Pod Meets Twirl'd: DWTS 3408

Summary

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Pod Meets World – "Pod Meets Twirl’d: DWTS 3408"

Episode Date: November 8, 2025
Hosts: Danielle Fishel, Wilfred Lee (“Wil”), Ryder Strong
Episode Focus: Season 34, Episode 8 Recap of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) featuring Danielle’s DWTS journey, eliminations, standout dances, and the impact of the show’s popular vote system.

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Overview

In this energetic and heartfelt episode of Pod Meets Twirl'd, Wil and Ryder recap the eighth week of “Dancing with the Stars” Season 34—focusing particularly on their friend and co-host Danielle Fishel’s elimination. They analyze the performances, discuss the quirks and challenges of the voting system, and reflect on Danielle’s time on DWTS. The tone swings from bittersweet farewells to playful banter, insider observations, and passionate debates about dancing, vulnerability, and what defines a "true" DWTS champion.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Shock of Danielle’s Elimination

[05:22–06:24, 49:53–51:20]

• The guys express shock and disappointment over Danielle’s exit, believing the popular vote would protect her despite rougher weeks with the judges.
• Wil: “I really didn’t expect this, to be honest… I was like, oh, well, the popular vote’s gonna keep Danielle in, even though the judges are being a little harsh on her.”
• Ryder: “I thought she was in trouble last night when you saw the dance… I thought her one chance was gonna be if Elaine went home.”

2. Popular Vote vs. Dance Ability

[07:04–08:55, 18:29–20:23, 53:42–54:37]

• The hosts debate how popularity keeps less technically skilled dancers like Andy in the competition.
• Ryder: “I get that he’s the people’s champion. I get that he’s kind of why the show was created… but obviously, they’re not judging him by dance.”
• Wil: “It all comes down to what type of show you want to watch, and that’s because, obviously, nobody is voting for Andy because of his dancing.”

3. Danielle’s Strengths & Struggles in Contemporary

[06:05–08:55, 33:27–34:29]

• Both highlight Danielle’s preference for structured dance forms, and her vulnerability facing contemporary, which demands less structure and more emotional expressiveness.
• Ryder: “She likes the structure… If you give Danielle a Lego set and instructions, she’s gonna build you the best Lego castle you’ve ever seen, right? If you give her a pile of Legos, she’s gonna look at you strange... She likes the structure of the dances.”
• Wil: “I was really proud of her… she was giving herself over to it in a way that she was not worried about what she looked like.”

4. The Gendered Expectations of Vulnerability

[32:46–33:27]

• Thoughtful discussion on the pressures for women to present as always capable, and whether this affected Danielle’s popular vote appeal.
• Ryder: “I think she embodies that where… she has to do everything perfectly and it’s to be like, hey, I’m struggling here… well, that’s what I think is almost like a failure for a woman nowadays. Whereas me, with my mental health stuff, it wasn’t until I reached out… my life changed for the better.”

5. Judges, Special Guest Judge Flava Flav, and Scoring Confusion

[11:03–12:47, 15:01–15:15]

• The addition of Flava Flav as a guest judge is met with humor and frustration due to his unorthodox scoring.
• Wil: “He was just like… ‘You know what I’m saying? You know what I’m saying?’ I’m like, no, that’s all you’re saying, dude. Like, say more… But he was effusive. He was positive. He was supportive, I guess that’s all we need.”

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DWTS Week 8: Dance-by-Dance Commentaries

[10:23–43:49]

Dylan & Daniella – “I’m Still Standing” (Jive)

• Enthusiastic, but hosts feel he’s plateaued.
• Wil: “His kicks, especially in the beginning, were not high enough... his first, like, 30 seconds of kicks, I was like, what are you doing, man?”
• Scores: 8, 9, 10 (Flav), 9

Alex & Val – “Living on a Prayer” (Pasa Doble)

• Universally praised as dance of the night.
• Wil: “They were both incredible. The attitude, the song, the costumes, it all came together. Can’t… how is this not a 10?”
• Ryder: “This was dance of the night for me. The leather skirt flipping around—just perfect.”

Andy & Emma

• The show's “people’s champion,” but not a technical dancer.
• Wil: “His big move is literally… taking his arm up and bringing it down... just kind of your acting beat.”
• Scores: 7, 7, 9 (Flav), 7

Whitney & Mark – Pasa Doble

• Solid performance; not as strong as Alex & Val.
• Ryder: “This dance showcased why every night should be one… same dance from everybody. I loved being able to compare this to the other dance.”

Danielle & Pasha – Contemporary (Farewell performance)

• Danielle shows more personal vulnerability in her package.
• Wil: “She’s always like… I got this… it would have been nice for her to be a little more vulnerable.”
• Ryder: (after judges' apology): “She is short. It’s OK. She’s short.”
• Scores: 9, 8, 9, 8

Elaine & Alan – Viennese Waltz

• Technically good, but the hosts felt it was repetitive.
• Ryder: “All of Elaine’s dances look the same, and it’s like, how does… And everyone’s like, this was amazing. Wait a second…”
• Scores: 9, 9, 10 (Flav), 9

Jordan & Ezra – “Tina Turner” (Acrobatics)

• Big energy, fun gymnastic lifts.
• Ryder: (on her post-dance comment) “‘She’s back, y’all, and better than ever. Like, I’m Tina Turner now, and I’m better than Tina who’s dead.’”
• Scores: 10, 9, 10, 9

Robert & Whitney – Pasa Doble

• Continues to impress as favorite to win.
• Ryder: “You love this guy.”
• Scores: 9, 9, 10, 10

Group Dances (“Team Chicago” vs “Team Cool”)

• The group dynamic fostered camaraderie; Danielle shone as a leader/collaborator.
• Wil: “I would much rather watch a show about a group of dancers…than about individual competition.”

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Elimination Results & Farewells

[49:53–52:20]

• Danielle’s exit deeply impacts the hosts.
• Wil: “I texted Danielle. Didn’t hear back for a couple hours. I knew she was busy …her phone just must have been blowing up for, like, of course, six hours of just non stop.”
• Ryder: “It just sucked. I feel like we were on this journey with her… to see it end, it’s like, ugh.”
• Wil (in Bruno accent): “Daniel, you were fantastic. It was… perfection. Your little body, you brought it, you brought the little body out into the show. And we love you, darling. But yes, it was not good enough…”

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Looking Forward: Predictions & Hopes

[52:23–56:08]

• Robert seen as top contender; Dylan, Jordan as “underdogs.”
• Wil: “At this point, I feel like [Robert’s] the perfect combination of excellent dancer and personal journey.”
• Ryder: Predicts the order of eliminations: “Elaine, then Whitney, then Jordan, then Dylan.”
• Both: See Andy making the final three due to his swelling popularity.

