B (2:05)

Yeah. Start doing your research.

A (2:06)

Yes. So when we had some people who got announced a couple of months before, so of course you already know a little bit about them. We sat down to watch a few episodes of Secret Lives of Women Wives when two cast members from that show got announced.

B (2:23)

Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck had been announced a few months ago from that show.

A (2:27)

Yes.

B (2:27)

Robert Irwin had been announced. And Alex Earle.

A (2:29)

Correct.

B (2:30)

Yes.

A (2:30)

Yes.

B (2:30)

So you did your research on that?

A (2:31)

We did the research, yes. And then when we heard that you might be on the show, my wife went crazy. She's a huge fan, and she's like, every boy wanted to be with her. Every girl wanted to be her. And she's like, yeah, you have to watch it because you haven't seen it. And she goes I would love to watch it with you. Because she's like, it's been a while since I watched, and she's like, I would love to, like, relive that. So I literally binged watch, like, several episodes right away. So for me, like, I knew exactly who you were when you walked into the room.

B (3:04)

Okay, so when I walked in, you were, like, expecting what you got. You weren't like, who?

A (3:09)

No. Oh, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, I knew exactly. Yeah, yeah, I knew exactly. And you're like, you know, like, your character is so iconic, and I don't know, I just, like, I can tell that you are loved by millions, you know, and there are so many people who were saying, oh, my God, I literally grew up with her. That's how they feel. So I'm like, it's good to dance with someone, you know, that people can connect to like that, you know? And I'm sure there are things that we're gonna use from the show or can use from the show.

B (3:40)

Yes, I'm hoping so. There are so many great things we can use.

A (3:43)

Amazing. You know, little Easter eggs or, you know, little throwbacks that will make people, you know, relive those moments when they used to watch you on their TVs every single day.

B (3:54)

So many people who work as an actor or in any sort of performer type thing, but especially actors, sometimes get really offended when they're only known for one character and they're like, I've done more things. I just have never felt that way. I feel so lucky that Topanga was the character I got to play. And even if I'm never for anything else, like, what a massive blessing that I, at 12 years old, found a role in a character that I'll be known for forever. So anything we can do to lean into the nostalgia of that or the Topanga of it all, or the boy meets world of it all, I am all for.

A (4:32)

But also that one character. It's not like it's a 12 hour long movie. It's years and years and years, you know, of that character and character development, you know, and especially that that character starts at such a young age, and you go all the way marriage. You know what I mean? It's like it's your. Your whole chunk, a huge chunk of your life over there.

B (4:54)

Yeah.

A (4:55)

And it's been on, what, seven. Seven years?

B (4:57)

It was 793 to 2000. And then when we did the reboot, Girl Meets World, we did that for three years. So we even have, you know, almost. We have a decade. A decade Of Topanga lore, I guess. Well, we are in New York right now in the absolute whirlwind that is the Good morning America announcement. How does this season or does this season feel any different to you than your previous five or six seasons?

A (5:25)

You feel okay. This is one of those shows where no matter how many seasons you've been on, you can never possibly be fully ready, because every time it's brand new, you have a brand new partner with brand new personality, a ability story and everything. Right. So every time it's a brand new experience. Right. And also the competition, who you're going against is brand new. Right. When we used to compete in ballroom dancing, you know, we're the same partnership. We know who we're competing against for years right here. Every year, it's a brand new show for us.

B (6:05)

I didn't even think about that. Yeah. When you're competing in ballroom dancing, you're used to seeing the same faces every weekend. You know what their strengths and weaknesses are. Now on this show, like, you can do all the prep you can do for your own physical body, but by the time you arrive there, like, depending on who your celeb is and who the other celebs are, everything changes.

A (6:23)

Exactly. Yeah. And what. You know, like, what makes sense for us in terms of the song choices and the creative choices. So it's one of those things where I think you cannot possibly really prepare, but with every season, you feel that you're gaining more experience, you know, and that gives you more confidence going into a new season because you're like, okay, I've done a few. I know what to expect. I have my strategy, you know, so this helps. I feel like going with that good baggage is. Is helping mentally, for sure.

B (6:58)

How important do you think song choices are?

A (7:00)

I think they are vital.

B (7:02)

Really?

A (7:02)

Yeah.

B (7:03)

And do you think that's because the audience needs to be able to connect to the song? Or, like, do you think both the.

A (7:11)

Audience and us, because first of all, we're the ones dancing. Right. And if it is a song that is hard to dance, you just don't feel like dancing to it.

