, we go through it.
- [33:01]
Joey
Is there enough space in that trailer for Derek to be dancing while you're also doing the music?
- [33:05]
Ray Chu
We make the space.
- [33:06]
Joey
I love it.
- [33:07]
Ray Chu
Whatever space we got, he got, you know, and the good news is that I, I, I, I get him. So when he, any way he expresses himself, I get it. Because as an, you know, artist to Artist. So if he gives me a grunt, I kind of. I got it. If he gives me, you know, and if he does a little something like that, I got it. I got it. And I can translate that into a sound.
- [33:27]
Joey
Oh, that's amazing. I cannot wait to see that come together.
- [33:30]
Ray Chu
Oh, it's gonna be cool.
- [33:30]
Joey
We also do have Derek on the pod next week, so I'm gonna be able to ask him more about that process. I can't wait for everyone to see it. But then also for him to be able to articulate more on what he.
- [33:39]
Ray Chu
Oh, cool. Yeah, yeah.
- [33:40]
Joey
Is there any kind of secrets or things you can let us know it's gonna be coming in that episode?
- [33:44]
Ray Chu
Well, yeah, I think it's gonna be. That's gonna be a tearjerker for many people because our guest coming back, Tom Bergeron, and, you know, for him to come back, he's gonna be hugged and loved by everybody. He. You know, it was. It was him that brought this show to where it could be. He launched into the next phase.
- [34:07]
Joey
Yeah.
- [34:07]
Ray Chu
And we love work with him. We. We. We cooked up a wonderful opening for him.
- [34:13]
Joey
I love it.
- [34:13]
Ray Chu
It's gonna be fun.
- [34:14]
Joey
I can't wait to see that. Yeah. I can't wait to see him as a guest judge. But I can't wait to see that whole night come together because I know it's gonna be a special one.
- [34:19]
Ray Chu
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
- [34:20]
Joey
Ray, man, I just love having you here. It really is cool to hear how you do all this. I appreciate you taking the time. I know you're a busy man, but thanks for coming in chat with us.
- [34:27]
Ray Chu
Oh, cool, man. Thank you, man. Give you the.
- [34:30]
Joey
Appreciate you.
- [34:31]
Ray Chu
Right.
- [34:32]
Joey
And don't go anywhere. Danielle and Pasha will be here right after this. My next guests are so beloved here on Dance with the Stars, and I'm very sad to see them go. It's Danielle and Pasha.
- [34:53]
Danielle
Hi, Joey.
- [34:54]
Joey
Hi, guys. How are we feeling right now? I kind of want to just go right off of what the last comments were on tv. You said this was life.
- [35:02]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Yeah.
- [35:03]
Joey
Can you kind of expand a little more on why this experience was life changing for you?
- [35:08]
Danielle
Well, for one thing, meeting Pasha and Dani and truly every other pro and every celeb on this show. I have never felt so connected to people that I have known for such a short amount of time. You get really thrown together and you go into it. I'm a competitive person. You go into it with this competitive spirit, and that stays with you. But it's crazy. Crazy how at the exact same time, you are rooting so hard for every other person, and you're like. You forget until that very end of the show that someone has to go home. You've just been cheering so wildly for everybody to do well. So on that level, it's life changing because I feel like I have made friends for life, especially Pasha and Dani. But in other ways, it's. It's been physically really challenging. It's been emotionally really challenging. It's been all of these things that, like you, I didn't expect. I knew it was gonna be hard, but I wasn't expecting to have to push myself to the limits that I've had to push myself day after day and week after week. And it has really shown me what I'm capable of, what I'm made of. It's highlighted weaknesses that need improving, but it's also really highlighted strengths that I'm proud of. And, yeah, so that's how it's been life changing.
- [36:34]
Joey
I love that so much. And I do feel like there's something so different about this experience with dance and the pressure of the show where you learn a lot about yourself. Pasha, you said how you got a friend for life, and I love that because you could tell from the beginning your guys partnership was something different. Why do you think you guys connected so much? This is an opportunity to say how amazing Danielle is, which I know you could do forever.
- [36:56]
Danielle
Please thank you for setting him up for that because he may not have taken that opportunity.
- [37:01]
Pasha
You know, when you just know. You walk into the room, you meet the person and you just know from the get go. No awkwardness, no getting to know each other right away. We understand each other, we finish each other sandwiches. I mean, we have similar sense of humor. It just, you know, the whole thing just clicked. I enjoyed every dance we did. I'm gonna look back with so much pride, you know, and especially this team dance, this moment when, you know, like, we united as a team, like you said, you know, all the pros, all the celebs, it was a moment if we had to go, this is the moment when we leave. But otherwise, like I said, friend for life. You're not getting rid of us so easily. And let me tell when we hang out together, our daughter Kiki, she loves Danielle so much, she goes, like, went to a party, she was in her arms the entire time. And when I said, do you want to go to papa? She's like, no, she just stayed with her the entire time. So, yeah, sorry, you're stuck.
- [38:13]
Danielle
Yes, for life.