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Notable Quotes & Moments – With Timestamps

• [05:24] Ryder: “Sad, sad situation. It is. Yeah. It sucks.”
• [06:05] Wil: “She actually likes the structure… I really thought the popular vote was going to keep her in, man.”
• [08:05] Ryder: “If you give Danielle a Lego set and instructions, she’s gonna build you the best Lego castle you’ve ever seen… If you give her a pile of Legos, she’s gonna look at you strange…”
• [16:22] Ryder: “This was dance of the night for me.”
• [32:46] Ryder: “I think she embodies that where… she has to do everything perfectly… as a man, it’s maybe a little bit easier to do that than for a woman. I don’t know.”
• [35:26] Wil: “Carrie apologized. I know. Which I didn’t know she needed to… It felt a little performative...”
• [51:56] Wil (Bruno impression): “Daniel, you were fantastic… But yes, it was not good enough. Not good enough. We’ll see you next time...”

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Final Thoughts

The episode blends personal anecdotes, serious dance critiques, and honest emotions over Danielle’s departure. It offers a nuanced behind-the-scenes lens into both the joy and politics of DWTS, exploring how vulnerability, popularity, and judge dynamics all intersect on a show that’s as much about story as it is about skill.

Best for listeners who:

• Are invested in DWTS and/or Danielle Fishel’s journey
• Appreciate witty, candid commentary from cast members turned superfans
• Value conversations about vulnerability, pop culture fair play, and friendship

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Transcript

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[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, confession time. I tried to host a Friendsgiving last year with, let's say, questionable results.

[Wilfred L]

Yes, we remember. You made mashed potatoes that somehow had the consistency of drywall.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, this year I'm taking notes from you both. I'm stocking up at one of my favorite places in the world, Whole foods market. Their 365 brand has everything I need without wrecking my wallet.

[Ryder Strong]

Same I got a no antibiotics ever Turkey for just 149 a pound with prime and even snagged organic green beans and mushrooms for the casserole.

[Wilfred L]

Now I'm hungry. I'm all about their frozen appetizers quiche trio, Butterfly shrimp. It's like hosting with cheat codes.

[Danielle Fishel]

See friendsgiving Redemption arc in progress.

[Wilfred L]

Enjoy. So many ways to save on your Thanksgiving spread at Whole Foods Market.

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Wilfred L]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Wilfred L]

Welcome to Pod Meets Twirl. The Dancing with the Stars recap. Hosted by two guys who can't dance, don't want to dance, and have now seen eight episodes of Dancing with the Stars. But since our best friend Danielle Fischl has joined the cast for season 34, we're going all in. We are Will Fred L. And Ryder Strong, AKA the two dudes standing next to Topanga, AKA Daniel Fishel's backup, AKA the Dan Yets. Hi Will.

[Ryder Strong]

Hi Ryder.

[Wilfred L]

So I guess we're we're still twirling, huh?

[Ryder Strong]

We're still twirling.

[Wilfred L]

We're still twirling.

[Ryder Strong]

They're going to be unenthusiastic twirls from this moment on. I'll be honest with you. Yeah, yeah. It's a twirl.

[Wilfred L]

It's a sad. It's a sad day.

[Ryder Strong]

Sad, sad situation. It is. Yeah. It's sucks.

[Wilfred L]

I really didn't expect this, to be honest. After the last couple of weeks, I was like, oh, well, the popular vote's going to keep Danielle in, even though the judges are being a little harsh on her. And then Andy pulled it out, man. Andy's the guy.

[Ryder Strong]

I. I thought she was in trouble last night when you saw the dance. Yeah, Yeah, I thought she was in trouble.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah. We can. We'll talk about. When we talk about her dance, but it was funny because we got to see her last week. One of the. One of the rare in life. Real life sightings.

[Ryder Strong]

Did we get to see our friend?

[Wilfred L]

We got to see her. We'll talk about it because it was really funny.

[Ryder Strong]

But.

[Wilfred L]

But when she said she's nervous about contemporary because it just isn't her that she actually likes the structure of, I was like, oh, that. That is kind of true. I still thought it was good, but I. I was like, oh, but I really thought the popular vote was going to keep her in, man. I was like convinced that if she's beloved, it's gonna happen.

[Ryder Strong]

And then it was one chance was gonna be after. After the night, I thought her one chance was gonna be if. If Elaine went home.

[Wilfred L]

You. You really see, I really just thought there was no way that Andy would get pushed.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, no. I think I'm more.

[Wilfred L]

I'm.

[Ryder Strong]

Everybody's all in on Andy. It's become a thing.

[Wilfred L]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

So it's. You know, it's. Again, I'm back here in. In Connecticut in my childhood bedroom, and, you know, I'm here for. With my parents. And we were out somewhere and a woman came up and we were talking to her. And as the talk seems to get nowadays, it started to focus on Dancing with the Stars. Right. And it just. And it was. I think she brought it up. I mean, it's just people are talking about this show.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And she instantly jumped into. My roommate and I fight every week while we watch the show because I don't think Andy belongs there. And she thinks he should win the whole thing. And I think that's what's happening is that. I mean, they showed it on the show where there's people having birthday parties for him and he's. And in a way, I get it. Especially after talking to Sharna. Exactly. I get it now after talking to her. So I'm almost taking him out of the equation.

[Wilfred L]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

And look kind of like I did with Flavor Flav scores, where it's like, okay, he's there, but it's a different thing happening. So I think Andy's in for the long haul. I really do. I think he could win.

[Wilfred L]

I would not have thought that. You know, I. I really was. I was happy he stuck around after his Halloween dance because I just thought it was fun and cool. But, you know, of course, when it comes around seeing somebody I love getting kicked off the show, I couldn't help but be like, well, that doesn't seem fair, but all's fair and in. Love and war and. And Dancing with the Stars and rumba. And rumba.

[Ryder Strong]

My God. I, I. But again, you know, when you're talking about Danielle and structure, I had this weird analogy as I was watching the show and as she was talking to us, which was, we know Danielle very, very well, and she's a very structured person. That's not to say she's not creative, but she's a very structured person. And the analogy I kept having was, if you give Danielle a Lego set and instructions, she's gonna build you the best Lego castle you've ever seen, right? If you give her a pile of Legos, she's gonna look at you strange for a little while before she starts building, right? So. And it's. She, I think, likes the structure of the dances, of, you put your foot here, you do a spin here, you do that. It's. She can wrap her head around. It's almost mathematical, the way she came at it, more than the artsy kind of form. So, yeah, I think she just had a rough. A rough week.

[Wilfred L]

Well, I actually think. I actually think she ended up putting a lot of that expressiveness and personality into her Halloween dance. And so what ended up happening this week was that it kind of felt like a repeat, you know, like, there was a moment this week where she's, like, slamming him in the chest. And it was almost like a repeat of what had happened the week before, where she had been emotional and sort of present in a way.

[Ryder Strong]

But the difference is exactly what you were talking about. If I ever went on the show, the difference is during the Halloween episode, it came off differently because she was playing a character. She was playing a bride. That was. Whereas this week she was Danielle.