B (7:18)

Right.

A (7:19)

You know, you feel like you're forcing a dance onto a specific song. That's not a good start.

B (7:24)

No, it's not a good feeling.

A (7:25)

But then even if you find a song that you feel good dancing to, the audience needs to relate to it as well. Either they recognize it, or they just feel the vibe of the song. Or you make them fall in love with the song that they've never heard. You know, that's a, an option too. But definitely, definitely for us and for the audience.

B (7:45)

Okay. You have been on the show now for several seasons. Does has this fan speculation and paparazzi gotten better or worse? I was shocked by the amount of attention and effort we had to put into maintaining a secret identity for, you know, about a week. Are you used to that at this point? That it feels crazy. Was it more this year than usual?

A (8:10)

No, we do this every year since the beginning, we've been hiding all the time, you know, leading up to the premiere. But I gotta say that I think in the past few seasons, the show, I feel like it had a rebirth, you know, and it got like this. New demographics, new audience, new fans. And there are definitely more eyes on us and definitely more attention and it's closer attention. And that's why I think there were so many speculations and leaks online, because people are really paying attention and they pay attention to every detail. You know, you pass by, they catch a photo, you fully covered, but they see your ring and they know whose ring it is, you know, or they see bracelets and I mean, mine are obvious. They say. They say Danny and yeah, it's. Yeah, it's hard to hide this one. But yes, like, so becoming more aware and hiding, you know, under the sleeve so people don't see your bracelets or something else.

B (9:08)

It's so crazy. So I am very, very, very sore. I am extremely achy. My neck is killing me. I feel a little better today than I did yesterday. But I've had to go get regular massages. I've had to be stretching.

A (9:37)

How.

B (9:38)

How do you do this all the time? How do you stay in this kind of shape to be working this hard day after day, week after week?

A (9:46)

Well, I think when we used to compete, we were in this kind of like mode 365 days a year. So once you in it, it feels like it's a norm. And I think you kind of get used to it. On Dancing with the Stars, you know, we have a three month season, then we have tour prep, then a four months or three months tour, and then we have this huge gap between the tour and the season, right? And of course, everybody does their own thing. Somebody does something dance related, somebody does something. No dance related. Personally, me, I do stuff that is not dance related. So for me right now, going back into the season, our first three or four rehearsals that we had so far, you know, I felt sore. Like, I was like, oh, my God, I need to stretch. I need to warm up, I need to get Back into. I mean, I was trying to get back into shape, you know, to get ready. But no matter how much you work out, you know, you still building, like, big muscle groups.

B (10:50)

Yes.

A (10:51)

You know, like at the gym or whatever. Dancing is different because it's like you use these small little muscle groups that you don't really usually use at the gym, you know, and it's a brand new workout, and I know it, and I go through this every time. But you do need a couple of weeks of adjustment to get back into it just simply by dancing. Dancing, dancing, dancing.

B (11:10)

I told Jensen, I said, the light, the little fibers at the base of my skull, all the way down to the little tendons in between my toes, all of the body parts in between there hurt. But yes, it's like. It's like muscle groups I didn't even really know existed. So we've been practicing for one week, which is actually only meant four days of rehearsal at this point. I need you to be very honest here. How am I doing?

A (11:36)

You are doing great.

B (11:37)

Okay.

A (11:38)

I was, you know, usually when we're starting, you know, we're starting with a 2, 3 week prep before the premiere, which is a lot longer than it will be during the season when we're gonna have only a few days in between each show. Um, so I kind of was going in like, okay, we're not going to rush. We'll take it slowly. You know, I'll get to know you, see how you learn the choreo, and we'll go from there because we have some time. So I prep the choreo, and what I was very happy about is that you picked it up and learned very fast.

B (12:09)

Okay.

A (12:09)

So for me, I was like, okay, that's a good sign. You know, if you can learn the choreo, you know, in a couple of days, that means going into the season, we'll be able to, you know, learn the choreo and then still have time to clean and improve and work on our performance aspect. Because I think the hardest thing is when you have someone as a partner who cannot remember the choreo, because then, you know, you going into the performance, first of all, really stressed out because you don't know if they will remember. Yeah, you know, that's one thing. But. But also, if it takes the entire week just to learn the choreo, then obviously you have no time to improve it, you know, to work on the performance aspect on the. Some maybe technical things, you know, to make it look sharper and cleaner and more exciting.

