Sharna Burgess Meets Twirl'd

Summary

Pod Meets World: "Sharna Burgess Meets Twirl'd"

Podcast: Pod Meets World (iHeartPodcasts)
Episode Air Date: November 6, 2025
Guests: Sharna Burgess (professional dancer and judge)
Hosts: Danielle Fishel, Wilfred L., Ryder Strong

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Episode Overview

In this special episode, the "Pod Meets World" team steps into the world of "Dancing with the Stars" with accomplished pro dancer and judge Sharna Burgess. With Danielle recently eliminated from DWTS Season 34, the hosts—longtime Boy Meets World castmates—explore everything they've learned (and haven't learned) about ballroom dancing. The conversation delves into the realities of DWTS: its evolution, judging controversies, and what it’s truly like to be a pro dancer. Sharna offers behind-the-scenes insight from her tenure as both a pro and current judge, making this episode rich for fans of dance and reality TV.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Dancing with the Stars: The Fan Perspective

[03:19]–[04:45]

• Wilfred and Ryder admit they were "total newbies" to DWTS until Danielle joined the show.
• Both express sadness over Danielle's elimination, noting the emotional investment in watching a friend compete.
• They joke about confusion over show mechanics:
  • Ryder: "I'm still waiting. When do they hand out the roses?"
  • Sharna: "Yeah. Wrong ABC show." [05:39]

Understanding the Judging: Subjectivity & Challenges

[05:47]–[08:13]

• Ryder criticizes the arbitrariness of DWTS scoring.
  • "The judging seems to be completely and totally arbitrary… if you get an eight now, it’s like you might as well have gotten a zero." [05:47]
• Sharna, drawing from her experience as both a DWTS and Australian judge, explains:
  • Judging is highly subjective; judges "miss stuff" due to the sheer number of things to watch at once [06:07].
  • "As a judge…you have to pull yourself back sometimes and go: okay, I love the story, but I can’t give Andy a 10." [08:02]
• On human nature and bias, she notes:
  • "It’s not that you get biased, but you start to get to know people... it’s a lot harder to be so objective." [07:03]

Evolution of the Show & Its Rules

[19:23]–[23:22]

• The panel and Sharna discuss how DWTS—and ballroom dance generally—has changed over two decades.
  • "Everything has absolutely evolved… If you watch Dancing with the Stars 20 years ago, you were seeing straight up ballroom dancing. We did not have jazz. We did not have contemporary… Now we’ve added Argentine tango, Lindy hop, jazz, contemporary..." [19:23]
• Former judge Len Goodman’s influence is discussed:
  • “[Len] was really the traditionalist, who was really the stickler for the rules, we’ve sort of lost the rules a little bit, too.” [20:52]
• Both judges and pros now have to navigate "blurry" standards, leading to inconsistencies in enforcing tradition (breaking hold, etc.).
  • "What are our new sets of rules?... Or throw them all out the window, say no rules and just go for how much you love it." [27:25]

Life as a Pro: Creativity and Sacrifice

[15:36]–[18:08]

• Pro dancers must often set their own ego aside, shifting strategies to play entirely to their partner’s strengths.
  • "It is the most selfless job because it has to be about the person that’s in front of you." [16:32]
• Sharna shares how different partners require different coaching styles—football players need drill-sergeant energy, actors need more empathy.

Casting and Pairings: Luck of the Draw

[37:05]–[40:06]

• Pros don’t get a say in partner assignments—casting is kept secret until the last moment.
  • "No one gets a list. Right. You don’t get to see. We’re all checking the media releases and seeing what’s been leaked just the same as anyone else." [37:05]
• Sometimes, sensitivity is required (e.g., for partners like Andy Dick).
• On meeting Nick Carter: "… I fangirled. I’ve never fangirled. I was like, are you my partner? Like, I couldn’t even get my words out." [37:36]

The Realities of Competing—and Winning—with an Underdog

[41:13]–[43:32]

• Sharna didn’t expect to win with Bobby Bones—"I had no freestyle prepared. I had no songs. I had no idea what I was gonna do." [42:28]
• Winning with a non-dancer ruffled feathers: "It was shocking. We… never, ever had a clue. And it was really the first time where someone like that won… it really ruffled a lot of feathers, too. But the truth is, it’s what the show is about." [42:32]
• On her pride: "…I created some amazing work with Bobby for what he was capable of and super proud of it. But certainly there’s nothing quite like when you have someone that can really do some stuff and you get to look back at that work and be like, wow." [43:23]

The Female Pro Perspective & Coaching Challenges

[45:41]–[48:53]

• Female pros have the harder job, according to Sharna, because ballroom is designed to highlight the woman, so they must work extra hard to make their celeb partners shine—even as choreography defaults to "dancing around him."
  • "The females… we have more complicated footwork, but it’s designed to show us off…as the female pro, you have to work really hard for people to not say, 'Oh, she was dancing around him,' when sometimes that is just—just naturally what the choreography is." [47:03]

This Season in Context: Social Media & Fan Influence

[53:43]–[59:12]