[Wilfred L]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

And I think it was a much different expressive form for her, and I think she struggled with it a bit.

[Wilfred L]

All right, this week's theme was Rock and Roll hall of Fame Night. What'd you think of this theme?

[Ryder Strong]

I love this Theme. I'm also one of these guys where I. I think I've watched all the Rock and Roll hall of Fame induction ceremonies because I just love the live music. I really do. That being said, just like this show, a lot of times I look at it, I'm like, how. How are they in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame? Like, really them over. And it's like, you know, the first. The first two, there's inducing or conducting a lot of people. And then all of a sudden it's like, you know, Fleetwood Mac gets in 97. It's just again, so arbitrary. Who's in, who's not in, why they're in, why they aren't in. But just listening to the music and listening to artists that I really like singing other artists songs. Cause a lot of times the artists have passed away or something like that, so that I really enjoy. So dug the night, frankly. Good music.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah. I thought the music was cool. And I also like, you know, the sort of, like, rock and roll vibes that people were bringing. Not everybody did, but when they did, I was like, oh, cool. This is like, you know, especially, let's. Let's get right into it. The. The first one was Dylan and Daniella. They performed to I'm Still Standing, which is like such a great song.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. Great song. Doing the job was in the video. Crazy. Yeah, that's so crazy.

[Wilfred L]

It was like, oh, my God. Yeah. But I was also like, he's. He, you know, he hasn't changed at all. You watch the video, you're like, he was still standing up to tell everybody what he thought about everything. And I'll bet you he could do.

[Ryder Strong]

The whole dance still exactly the way it looks. I'll bet you it's just in his head, like us doing lines from the show. I'll bet you he could still do the dance.

[Wilfred L]

Oh, well, we should mention Flava Flav came out as the guest.

[Ryder Strong]

We don't need to mention it.

[Wilfred L]

Which I immediately knew is going to be a disaster.

[Ryder Strong]

Of course. Paddles.

[Wilfred L]

What is he going to. I was like, maybe he has, like some secret ballroom dancing knowledge. And I was like, oh, no. They just. They just kind of pick somebody and. Yeah, they don't know what they're in for.

[Ryder Strong]

He was originally Flava Foxtrot Flav. A lot of people didn't know that. So that's what he's known.

[Wilfred L]

I thought that was a really bad call because it threw a wrench into, like, the actual judging. I mean, I guess it's fine because he was all nines and tens all night.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Wilfred L]

But, like, he was right. When he came out and, like, the way he, like, talked to Alfonso and stuff, I was like, is. Does he know where he is? Does he know what's going to be happening? And I was like, he has no idea. It was like, literally, some publicist was like, you're going to be on the show. And he was like, cool, I'll show up and just. I love it and it'll work.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

So I was like, oh, this is going to be trouble. And sure enough, you know, it was. It was somewhat. But at least it was all nines and tens. So, you know, but we've talked about.

[Ryder Strong]

This for a while, and it's one of the fun things about. And, you know, I. This might have been a swing and a miss for me, just because I don't think he really added anything. But adding a judge that has no experience whatsoever is kind of interesting.

[Wilfred L]

No, I definitely think it's cool. I think they should definitely do it, but let's try and pick somebody who, you know, can.

[Ryder Strong]

Can find their paddles. Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

Can find their paddles and. And actually have an opinion that someone, you know, he was just like. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? I'm like, no, you're. That's all you're saying, dude. Like, say more like, explain what's happening. But he was. You know. But whatever. He was effusive. He was positive. He was supportive. I guess that's all we need. All right, so Dylan and Daniella did. I'm Still Standing Did a jive, which I am realizing is probably one of the hardest dances to do.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, clearly.

[Wilfred L]

Like, when I first. The first couple jives, I was like. But I also just don't. Don't know if I like it. I just, like, I. When I thought back on all the jive dances, I'm like, I don't know if I've liked any single one of them as much as I like the other forms of ballroom dancing.

[Ryder Strong]

I. I agree with you. 100. And I also. I thought. I thought he was okay, but he's starting to. It seems like maybe he's plateaued a little bit, and we're kind of getting the same thing every week. And he's ripping his shirt open. And, you know, as somebody who has abs like that, I get wanting to show them off to everybody.

[Wilfred L]

I was like, are they airbrushed on there? They.

[Ryder Strong]

He looks like a GI Joe doll. Like, it's. It's crazy.

[Wilfred L]

Well, I noticed his kicks, especially in the beginning, were not high enough. And I was like, dude. Then he did. He did bring them up, but his first, like, 30 seconds of kicks, I was like, what are you doing, man? Like, you're not committing. So I think he just had a bad actual run. I bet you there were better versions in rehearsal because I. I thought he got there. But, yeah, I'm. I. You know, I'm still kind of rooting for Dylan and Daniela.

[Ryder Strong]

They're.

[Wilfred L]

I think, at this point, they're my favorites because, really, I feel like he's come from.

[Ryder Strong]

He's.

[Wilfred L]

He's had the. The sort of personal journey of like, a Danielle or an Andy, but he's really upped his game. I mean. I mean, I guess you could say the same thing about Robert Irwin, but for me, the fact that Robert's sister won this competition means that he's been probably planning this and working on this since he was 12 or 13, I'm sure. It feels like a different thing to me.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Wilfred L]

I get it. He's amazing. But so. So I'm still kind of rooting for Dylan because I'm like, he's the everyman super, like, dance, who is now figuring this out and looking great. And of course, like I've said a million times, Danielle is the best dancer in the whole thing. So I just. I love these two, and I love their relationship, and.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, yeah, No, I agree. But this was. It felt. It was a little. It was like his face was kind of like he was trying to remember the dance for the first time. I saw it in his face a little bit, and it. This one fell a little flat for me.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah. I think the jive is just really fast and really hard, and I think it's. It's a workout, too. It's just.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

And. Yeah, you're right. By the time they ripped open a shirt, you're like, oh, pandering. We don't. We don't. We don't have much else to do.

[Ryder Strong]

Shirt guy. Yeah, they. They'd run in and throw another shirt on me. That'd be how we would pander for. For my audience.

[Wilfred L]

You'd rip it open. It'd be one of those shirts with the abs painted.

[Ryder Strong]

Abs drawn on. Exactly. That's. And. And the bow tie. Hell, yes.

[Wilfred L]

All right. So then the judges came in, and Flava's judging was just madness. I was like, all right, here we go. We got 8, 9, 10, 9. Which, besides flavors, I. I seemed fair. I feel like it was. It should have Been eights and nines across the board.

[Ryder Strong]

I was waiting for. For one of these dancers where Flav just holds up a paddle that just has the letter L on it where it' what is love? He gave them an H. Like, yeah, so. But I. Other than the 10. And when I saw the 10, I was like, okay, just kind of disregard flavor his score. But yeah.