B (12:59)

Yeah. Cause just remembering the steps is actually like 20% of what ends up coming through with the dance. Like, just knowing the moves is not enough. So I know I said to you in our. Like, on our first day that my goal was that every week we had at least one day where you got to be super nitpicky, that we felt like we knew it. You. You knew that. I knew it so well that you could be like that. Pinky is not where it should be. Like, I want. I wanted at least a full day for you to just nitpick me. So that's still my goal. I'm still gonna maintain that. Even though we're not gonna have three weeks every time, I still want to have at least half a day where you can be nitpicky with me. So anyone who's watched the show over the last several years will know that you have maybe been given some challenging partners. How do you stay positive when you are maybe showing up every week knowing that your partner isn't as fully invested in it as you would like them to be?

A (14:00)

Well, the thing is, and I realized that pretty quickly, is that we, as pros, yes, we're not guaranteed that we're going to be back next season, but if we are, there is a chance for us to do this show for several seasons. Right. And, like, this is my seventh season, for example. Right. So I got a chance to always redo if, like, you know, if I have a not a good experience or not a good result or whatever it is. Right. Yeah. But if you look from the celebs perspective, there's only one chance. You do the show once.

B (14:36)

Right.

A (14:37)

And that's it. Right. So the inspiration behind it is that when they leave the competition, no matter the result, no matter what, I want them to look back at it and say, I had the best experience. I had a time of my life, and I will remember this as a positive experience no matter what.

B (14:55)

Yeah.

A (14:56)

You know, and I'll have something to look back on, you know, that's going to live online probably forever and be proud of it.

B (15:03)

Yeah.

A (15:03)

So that's what motivates you, because you understand that this is their only chance to do specific. I mean, they do other things, but specifically this. There's only one. One time you get to do this. So I just want them to have the best time.

B (15:16)

Oh, well, you're really good at that because you do make it very fun. I was telling Jensen how much I laughed when I said, you said very good. After I did a dance, and I said, oh, no, it was mid I could definitely do better. And you said, then stop giving me this mediocre and do better. And then you say, what if? What if? That's the only thing they use from the whole clip. And we started dying laughing. I thought because you, you are not that way at all. It was so funny. To me, though. You have a very. You're. You have such a great personality. You make learning very easy. You make learning very fun. So it's so nice that. To hear that you make sure everybody has a great experience because of course they do. So season 32 with Ariana Maddox. You have your best finish, scoring your first perfect 30 and getting to the finals. And then you guys placed third. How did that season feel different to you? Did it feel good from the very beginning?

A (16:10)

It did feel good from the very beginning, yes. I think we had a good connection from the start. I think Ariana came in from obviously a very public and, you know, huge scandal. Yeah. And you say sandal.

B (16:29)

Sandal, yes.

A (16:30)

So that's what I was like. Did you say sandals? So what happened is I felt like she came in with this fighter energy, you know, there was like fire underneath her feet, and I felt like she had something to prove, you know, and that, like, showed up in her work ethic, in how she showed up, you know, like every day. So for me, I felt from the beginning like she's here for the right reason. She's here, you know, with some kind of an intention. And we're going to use that to fuel the entire season.

B (17:00)

Great. Ooh, I love that. If you had to give just one routine as an example, something of yours, someone wants to see your favorite dance front to back, what would you suggest? And is it one where you're dressed like a tiger with Carole Baskin?

A (17:18)

Is it a two part question? Do I answer? Well, you know what, let's put it this way. It's a definitely a very recognizable moment and it's definitely an icebreaker in a lot of my conversations when people start talking to me at the restaurants or something, they're like, hey, because guess what? That thing, Tiger Cane was so huge at the moment.

B (17:44)

Universal.

A (17:45)

Yeah, it was. That was the COVID year, right? Yeah. So I feel like everybody knew about it. Everybody tweeted about it when we danced. I remember Lady Gaga posting a story and saying, welcome to 2020. So, yeah. So guess what? I would not change a thing.

B (18:04)

Okay, great.

A (18:05)

I love that. But is that the routine that I'm super proud of? Well, let's put it in the top three.

B (18:13)

Okay. Do you Have a top one?

A (18:17)

Yes. Top one was a foxtrot with Ariana in the semi final.

B (18:22)

Okay.

A (18:23)

And that was the perfect 30. The first perfect 30. But that was not the reason. It was not. It's just like one of those where everything aligned, where it looked good, it felt good. We had time. Good time practicing it, choreographing. We had a good song. There were a lot of musical things that we were able to show off that, like, choreographically really enjoyed it. So it was one of those where, like, you know, everything aligned and it felt good, looked good, and got a good score. So it's like perfect 30 across the board.