- [38:14]
Joey
I can see you getting A little emotional right now. And I do love that about you because I think one thing that's so important in this show is you get glimpses when you're up in the skybox with Julianne. You get this opportunity to kind of show who you are. You have always been so open and so honest with your feelings, and I think that's something that America resonated with. I know I resonated with every time I watched. Where do you think that's coming from right now? Like, where is the emotion? Is it gratitude? Is it sadness of it being over? What are you feeling right now?
- [38:42]
Danielle
No, it's a lot of gratitude. And also just, like, there's some sadness. Thinking about how much fun this past week was. Like, Pasha mentioned, that's the thing that made me start getting emotional thinking about this team dance. Like, we had such a short amount of time to put together something that we were going to be really proud of. And, you know, I had a full strategy for picking that team. Like, it was a full blown strategy that Dylan and I worked out via text.
- [39:10]
Joey
I love it.
- [39:11]
Danielle
And I picked the team because I knew that those pros were going to respect each other, trust each other. The best idea would always win. And I. And as team captain, I wouldn't be like, okay, like, mediating between anybody. But you don't really know. You just, you kind of go, well, this is what I think. And I'm going to make these choices for my team and then watching them work all week and watching them make suggestions, us putting it on tape and then looking back and then the next day, you know, Mark coming in and being like, I noticed something. We're sitting still for too long back here. Let's add this. And. And Ezra saying, you know what? I think I have a better suggestion here. And Pasha being like, let me count it out for everybody and let's practice this. Like they. Dani took lead in so many things. Teaching all the girls stuff, watching them work together, and then us all being able to be in the same room and then the payoff being four tens.
- [40:07]
Joey
First perfect score of the season.
- [40:10]
Danielle
And we were. We all felt so locked in. It just. Those are the moments that I will take with me for the rest of my life. And you don't get those very often. You know, you don't, like, get those moments where you go, oh, I'm making a core memory right now. But I was aware that this week was one of those memories.
- [40:30]
Joey
Isn't that so special to be like, in the moment of those things and just Notice, like, this is something I'm never gonna forget for this week.
- [40:35]
Danielle
Never gonna forget this. Yeah.
- [40:37]
Joey
And we talked about this actually last week. I thought it was really cool that you said this was one of the first times maybe ever, but in a long time that you were really just able to put yourself first fully.
- [40:47]
Danielle
Yes.
- [40:47]
Joey
And I know that came from your husband being able to be with the kids. Like, what was. How was this time just to have that opportunity?
- [40:55]
Danielle
It was incredible because, you know, as a mom of two and a person who, you know, runs a household and I have a business and I host podcasts, and I'm a director, and there's a lot on my plate. And that means that most of my days are spent managing stuff, Lists, grocery store stuff, lunches, schedules, and there isn't, like, a ton of time for me. And so when this opportunity came about and I knew that the schedule was gonna be demanding, and my husband just right off the bat was like, you can take every single thing pertaining to the kid's schedule off your plate. Give it to me. I will do it. We also have a nanny who I will not let go, overlooked because anything. Then when his plate was too full, she picked up the slack. I had so many people stepping in and saying, let me help you so that you can just focus on this. And I have spent the last, you know, 10 weeks, with our first two weeks of rehearsal, just being able to say, this time is for me.
- [42:00]
Joey
And it lets you fully experience this, too. Like, that's super important. It's hard to be able to fully experience this when you have a lot of other stuff going on. So.
- [42:07]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Correct.
- [42:08]
Joey
And, Pasha, I want to come to you next. Like, what were you most proud of with her as a partner? I know the friendship is huge, but what amazed you through this experience, what she's gotten better at, Because I know a lot of people saw how much better she got as a dancer.
- [42:20]
Pasha
Well, the most, I think, important thing here is that Danielle came into this with zero dance experience. So we had to learn everything from scratch every week, every new style, and how she trusted me and trusted the process. For me, I think that was the biggest thing. Step by step, one foot in front of the other, you know, day by day, she would go home, review it, watch the tape, sleep on it, come back next day better. You know what I mean? And just seeing what I guess the audience doesn't see at home is, I guess they see that your improvement from week to week. Yeah, for me, it was from day to day, fully focused, always there, physically Mentally, emotionally. So thank you for that.
- [43:13]
Joey
I love you so much.
- [43:14]
Danielle
The least I could do for you. I mean, pasha is no offense to anyone else. Pasha is the best teacher anyone could hope to have on the show because he is consistent every single day. You're never managing his emotions. He's never. I know there were things going on, of course, in his life. He never brought it in to the ballroom. He was always prepared, over prepared, knew everything. The minute I would say, like, this feels really difficult, or if I would be like, no, I know I'm not doing this right, but I promise I can get it. And he would say, but I am not married to this idea. There's something else we can do. He was always quick to change it. He is the most patient individual you'll ever meet, and he allowed me to feel really comfortable with him, being honest with him. I just. There's not. There truly isn't enough wonderful things to say about pasha As a teacher and a friend and a coach and a choreographer and a dancer. He's just literally top tier.
- [44:26]
Joey
Thank you. We love pasha. Pasha's the best.
- [44:28]
Danielle
He really is.