[Wilfred L]

Next up, we're Alex and Val. And this is where I saw. I felt like the rock and roll ness coming in. I also realize. And there were three of them tonight. Pasa doble is now my favorite dance. It is so cool. It's a bull fight.

[Ryder Strong]

It's a full bullfight.

[Wilfred L]

It's so awesome, though. Yeah. It's like, so. So I've now realized that what was the Argentinian tango? And this are so fun. They have so much personality built into the dance itself, and it just. I just love it. And this felt. This fit perfectly. Their outfits. I mean, living on a Prayer. This is like one of my wife's go to karaoke songs. I am living Bon Jovi. You know, she's from Staten island, so I'm living Bon Jovi all the time. But I. I still love this. I thought this was fantastic.

[Ryder Strong]

This was dance of the night for me. Yeah, she was. They both looked phenomenal. The. The leather skirt flipping around. I mean, it was just perfect. Awesome.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah. Yeah, it was. They were both incredible. The attitude, the song, the costumes, it all came together. I can't. And now Flav decides to give a 9. How is this not a 10? This should have been tens. This is straight up tens everywhere. This was so good.

[Ryder Strong]

100%.

[Wilfred L]

And it's like, okay. Yes. And, you know, these guys have always been great, so, you know, they're. They're going to be in the finals. They're going to be top. I mean, they're going to win.

[Ryder Strong]

Maybe.

[Wilfred L]

I don't know where the popular votes landing on them, but they've won me.

[Ryder Strong]

Over because they're just really great. Yes.

[Wilfred L]

I mean, you could see it even in the rehearsals, the way she can hold her body. Like, she just found the frame perfectly.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

Like, immediately she's like, what's the. You know, they're talking about what a pasa doble is, and she just does this thing, and you're like, oh, well. You can just move your body in ways that you need to for this form, and it's important. Incredible.

[Ryder Strong]

It's like, do we know how tall they are? Alex and Val? Do we have any idea? Are they. Are they both five Six. Are they both six two? Because I honestly don't know. But it works whatever it is, whatever size they are, especially for this dance works.

[Wilfred L]

I know. Well, there was a point later on in the show where Jordan and Danielle were standing next to each other and Jordan's even smaller than Danielle. And I was like, oh, my God, I can't believe that. You know, I was like, this is. It's. Yeah, it's crazy. The variety of. Of bodies and types and they're all trying to do the same thing. It's like, what?

[Ryder Strong]

And it does the body types. Does certain dances lend themselves to different body styles?

[Wilfred L]

They really do, absolutely.

[Ryder Strong]

But, yeah, this was just killer how this wasn't the first four tens. Well, because of the guest judge. It would have been.

[Wilfred L]

It should have been great 4 10s. It was perfect. It was on. On theme. It was just so fun.

[Ryder Strong]

This could have been the dance of the show for me so far. I mean, this was just incredible.

[Wilfred L]

I know, man. I'm kind of wishing. I mean, I'm still like, I'm still a fan of the more expressive stuff that happened on dedication night. Like, I. I still think about those d. Like, dance was insane storytelling. It was just so great. But yes, in terms of like, what, Dancing with the Stars, doing a form. This just nailed it.

[Ryder Strong]

It was perfect. Agreed.

[Wilfred L]

All right, next up, we had Andy and Emma. It's hard for me not to look back with some. A little bit of resentment now.

[Ryder Strong]

Don't look back at anger.

[Wilfred L]

Okay. But I agree, this was very sweet. Yep, this was great. It just felt like a different show. Especially coming off of Alex and foul. I was like, oh, look, the person can dance. And it's very sweet. And you know, it's.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, it's a different show. I mean, at one time they're like literally doing the patty cake. I mean, they're like doing this and.

[Wilfred L]

It'S like, okay, it's.

[Ryder Strong]

I get that people like him. I get that he's the people's champion. I. I get that he's kind of why the show was created. And so I think as we talked with the. The pro Charna yesterday, where she talks about Danielle kind of falling in the middle and how any other season Danielle could have gone to the finals if not won it. It is. You've got these amazing dancers. I think there's a bit of a backlash against the people that are basically professionally trained tick tock dancers at the top. And then so that's why people are like, see, this is what the show's about. And I Think he's likable and everything. I mean, obviously, they're not judging him by dance.

[Wilfred L]

No.

[Ryder Strong]

So, no, I mean, you're okay with that?

[Wilfred L]

There's that central moment where his big move is literally, like, taking his arm up and bringing it down.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

Yep.

[Wilfred L]

It was, like, 12 seconds of him doing that move, and they're showing him practicing, and I'm like, but that's just kind of your acting beat, or it's just your arm. You know, it still feels like, you know, a guy is standing around while she dances around him. And it's.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

It was really obvious at the end of the show when they did those weird team things. It was. When you saw Andy in the pack, it was just, he's doing a different thing, and it's. It all comes down to what you think the show should be or what type of show you want to watch, and that's because, obviously, nobody is voting for Andy because of his dancing. And that's fine if that's what you want to do. If you want to turn it into a popularity contest. Turn it into a popularity contest.

[Wilfred L]

That's popular votes. Exactly. It's 50% of the judging, apparently. So.

[Ryder Strong]

But Danielle's gone, and Andy is still there.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And that's. To me, it's not fair, but it's also. I wonder if I didn't have a connection with one of the dancers, if I would be the guy going, it's the. Andy's awesome. And that's exactly how it should be. I hope he wins the whole thing. I don't know.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah, that's a good question. It's hard for me to completely separate, but I guess I was rooting for Andy earlier, you know, in, like, the last three or four weeks. I was like, well, does he really? You know, but you said it a couple weeks ago. You were like, is it fair? And. Yeah, and now I feel it. All right, well, their scores were 7. 7, 9 from flavor flav. That's the lowest he goes, apparently. And seven. Next up, we had Whitney and Mark. Another pasa doble.

[Ryder Strong]

Not as good as the first one.

[Wilfred L]

Not as good.

[Ryder Strong]

But this, to me, and I. I know some people don't like this idea, but this dance, to me, showcased why I think every night should be one. The same dance from everybody. I loved being able to compare this to the other dance.

[Wilfred L]

You're right. It was, you know, that. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

It's like, ooh, that one was better than that one. And the moves were this and the moves were that. Like, I could Tell now because I had some context.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah, yeah, you're right. It was. It was. It was like an easy compare and contrast and a sense of, like, oh, I know what's happening here. So they ended up with the exact same scores as Alex and Val.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Wilfred L]

Is that true? Yeah, that's true. Right? Yeah. Three tens and a nine didn't seem right. It was definitely good. Like, I mean, this is definitely the top of the pack. You know, you're talking Alex and Valley. It's. It. I mean, let's just be honest. It's Alex and Val, Whitney and Mark and Robert and Whitney that are just gonna be the top three. I mean, they're just professional dancers at this point.