B (18:53)

You can't touch that.

A (18:55)

No.

B (18:55)

I am very vocal in admitting that I have no real dance experience going into the show. Does that put us at a total disadvantage?

A (19:06)

What. Who.

B (19:07)

Who's the partner you've had? Who's had the most experience?

A (19:12)

I don't think I had anyone who had dance experience.

B (19:17)

Okay.

A (19:18)

Yes. I don't think I had anyone. Everybody had something different to offer. Kate Flannery, she came from, like, she's an actress, but I think she did, like, theater and. Yes. Something in college. So she had a little bit of, like, that, you know, she was good, very musical. So we used that. And Ariana, again, musical theater. So there was a. Some. Some. But it's not really dance experience, you know? But the good thing about it that I do, like, now, it's always challenging, right, when you go against someone who does have dance experience. But at the same time, I always say, you know, if we have to look at things, you know, glass half full, when you come in with no dance experience, we can start fresh. There are no bad habits. Yeah, Right. So we can, like, start fresh and learn things the right way. That's a good thing. But as long as there are at least some basic things in place, like having some rhythm. Having rhythm, you know, being able to hear the beat and the music being balanced, being coordinated. Because things like, yes, you can teach the dance steps, but it's very hard to teach coordination if somebody is not coordinated. Right. Or like, if you're not balanced, balance is not something you can teach in a week. Right. Coordination is not something you can teach in a week. So I feel like as long as there are some, like, basic, fundamental things that are there, okay, then the rest. The rest you can work with.

B (20:58)

I found that there are, like, there's really two camps when it comes to thoughts on dance experience. One who think it's totally fine for people with years of dance Experience to compete on Dancing with the Stars. And then the other camp that really thinks celebrities should come in, not really knowing much of anything and learn how to dance. Do you think it's fair to come in with dance experience?

A (21:20)

I think that those camps. Why. Why they're like that is because I think originally when the show started, I feel like majority of the of celebs that were on the show were without any dance.

B (21:34)

Okay.

A (21:35)

And I think like the whole point and all the stories were about how they're learning from scratch, right? And I'm talking like a big majority of the celebs didn't have the dance experience. And then it became a mix. Right. And then that's when I think like the there was like a little division and I think that it's. I think it's impossible, you know, to have like a great cast, you know, for a season and have 14 couples and make sure that everybody has zero of any experience, you know, because even if it's not dense experience, I feel like there are still things that already different from the get go. Like for example, an athlete is coming in with a different set of skills than an actor. Right. Or somebody who is used to performing in front of the live audience versus somebody who's used to where you can do several takes. Or let's say even like if we compare the athletes, like if you compare football players versus basketball players. Right. Like there are a lot of football players on the show and you could tell that they were very, very light and quick on their feet. So when they were doing their jives and quick steps, they were always phenomenal. Right. And then, I don't know, like, I feel like, you know, everybody comes in already. Not really even, because everybody comes in with different set of skills from different fields of life. But on top of that, now we also have like some people who actually come with dance experience. So. Yes. But at the same time, we have to remember that at the end of the day, it's not just the judges is the audience who votes. And then if the audience wants to see a non dancer improve, then you will have the advantage.

B (23:30)

That's right. Exactly. It's up to them to decide. A big story this year is the return of Mark Ballas, a prior champion and a bit of an icon on the show. What are your strategic feelings about this? Big news this season. Are you and Mark Clarkson close?

A (23:45)

Mark and I are very close. So he's like our brother. His mom was mine and Danny's teacher, main teacher. So a lot of people on the show Derek, Julianne, Mark, Danny and I, we were all trained by Mark's mom. Yeah, she is a legend in the ballroom world. She goes by a nickname, the Latin Queen. Oh, sorry, the Queen of Latin. Okay, my bad. I think the Queen of Latin because Latin and. Yeah, so she's. She's incredible. And because of that, we have very, very close connection with Mark.

B (24:28)

Oh, that's so great.

A (24:29)

And our kids have play dates together.

B (24:31)

Oh, that's fun. How many kids does he have?

A (24:34)

One.

B (24:34)

He's got one.

A (24:35)

And his name is Banksy and he's, I think half a year younger than Nikita.

B (24:40)

Nikita. So cute. So based on the partnerships that we know for this season, 34, who are you considering to be our biggest competition?