- [44:29]
Joey
Is there a dance you look back on throughout this season that you're most proud of or one that was your favorite? Is there any, like, performance that you can think of now that you're like, man, that was the one.
- [44:37]
Danielle
My argentine tango.
- [44:39]
Joey
I knew it was gonna be that one.
- [44:40]
Danielle
I loved that dance so much from the very first day. Even though the first day we had nothing by the end of the day, because all we had was a bunch of hours of trying a million tricks and just getting so banged up and not really having any that we were, like, nailed it. Those first three days, we really spent a lot of time just trying to figure out what the lifts and tricks were gonna be. And then all of a sudden on.
- [45:07]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Saturday was like, oh, we have a full dance.
- [45:11]
Danielle
And now we just had to clean it and perfect it, and it was just so much fun. I love that dance.
- [45:17]
Joey
I still love, too. I've watched a million times the video that you guys put up of how you almost hit your face and the hand went. And you were like, I'll pay for the nose job. It's so crazy how that was that close. It was a crazy move. If you guys don't remember, it was at the end of their argentine tango. They hit this last picture where. I mean. I mean, it's danielle's face hitting the floor if pasha does not stop her. And the ability to, like, trust. That shows how much trust you guys had in a partnership.
- [45:44]
Danielle
I mean, I waited until when I was like, oh, it's still coming. And then I was like.
- [45:50]
Joey
And it was undress. I saw it was like the last second hand. I don't even think it would have stopped it. It was just like you had to because you thought you were still going.
- [45:56]
Carrie Ann Inaba
I know.
- [45:57]
Danielle
And he told me he was like, danielle, in the live show, no matter what, don't put your hand down. I promise you, I will not drop you. And I said, pasha, my heart and my brain knows that, but the animal in me does not. I couldn't help it.
- [46:13]
Pasha
Oh, yeah.
- [46:13]
Joey
Was there a certain dance that you look back on where you feel differently that it was like I just couldn't get it or you didn't put maybe everything you thought into that one.
- [46:20]
Danielle
I mean, contemporary this week was a really difficult week for me. It was just, you know, when we started talking about the story of the contemporary, it really. What really resonated with me was is this idea that society has a lot of expectations for us and everybody has opinions, and with social media and the Internet, and everybody's able to tell you what their opinions are, Especially as women. I feel like the constant message is that we are both just too much and also not enough all the time. And that can be really frustrating. No matter what choice you make, whether you choose to have children or not have children or you work outside the home or you stay at home and work inside the home, people have judgments on it. And when I brought the idea up to pasha that this song really just spoke to me as far as, like, the only cure for tuning out that noise is really choosing to pay attention to what your dreams are and following them. And that's really what this was about. But once we started working on it and talking about it, it brought up all kinds of. Of old feelings of inadequacies or just judgments, like a lot of negative self talk. And so, yeah, it was. It was just an emotional week. And I wasn't. I wasn't expecting that. I was. I was not expecting it to feel like therapy, but it did.
- [47:50]
Joey
I have to ask, is there anyone else left in the competition that we're really pulling for? I think I know who it is, but is there anyone that we're rooting for for the rest of this time?
- [47:58]
Danielle
Honestly, I am rooting for my boy Dylan. He's my guy. He's been my guy since day one. We formed an alliance, truly, in New York, and we held true to it, and we text and strategize and I just. It's hard because I love everyone that is left in this competition. I've loved everybody who's come through these doors but my boy Dylan and, of course, my girl Dani. Yeah, they have. They have my vote.
- [48:27]
Joey
I love it. I love it. Well, you're gonna be miss. You both are. Thank you so much for coming in and talking to us today.
- [48:32]
Carrie Ann Inaba
Thank you.
- [48:32]
Pasha
Thank you.
- [48:33]
Joey
All right, guys, that is a wrap on rock. Oh, wait, I almost forgot. You probably want to hear the songs and styles for next week, right? Well, get ready, because in no particular order, here are the songs and styles for the 20th birthday episode. Elaine and Alan will be doing a salsa to It Takes Two by Rob Bass and DJ Ezriel Rock. Whitney and Mark will be doing an Argentine tango to Cell Block Tango from Chicago the Musical. Robert and Whitney will be doing a foxtrot to Footprints in the sand by Leona Lewis. Alex and Val will be doing a foxtrot to Singing in the Rain by Matthew Morrison. Dylan and Daniela will be doing an Argentine tango to Ain't no Sunshine by Bill Withers. Andy and Emma will be doing a quick step to Putting on the Ritz by Robbie Williams. And Jordan Ezra will be doing a Cha Cha to Get up by Sierra featuring Chamillionaire. That is gonna be a good show. And you might even see me dancing next week. Okay, guys, that is a wrap on Rock and Roll hall of Fame night. Don't forget the 2025 rock and roll hall of Fame induction ceremony will be live November 8th on Disney. And make sure to catch Dance with the Stars every Tuesday live on ABC and Disney and the next day on Hulu. And then get your exclusive look behind the scenes right here on the Dance with the Stars official podcast every Thursday on Disney plus and Hulu. And wherever you get your podcasts, we'll see you guys next week. This has been a BBC Studios production for ABC and Disney plus.