[Ryder Strong]

Yep.

[Wilfred L]

No, I thought this was fun. It just wasn't as drawn in as the. You know, as the first one. The first.

[Ryder Strong]

It also seemed. I know this sounds weird, but, like, him starting laying down with, like, the spiderweb light above. It just. It seemed a little hokey to me. Whereas the first one seemed. It was like sex and rock and roll. And this.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

This one just seemed a little like they were trying and the moves just weren't as crisp.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah. Also, I'm not a big, like, Ozzy Osbourne fan, so, like, the music didn't hit me.

[Ryder Strong]

I love Ozzy. This is not the song I would have picked by.

[Wilfred L]

It's funny how often I've been realizing, like, when you cat. When you have a catchy song or a song that people know, it really helps, you know? Like, I. I think, like, living on a Prayer was the perfect, like, rock.

[Ryder Strong]

And roll, and this was like, Ozzy. How do you not do Crazy Train with that intro? The Dunn. I mean, it's like you're dancing to that. To those moves. That would have been insane. Maybe they couldn't clear the song, but that would have been crazy.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah. You want to go as, like, sort of iconic as possible with your song choice. Yeah, yeah. Because it's like an easy. It's an easy in, you know?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Does anyone else get that nagging feeling? Your dog is just bored out of their mind? Like, brunch Literally sighs at me now. Full, dramatic sighs.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, yeah. My dog judges me constantly. Like, wow, another bowl of brown, crunchy stuff. Real creative, dude.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, it's wild. The meat looks like meat. The veggies look like veggies. Because they are. I mean, My dog went to town and was for the first time ever looking forward to every meal time.

[Danielle Fishel]

They've got six recipes Pork Potluck, Chicken Cuisine, Turkey Fare, Beef Mash, Lamb Pilaf, and Turkey and Chicken Cookout. My dog has become a foodie and here I am just eating my kids leftover nuggets.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Danielle Fishel]

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[Ryder Strong]

So hurry on over because extra big deals are here.

[Wilfred L]

These are Deals so extra that they absolutely cannot be missed. And every two weeks, there's gonna be more.

[Danielle Fishel]

So you've got to keep coming back so you can keep saving on all the brands and products you and your family use every day.

[Ryder Strong]

And speaking of saving, extra care is the way to save at cvs. So use your extra care card to unlock savings every time you shop.

[Wilfred L]

And if you're not a member yet, now is the time to join.

[Danielle Fishel]

And the best part, it's completely free. Just sign up online or in store and you'll start saving instantly.

[Ryder Strong]

And always be sure to check the CVS health app for deals and savings.

[Wilfred L]

Visit your local CVS store or cvs.com extra big deals to shop this week's deals and stock up on your favorite products. All right, next up, Danielle and Pasha. Yeah. So Danielle got a little more personal in her behind the scenes, which I'm glad, I'm glad. You know, I think, yeah, I think she's been, you know, a little private in a way that I think is natural, but has probably hurt her because she is, she has represented this journey in a way that I think, you know, Andy has benefited from showing his weakness and showing his inabilities and talking about his insecurities, and Danielle hasn't really talked about those. We know she's having them like everybody does, but. Yeah. So I think, I think she's been hurt. I think she was hurt by the popular vote a little bit by not opening up a little bit more in the behind the scenes and. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, you know what I want to ask her because I was thinking about this last night, and I've never asked her this. You know, she obviously has been called to be on Dancing with the Stars many times, and she kept turning it down.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah, I turn it down every year, too. Right? You do?

[Ryder Strong]

Me too. No, that really, you're really. I guess I'm the only one. So the friendships aside, because you, you, you'll never have a friend as, as good as Danielle. She's a phenomenal friend to have. So putting the friendships aside with the, the fellow cast members, I wonder if she had to do it over again, if she would rather have been on a less stacked season than this season. I, I, I'm curious. I know she would never be able to answer properly because she can't dissect herself from the friends that she's made, the people that love her, but if she could, I wonder if she'd be like, yeah, I should have gone on two years ago or whatever.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah, I don't know, I mean, I don't know enough about the other seasons to compare.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't either. But apparently this one's. Everyone's talking about how this is just a crazy professional dance season.

[Wilfred L]

I just think that there's, there's, there's something about Danielle's personality, that she is such a leader. She is such the person who. She's such a great friend. She's so empathetic and she's always like, you know, she's the person who reaches out all the time when anything happens, when, you know, she's always aware of your feelings, aware of what you're going through. And she's very good about being the person who's got this, who's got whatever it is under control. She never lets on that she is struggling or having a hard time, even when she is. And we know this about her. But I think that part of her presentation on this show has been that she's like, I got this. I'm doing great. You know, and I think that, that it would have been nice for her probably to just be a little more vulnerable and admit that, you know, she's been dealing with a lot going into the show and, and her cancer and all the things that have happened. And I think unfortunately she came across. She, like, it's almost like her own capabilities and her own capacity to, you know, present well worked against her a little bit in terms of the popular.

[Ryder Strong]

And I think what all women love to hear is two men talking about what it is to be a woman. But at the same time, it seems like that's kind of the model of the modern day woman. I have to be able to do everything. I have to be the perfect mom. I have to have the perfect at work. I have to do this, I have to do that. And I think she embodies that where it's like in her mind, she has to do everything perfectly and it's to be like, hey, I'm struggling here with whatever. Well, that's what I think is almost like a failure for a woman nowadays. Whereas me, with my mental health stuff, it wasn't until I reached out to somebody who was like, I'm struggling here, where my life kind of changed for the better.

[Wilfred L]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

And so, but as a man, it's maybe a little bit easier to do that than for a woman. I don't know.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah, I mean, there were moments in this dance, you know, so she had expressed to us that contemporary, you know, threw her off her game a little bit because it was about this sort of Expressiveness and freedom that Danielle, you know, like, we joke all the time that she can't stand theater kid energy. You know, she, like, her least favorite thing is, like, role playing and, like, doing voices and, like, committing, you know.

[Ryder Strong]

Yep.

[Wilfred L]

And there's an aspect of contemporary dance that requires that. Right. You have to like. And I was really proud of her. Watching her in this dance, especially when they did the side by sides, I could tell that she was giving herself over to it in a way that she was not worried about what she looked like. She was not worried about her frame. She was just like, boom in it. And, And, And. And investing wholly with her, her whole spirit and body. And I was really proud of her for that. I, you know, I don't think it ultimately deserve tens across the board, but I do think it. You know, knowing her personally, I was like, oh, man, this was a tough one for her. And she came a long way.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. 100%. I do. I do feel. I don't think it was the weakest dance of the night. And again, if we're judging everything fairly, she'd still be there. And again, fairly is the wrong word. If we're judging it by dance. She. She'd still be there. Clearly, she'd still be there. And when we get to Elaine, we'll talk about that too, where it's. But you could. You could. You could feel. I mean, if you knew Danielle, you could feel that this was a. Just a rough week for her. I mean, it really, really was. And this is the theater. It's not even just the theater kid energy. It's letting go. And. And I think that's. That's tough for somebody who has to not only fly the plane, but make sure that everyone. All the passengers are comfortable and that they all have food and they. It's like she needs to do everything. And I think that hurt her this week a little bit. Yeah. And. But I thought, frankly, for the first time, because we called out Carrie Anne and the other judges, I thought the judges scoring wise, were fair this week. I really do. Carrie apologized.