A (25:02)

Ourselves. Is this a very. Is this a very politically correct answer? Yes, it is. No, but honestly. Yeah, it's honestly ourselves. You know, I think the biggest thing is the distraction by the competition. Not keeping your eyes on your own paper are the biggest mistakes we can do, you know, because every week is going to be different. Every week people will have different dance styles, you know, and one week you have room, but somebody has a quick step. Next week you have a quick stim. Somebody has passed, obviously, so it's hard to compare directly to begin with because of different styles and everything. And yeah, you can get carried away and get too much in your head. So I think the biggest competition is ourselves and just like staying focused on doing our personal best. And then the rest is going to be up to, yes, the universe and the audience. And the audience and the judges.

B (26:00)

Now to a very important question. Is your life going to be easier or harder for you now that you are partnered with Danielle and married to Daniela?

A (26:11)

Well, I think it's. You said that you don't go like your short is either Danielle, sorry, D, or you just go by the full name Danielle. Well, the fun fact is my wife's name in passport actually spelled with an E at the end as well.

B (26:30)

Yes, yes.

A (26:32)

So she was supposed to be Daniela from the get go. That's what her mom wanted and they misspelled it and she has never changed it. So everywhere and to everyone, she's Daniella. And no one ever calls her by the full name, ever. She always goes by Danny. So. But her passport name is exactly like yours. Yeah, you have double L. Yeah. Yeah. So it's spelled exactly the same. Yeah, Everything the same. Yeah, but it's. So. So you go as D or Danielle and she is Danny. So.

B (27:03)

Okay. So at least no matter where you go, whether you're at work or at home.

A (27:07)

Yeah. Yes. Like, calling someone.

B (27:08)

Yeah.

A (27:09)

You don't even hear, like I thought. But this. This. We have. We have two Whitneys.

B (27:15)

Yes. We have a Jen and a Jenna.

A (27:16)

Yes.

B (27:16)

And we have Danielle and Daniela.

A (27:18)

Yes. Yes. So it's, like, a lot of close names, but I think because, you know, I've never. Haven't. I haven't heard this year yet somebody, you know, like, say the name, and I'm like, who are they talking to? Because everybody. Nobody calls Danny by her full name.

B (27:32)

Exactly. So that'll be easy for you. Okay. In 2023, you and Danny were in the finals together, and you guys were the first married couple to ever make it to the finals, right?

A (27:43)

Yes. To the finals together. Yes.

B (27:44)

Okay. What was that like competing against your beautiful wife?

A (27:48)

It was interesting because leading up to the final, in every single package, in every single otf, in every single interview that we did press everything. That was the question. You know, everybody's like, oh, you guys are gonna go against each other and how do you feel and everything. Well, the thing is, we choreograph everything together. Yeah, we choreograph, and we help each other. Right. We come from rehearsals, and we show each other the videos from the rehearsals, and we want to hear each other's feedback. So we've. We've been like that. Right? So it doesn't. Again, it doesn't feel like a competition. And again, this is. Sounds like a politically correct answer, but it's truly how it is. Like, we just truly support each other, you know, unconditionally. And the goal is for both to do their personal best with their partners in that finale. And then the rest, again, is already not up to us.

B (28:41)

Yeah.

A (28:41)

Right. So it didn't feel like a competition, because till the last second, we're helping each other, you know?

B (28:47)

Quick, what do I do here? Oh, I want to know. I want to hear all of Dani's feedback. Just give her my number. Just have her text me. Be like, pasha just showed me the video. Here are my notes. What do you two do after a live show to wind down?

A (29:00)

We eat burgers, pizza, pasta, ice cream. We're foodies. We love to eat. And, of course, you know, throughout the season, you want to fit into your costumes nicely, so you kind of, like, have to watch what you eat. But then this is our. Because, you know, like, the live show day is long. You know, we have early call times. I mean, you'll experience it very soon. You know, we have camera blocking. We have dress rehearsal. It's non Stop the whole day. So by the time you actually do the live show, you already dance several times and you've been there the whole day, and you've been in your hair and makeup and costume and everything. So once that show is done, we have the press line, and then this is when you can finally breathe out and relax. And we feel like it's a reset to go into the next week. So we need to, like, go and do something where we don't think about the show, we don't think about the choreo for the, you know, I mean, the choreo is down for the next dance, but, like, we don't. We don't think about anything show related, and we. We just go and we grab, you know, our favorite food, whatever we're in a mood for that night, and, yeah, we just enjoy ourselves.

B (30:15)

Good for you. I mean, there's. I honestly, having just done four days of rehearsal, there's nothing could sound worse than trying to dance on, like, a full stomach. So on those show days, I can only imagine that, like, not only are you working such long hours, you're just kind of grazing. You're like a couple of nuts. Here, a banana. Because, like, all the bouncing around on a full stomach sounds terrible.

A (30:36)

And you also, on one hand, you want to be hydrated, but on the other hand, with those costumes, you know, it's not so easy to jump in and out of them when you need to go to the bathroom. So it's got to be balanced.

B (30:50)

What do you think your strength is as a partner?

A (30:52)

My strength as a partner, I think I can pull out the best. Best of what you have to offer.

B (31:01)

Okay.

A (31:02)

And I think I come from a very old school training, ballroom dancing, where the belief is that the leader is the frame and the follower is the picture. Right?

B (31:18)

Right.

A (31:19)

So you present. You got to be there for her, and you present her and you make her shine. So since this show is obviously about the celebrity, you know, learning how to dance. So for me, I feel like, because I was trained like that and that was my mentality instead of like, look at me, you know, and. And I'm the solo beautiful dancer, for me, it was always about framing my partner. Even when I used to compete back in the day and was dancing with Danielle. Danny. I was gonna say Daniela, full name. Wow. Really? I'm even myself already losing track over here, but so for me, I feel like I can frame my partner beautifully and make her shine. So hopefully that's gonna be the case this season.

B (32:07)

Do you think you have any Weaknesses.

A (32:09)

Oh, a lot of them. But I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna tell. No, I'm not gonna tell anybody. You know what I mean? Giving away, like, open an open book over here. Giving up all my cards. Nah.

B (32:21)

What would you say my strength as a partner is?

A (32:24)

Your strength. Your. Actually a lot of strength right away. First of all, in terms of physicality, you are in great shape. Great flexibility, great balance.

B (32:38)

Thank you.

A (32:39)

Very strong.

B (32:39)

All right, good.

A (32:40)

Very strong. In terms of mental health, you coming in with the right focus so far. We had four days of rehearsals. You were in that room for four hours, working nonstop, super focused and memorizing things very well. So, you know, very, very focused. That's mental. And then personality wise, I think you are just a joy to be around. I love your. You know, like, your eyes are shining, big smile all the time. So I think your strength is going to be everybody falling in love with just with that spark that you have.

B (33:16)

Thank you. Now you can tell everyone my weaknesses because it's. They're mine, and so you don't have to worry about protecting me. What are my weaknesses?

A (33:23)

Okay, you said that your neck is stiff. Stiff neck. So. And we have week one. Oh, actually, hold on. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to reveal.

B (33:35)

Oh, we're not. We cut that. We'll bleep that.

A (33:39)

We'll just do that.

B (33:39)

Beep.

A (33:39)

Yeah, yeah, we have beep week one. And for that dance, which can be several dances, you need very sharp head movements.

B (33:48)

Yeah.

A (33:48)

So therefore, we need to make sure that that stiff neck is not stiff anymore. There's another weakness that you told me yourself that you said every time you get tense or something, it goes into the shoulders. And of course, in dancing, we have to have long neck and good posture. But so that is one thing that we're definitely gonna have to improve and work on, But I have no doubt we'll get there pretty fast.

B (34:13)

Okay. All right, final question. What are your goals for us this season? I may not have dance experience, but, you know, I'm in it with the goal of trying to win it.

A (34:26)

Yes.

B (34:27)

So what are your goals for us this season?

A (34:29)

I want to create as many memorable dances as possible because I think. And when I say as many, the more weeks, obviously, including the finale, the more dances. So as many. Many memorable dances as possible. And I hope that we get to do a freestyle.

B (34:48)

Yes. So fun. Pasha, thank you so much for being here, for being my first guest. I'm so excited that this news is out now and we can share it with everybody because I know it was a really hard secret.

A (35:00)

Yeah. It was. Not fun hiding.

B (35:03)

Not fun at all. Well, now the world knows. So thank you for being here with us, and I'll see you at the party in a little bit.

A (35:08)

Yes.

B (35:09)

Bye.

A (35:09)

Bye.

B (35:12)

Danielle with the Stars. Produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel. Executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman. Executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo. Producer, editor and engineer, Tara Sudbaksh. Theme song by Justin Siegel. Follow us on Instagram at daniellewithstars and vote for me.