[Wilfred L]

I know. Which I didn't know she needed to. I felt a little performative in the sense of, like, she clearly has been reading social media or like, I owe you an apology. It's like, I don't think you do. And Danielle even said, like, you don't owe me an apology.

[Ryder Strong]

Like, and she owed her. She said, I owe you an apology. I hope it didn't hurt your feelings that I said you were short. That's what she's Talking about. She's like, I hope that didn't hurt your feelings. It's like, she is short. It's okay. She's short.

[Wilfred L]

She's a small person. That's what she said. It's like, you're a tiny person.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, that's. I mean, I. Of all the things, I think she had to apologize to Danielle for calling her out on how big she was. Wasn't one of them. Right. So. And again, I don't think she needed to do it on camera. I think, you know, maybe later, been like, maybe I was a little harsh on you. I apologize for that. That's. We don't need to see that. She's doing her job, but.

[Wilfred L]

All right. It was nine, eight. Nine, eight.

[Ryder Strong]

It was fair.

[Wilfred L]

It was fair.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

Next up, Elaine and Alan. They did the Viennese Waltz to what the world needs now is love. You know, this felt very out of touch with the rest of the night to me, in terms of, like, the rock and roll factor. I kind of was just like, it's good. It was actually one of her better dances.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

But it felt like a week three dance to me.

[Ryder Strong]

Not only that, but Danielle gets called out. And again, I know we're biased. I get it. But Danielle gets called out a couple weeks ago on dedication night. Hey, all your dances are starting to look the same to me. All of Elaine's dances look the same.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And it's like, how does. And everyone's like, this was amazing. I'm like, wait a second. She's doing the same.

[Wilfred L]

So, I mean, I think technically it was a really good Viennese waltz is the only thing I can think. But for me, at this point in the show, I was like, I want to see more. Something more. I want to see something more expressive, something more of your personality.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

You know, granted, she's coming back from an injury, so I think they were just like, let's play it safe. Let's do a good classic ballroom dance. And they did. Which in a weird way, I guess maybe Danielle should have done at this, you know, because she was coming off of a very expressive, you know, free week last.

[Ryder Strong]

Last week.

[Wilfred L]

Maybe she should have just done a standard, you know, shown off her dancing skills.

[Ryder Strong]

You also wonder why. And again, I'm not trying to call out Pasha in any way, shape or form. He's a great dude and I think was a great partner for her. But you wonder if they sit down and they have a conversation and Danielle says, I don't like theater kid energy. I don't like it that you get contemporary out of the way early when everybody gets fives and sixes.

[Wilfred L]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

Like, if she knows, she's gonna have a problem with that. And again, maybe she didn't.

[Wilfred L]

No, I think we knew. I mean, from what we know behind the scenes, Danielle was very excited about the song and writing the song, and I think this is an important song for her. And the idea of, like, being free in theory was. Was exciting. So I think they planned this a while ago and.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, well, you know, this is also. We were there with her. This was her first concert ever at 12. We all went to Aerosmith together, so there's something kind of special about that too. Where it was, you know, I still have that picture hanging on the wall. We're all chilling out with Aerosmith. It's really cool.

[Wilfred L]

All right. Elaine and Alan got 9, 9, 10, and 9.

[Ryder Strong]

That was not a 10. I could see nines across the board that it's flavored. Finally found his battles. It's amazing because it didn't look like he could hit the ground with his hat in three tries, but he. He found the paddles that time, which is great.

[Wilfred L]

All right, next we had Jordan and Ezra. It was cool to see Ezra apologizing to Jordan for the. The whole, like, harness disaster.

[Ryder Strong]

Harness gate? Is that what he called it? Harness gate? Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

I think it was cool because it was. You know, it was exactly right. Like, it was weird and. And. But, man, I love these two. I thought this was just so good. She just committed. She got to do some of her acrobatics. There was so much personality. You could tell that she was having fun.

[Ryder Strong]

Did you have fun? I have a problem with her comments afterwards.

[Wilfred L]

I'm just curious.

[Ryder Strong]

She. She got up there and she said, she's back, y', all, and better than ever. Like, I'm Tina Turner now, and I'm better than Tina who's dead.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah. I was trying to parse through her afterwards. Like, she said something about, like, the spirit came through me and I was living her dreams or something. It was like. It was like, you're fulfilling Tina Turner's dreams. It was a little. Whatever. She was just in it.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

I don't know. I don't think she was quite, like, aware of what she was saying.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes.

[Wilfred L]

She was having so much fun. And, like, this was just cool to.

[Ryder Strong]

See and perfect time to bust out some serious gymnastics. Yes. I mean, everyone's like, you can't always use gymnastics, but sometimes you should. And when she does, it's obviously world class.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

So looks cool.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah. 10, 9, 10, 9. I thought that was fair.

[Ryder Strong]

Me too.

[Wilfred L]

All right, next up, Robert and Whitney.

[Ryder Strong]

Again, I could argue with you that Whitney at times is as good, if not like, is the best dancer on the floor. I think she's incredible.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

To watch dance. Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

I thought this probably was hurt a little bit by going later because we had already seen the other pasa dobles, but I thought it was fantastic, you know?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, it's there. It we, the thing we thought was going to happen where. Oh, my God, you started at 11. Where do you go from here? Well, he's just stayed at 11.

[Wilfred L]

I know.

[Ryder Strong]

It's, it's really weird. It's like, oh, okay, you're just going to kind of win the whole thing. And I still think he's the front runner, and I still think he's going to take it. It.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah. At this point, I, I, I feel like he's the perfect combination of excellent dancer and personal journey that we've all committed.

[Ryder Strong]

Good looking, humble. I mean, I saw, watched a, an interview with him afterwards where he was just gushing about Danielle and it's like, yeah, it's just, you love this guy. You love this guy.

[Wilfred L]

So then.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

Oh.

[Wilfred L]

So they got 9, 9, 10, 10. And then we went into these, this group. Group dances, which I thought was really cool to the extent that I was like, I would much rather watch a show about this. I would much rather watch a show about a group of dancers or performers coming together and having to create a dance together. I just thought it was so cool because they weren't competing with each other. It was like, let's just have fun, you know, it was like watching any behind the scenes of, like, people coming up together with a scene or comedy or whatever. I just love this kind of stuff. I love, like, process, and I love watching people figuring out what they're gonna do. And this was so cool. And I think Danielle really shines in situations like this because she's such a good director. She's so good at incorporating other people's ideas. And you could see her helping lead this thing as the team captain. And just like, she had a moment.

[Ryder Strong]

Or two on the dance floor that were a little, like, at one point, she's looking over to Jordan, and Jordan sits down and Daniel's like, oh, that's right. I'm supposed to sit. And that's. Oh, really? I didn't notice. Yeah, so there's a moment or two of that. But, yeah, she's, you know, she's a great and I. I kind of liked the fact that Alfonso goes on one team.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, like, the. The hosts are in on it, and Julian goes on another team. It was fun.

[Wilfred L]

I thought it was totally fun, man. I was.

[Ryder Strong]

They clearly were better than the other team. Like, like, clearly were better. Yeah. Team Chicago was better than. Than Team Cool. Oh, yeah.

[Wilfred L]

Way better. I thought Team Cool, like, they got two tens when they probably should have been eights or nines.

[Ryder Strong]

It was a little, like, the Andy factor. There's. I mean, he's literally in the middle just waving his arm. Arms at times, it's like, there's very little the man can do. So it's. This is where it comes down to. All right. We're keeping him because he's awesome. We love him. But, yeah, it's. It. It's. You can. You can see. So I like it better than the other one, which was weird, where they're just tapping people out the. The dance whatever in Team Cool.

[Wilfred L]

And this is. There was a moment where. Where Robert literally, like, in the early part, he literally didn't kick at all. Like, it was like he was just phoning it in, and I was like, what are you doing, dude? You're, like, one of the best dancers. He came back around, but I was like, what? What's happened? And, like, no one even noticed because there's so much going on. But I definitely think Team Cool was way worse than.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

100 Team Chicago, like, to a degree that was like, guys, you didn't work that hard on this. They didn't care in a way that I could feel like Team Chicago was having so much fun. They all kind of cared about coming together to, like, make this happen.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

Anyway, I like that whole process. I thought that was cool to see. I like them having to interact with each other and not just be in their, like, little private rehearsal space. That was cool. And, yeah, like I said, I would. I would probably watch a show just about a dance troupe and their personalities and coming together to work together.

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[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, I've got a question for you. During the holiday season, how much is too much to wear your pajamas? This is a serious question because the holidays, let's be honest, are the coziest time of year and pajamas the coziest thing you can wear. So according to like math, shouldn't you wear pajamas all the time? You know, every minute of every day. And if you're going to do that, which obviously you should, you will need to grab some new PJs. Good thing old Navy just dropped its new Jingle Jammies collection. It's their biggest ever. We're talking 20 different prints in tons of traditional styles like classic plaids, so it's easy to find something for the whole family. From your giant Uncle Bob, who always eats all the turkey, to your newest niece, Nellie. And everyone can get exactly the print they want or go matching, then strike a pose and make it your ultimate holiday card moment. Whether everyone makes their own statement or you go matchy matchy, these jingle jammies are seriously soft. Perfect for lounging all day, sitting toasty by the fire, unwrapping gifts or even, you know, sleeping. Basically, like I said, you'll want to wear them all the time. But society, for reasons I still can't understand, frowns on 247 pajamas. Fortunately, old Navy solved that problem with coordinating graphic tees, sweatshirts, socks and fleece blankets. It's cozy, layered on cozy. They even have pet sweaters. So go ahead, maximize those Feel good vibes and crank up the cheer. It's gonna be the best season ever. Find your jingle jammies and all the holiday goodies [e-mail] let's be real.

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[Danielle Fishel]

Big things are happening at your local CVS Extra Big.

[Ryder Strong]

So hurry on over because extra big deals are here.

[Wilfred L]

These are deals so extra that they absolutely cannot be missed. And every two weeks there's gonna be more.

[Danielle Fishel]

So you've gotta keep coming back so you can keep saving on all the brands and products you and your family use every day.

[Ryder Strong]

And speaking of saving, extra care is the way to save at cvs. So use your extra care card to unlock savings every time you shop.

[Wilfred L]

And if you're not a member yet, now is the time to join.

[Danielle Fishel]

And the best part? It's completely free. Just sign up online or in store and you'll start saving instantly.

[Ryder Strong]

And always be sure to check the CVS Health app for deals and savings.

[Wilfred L]

Visit your local CVS store or cvs.com extra big deals to shop this week's deals and stock up on your favorite products.

[Pandora Jewelry Advertiser]

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[Wilfred L]

All right, and then we got to the voting, the results. Yeah, I. I didn't quite see this coming. I was like, oh, it's time for Andy to go. No, it's not time for Andy to go.

[Ryder Strong]

I thought when I heard them say, elaine, you're safe, I was like, daniel's gone. I knew. I knew right away because Andy's there to stay. He's going to be there for the long haul. Unless there's a big backlash against it. He's there. He'll be in the finals. I still don't think he'll win. I still think it'll be Robert, but I think he's in it for the long haul. At this point, people are now it's a thing. Like, it's become a thing. So the second they said, elaine, you're safe, I was like, damn it. Like, I just. I knew that sucked.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah, I felt. I felt bad too. I really. I was like, oh. Oh, this just happened. Okay. I texted Danielle.

[Ryder Strong]

Me too. Yeah.

[Wilfred L]

Didn't hear back for a couple hours. I knew she was busy too, dealing with all the press. And, yeah, I must have said the.

[Ryder Strong]

Word proud like eight times. It was the weirdest, most disjointed text to where I had to text her again, being like, I'm sorry, I just used the word proud like 32 times in a sentence.

[Wilfred L]

I felt bad because I was just like, I want to text, but I feel like everybody's feeling this way. So her phone just must have been blowing up for, like, of course, six hours of just non stop.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm sure it's still blowing up, up.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah, it's.

[Ryder Strong]

It's. Yeah, it's. Yeah, it sucked.

[Wilfred L]

It just sucked.

[Ryder Strong]

You're.

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We're.

[Ryder Strong]

I feel like we were on this journey with her and it's like, to see it end, it's like, ugh. And it had to end sometime. Whether she won or not, it had to end sometime. But it was all right.

[Wilfred L]

We're gonna stay committed, you and me.

[Ryder Strong]

Hell yeah.

[Wilfred L]

We're gonna. We're gonna finish the show out. Okay, so let's. Now that Danielle's out of the equation, let's talk about what our hopes, our fears, our expectations. You think Andy's gonna be.

[Ryder Strong]

Get to that? Well, before we get to that, I'd like to because it's instantly iconic. I would like you as Bruno to talk a little bit about Danielle Fishel.

[Wilfred L]

As a person or as a dancer.

[Ryder Strong]

Just as the, as the end, like saying goodbye to Danielle on the show. Bruno, how do you say goodbye to Danielle on the show, Bruno?

[Wilfred L]

Daniel, you were fantastic. It was, it was, how you say, perfection. Your little body, you brought it, you brought the little body out into the show. And we love you. We love you, darling. But yes, it was not good enough. Not good enough. We'll see you next time. I don't know. That was great.

[Ryder Strong]

I just needed.

[Wilfred L]

It was for me.

[Ryder Strong]

No, that was for me, though. All right, so you want to know.

[Wilfred L]

What, how, who, who?

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, I, I, I'm still. And I'm not team Robert. I just think Robert's gonna win.

[Wilfred L]

Yeah, I'm with you there. I'm, I'm kind of, I'm, I guess maybe I'm always rooting for underdogs, but I'm really just in it for Jordan and Dylan at this point. I like their.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, really?

[Wilfred L]

Okay. I like watching the two of them dance. I think every time I'm a little like, what are they gonna do? Whereas like Alex and, and Whitney and Robert, I'm like, yeah, you're gonna do great and it's gonna be fine. Yeah, I, Alex has won me over.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, she, I mean, I think Whitney is Whitney. I'm not team Whitney. I'm sure, again, she's a lovely person. I don't know, but she to me is the one who's the real. Like, I went to school for dance. I've been dancing my whole life. Now I'm a professional tick tock dancer. Where I think Alex was. Not that I don't think, but she's won me over. I still love Dylan. I think he's awesome. I hope he's in the finals, but I don't think anybody's gonna be beating Robert. They're like, they're, they're, I mean, one of the judges was a mirror ball winner with his sister. I know they're, you know, they're Dancing with the Stars royalty. And I think he's gonna take the whole thing, frankly. How do you stand on Andy? I mean, now that he's in it and Danielle's gone, are you now team more team Andy, or do you think he should go everywhere?

[Wilfred L]

No, I feel like this is the accomplishment. He's already won as far as his storyline, you know, like, he's gotten so much love. People are gonna follow him wherever he wants to go in his career as an actor, as a comedian, as a host or whatever he wants to do. Like, they are. A lot of people probably already were, but now he's only increased his likability, his. You know, and I think it's been a great journey to watch. But do you deserve to win this show? No, no, no.

[Ryder Strong]

You know, the first thing that I would do when. When. Whenever he leaves, if I was ABC and Dancing with the Stars, I would go to him and I'd say, we want you to be the special correspondent. You're going to go. Instead of just doing a package, you're going to have a microphone and you're going to actually interview them while they're dancing a little bit and throw out a couple jokes and you part of the show.

[Wilfred L]

I agree, man. I think that would be fantastic because he is. He is fun to watch. He's fun to, you know, but it's just not. It's just not fair. Is. I don't think so.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't.

[Wilfred L]

I agree.

[Ryder Strong]

I agree.

[Wilfred L]

Do you really think he's going to be in, like the final three?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I think, again, I think at this point it's a thing. I don't think people like this.

[Wilfred L]

We're going to drop off. We're going to lose Dylan and Jordan next or no, Elaine, Dylan, Jordan, those three are just going to be kicked off in the next couple of weeks and you're going to end up with Alex, Whitney and Robert.

[Ryder Strong]

No, no, I disagree. No, I think there's a good chance, believe it or not, the next person to go home is Whitney. I don't think people like Whitney. And I think there's a. My guess is if we. If we were privy to all of the votes, that there is a very good chance that Whit. I think the next one to go is going to be Elaine, and then it's going to be Whitney, and then it's going to be Jordan and then it's going to be Dylan. That would be the way I. That would be the order. I think they're going to go.

[Wilfred L]

That's. I think that's a good call. Assuming Andy keeps steamrolling through with his popular vote. Correct. Because if. I think if he falls off any week, just, you know, if anybody just gets late, like, there might be backlash now. Do you know what I mean? Because of Danielle. Because people are like, maybe. Come on. Yeah, but I don't know. I guess maybe if people were voting for Danielle, a lot of that might go to Andy. Now, if it's about personality, oh, man. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know. I don't know. It could also maybe go to Jordan. They. It seemed like Danielle and Jordan were very close, but it also seemed like Danielle and Robert were really close. So I don't know.

[Wilfred L]

Will, this is how they get you. Now we're stuck. We gotta finish it. We're so involved. We're so in it.

[Ryder Strong]

Dude, it's horrifying. It's the first one's free, man. First one's free. Just try it. Now I'm on the street corner going like, come on, man, give me a rumba.

[Wilfred L]

All right, that's it for this episode of Pod Meets Twirl. Join us next week as we continue watching season 34 of Dancing with the Stars. We may not know a tango from a tangle of headphones, but we know what we learned way back in Feeney's class. Danielle Fischl was the star of the show. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, Wilfred L And Ryder Strong, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production Danielle Roman, producer and editor Tara Sugbaksh, producer Matty Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World superban Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram odmeatsworld show or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

Hosts compensated for their time. I used to play team sports and shared a locker room with a whole lot of women, plus 14 roommates in one college house. I still text, call, or see so many of those women regularly. We talk about everything, even breast cancer, which has affected several of my friends. Breast cancer has impacted all our lives in one way or another, so we know talking about it is important to share understanding and to keep everyone updated. If you or someone you know was previously diagnosed with HR positive HER2 negative early breast cancer and went through treatment, you might be surprised to learn that it could come back. That's why I want to tell you about a breast cancer treatment called Kiskali. Kiskali ribociclib 200mg tablets are taken with an aromatase inhibitor. It's for adults with HR positive HER2 negative stage 2 or 3 early breast cancer with a high risk of recurrence and it can help reduce the risk of cancer coming back. In a clinical study at three years, 91% of people taking Kiskali plus an aromatase inhibitor were cancer free versus 88% taking an aromatase inhibitor alone. Individual results may vary. Kiskali may cause serious skin reactions, liver problems and low white blood cell counts that may result in serious infections. Life threatening lung problems and abnormal heartbeats can occur. Your doctor should test your heart and blood before and during treatment. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening cough, chest pain or dizziness before taking Kiskali. Tell your doctor all your medical conditions, medicines you take and if you're breastfeeding, pregnant or planning to be as it can harm an unborn baby. Common side effects include nausea, headache and tiredness. It's all about doing more today. To help protect your tomorrow, visit kiskali.com I know it's tricky to spell, so that's K I S Q A L I To learn more and ask your doctor if Kiskali is right for you.

[Wilfred L]

What a matchup we got y'.

[Ryder Strong]

All.

[Wilfred L]

This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chance echo drum beat everybody showing that school. Probably a game like this. Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere and an ice cold Coca Cola. That's a winning combo no matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

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[Wilfred L]

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[Breast Cancer Advocate / Advertiser]

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[Danielle Fishel]

Stand up straight and breeze into that.

[Wilfred L]

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[Ryder Strong]

Terms apply.

[Wilfred L]

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[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

This is an iHeart podcast.