• This season is unusually "stacked" with strong dancers, but personalities like Andy ("the people’s champion") are what keep the show’s heart.
  • "Those votes are now split. But there is that core chunk of people that love Dancing with the Stars for the experience and the person that is the underdog… and they’re all voting for Andy." [54:26]
• Social media plays a much larger, sometimes toxic, role now: "…it is vicious out there and unnecessarily so."
  • "I do believe they have someone that is on set to always be there for them… a counselor, I don’t know what we call that person, but it is… resources there for people to reach out to." [57:10]
• Audience reaction has shifted: boos now feel more personal than playful, with both in-studio and online criticism affecting judges and pros. [59:13]

Rapid-Fire Q&A Highlights

[56:22]–[61:49]

• Who has the biggest ego? "All of us. All of us." [56:32]
• Does social media affect the judging? It impacts everyone, especially in recent years. [57:10]
• Which spins differently in Australia? "Absolutely. Yes." (all spins go the other direction) [59:53]
• Who's the frontrunner? "My money right now? If I was a betting woman, would be on Robert [Irwin]." [60:04]
• On Australia's reaction: The show doesn't air there, but Aussies follow via VPNs and YouTube, and Robert's run is big news at home. [61:26]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the selflessness of being a pro:
  • Sharna: "It is the most selfless job because it has to be about the person that’s in front of you." [16:32]
• On the evolution of the show:
  • Sharna: "Everything has absolutely evolved… If you watch Dancing with the Stars 20 years ago, you were seeing straight up ballroom dancing." [19:23]
• On DWTS’s magic:
  • Sharna: "...this Dancing with the Stars concept is magical in itself. And I don’t think they’ve ever recreated it in any other reality TV platform. Maybe singing. But you’re taking... people can actually sing. But this is everyday people. Ok, they’re celebrities, but they’re not dancers." [15:23]
• On social media’s impact:
  • Sharna: "It is vicious out there and unnecessarily so... I do believe they have someone on set to always be there for them... some aid... whether that is a counselor..." [57:10]
• On winning with an underdog:
  • Sharna: "We did what the show is about. So... As much pride as I have in the Nick Carter season... I created some amazing work with Bobby for what he was capable of and super proud of it." [43:32]
• On the current season's structure:
  • Sharna: "I was really sad it’s gone so fast... but we’ve got three weeks and a stacked cast and it’s going to go very fast." [56:18]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Dancing with the Stars Newbie Confessions – [03:19]
• Inside the Judging Process – [05:47]
• Evolution of Dances and Rules – [19:23]
• Making It as a Pro: Coaching, Choreography, & Storytelling – [15:36], [16:32], [43:32]
• Partner Assignments & Casting Secrets – [37:05]
• Winning With an Underdog – [41:13]
• Challenges of Coaching as a Female Pro – [47:03]
• Social Media Impact & Mental Health – [57:10]
• Rapid Fire Q&A (Biggest Ego, Social Media, Australia facts, Winner predictions) – [56:22]-[61:49]
• Season Reflections/Predictions – [60:04]

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Episode Takeaways

• Behind-the-scenes Realness: Sharna’s candid insights illuminate the tension between traditional dance rules and the entertainment-driven evolution of DWTS, as well as the very real psychological pressures on both celebrities and pros.
• Strategy and Adaptation: The process is far more about coaching, adapting, and understanding than just choreography, especially as the show and its casting get more diverse.
• The Power and Pitfalls of Popularity: Both the panel and guest reflect on how audience voting, social media, and personality often determine finalists more than strict dance technique.
• Room for Growth: Even those inside the show—including Sharna!—agree that clearer rules and communication, especially from judges, could improve the fairness and clarity of the competition.

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For both longtime fans and new viewers, this episode offers honest, relatable, and enthusiastic conversation about what makes "Dancing with the Stars" tick—and what might make it even better.

Transcript

[Sharna Burgess]

This is an I Heart podcast.

[Pod Meets World Host 1]

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.

[Pod Meets World Host 1]

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 $1.49 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.

[Pod Meets World Host 1]

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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[Wilfred L.]

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[Liberty Mutual Advertiser]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Wilfred L.]

Welcome to Pod Meets Twirled 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 joined the cast for season 34, we're going all in. We are Wilfred L. And Ryder Strong, AKA the two dudes standing next to Topanga, AKA Daniel Fischl's backup, AKA the Dan Yets. How you doing, Will?

[Ryder Strong]

I'm sad. Dan Yet, Ryder, how are you?

[Wilfred L.]

Pretty sad too.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I guess. We'll get more into that on our official recap. Regular recap. But it was a blue day. It was a melancholy day. There's very little plies in my day to day is what I would say.

[Wilfred L.]

Normally there's a lot of plies, right?

[Ryder Strong]

Like every you wake up, there's a jive, there's an occasional foxtrot. And today was a life without dance. It's like a life without color.

[Wilfred L.]

I know. Well, today we're going to be interviewing Sharna Burgess. Sharna Burgess is an Australian ballroom dancer who is best known for being a pro on Dancing with the Stars. She is the winner of season 27 with her celebrity partner Bobby Bones. She has also been a judge on the Australian version of the show since 2019. She has been on 14 seasons of Dancing with the Stars but has only won once. Some of her previous partners include Nick Carter, Antonio Brown and and her now fiance who she met on the show, Brian Austin Green. Sharna has her own miniseries on the Danielle with Feed Sharna Burgess in the fourth chair where she breaks down every dance after each week's show. You can listen every Thursday at 6:00am Pacific Standard Time. Please welcome to Pod Meets Twirled Sharna Burgess.

[Sharna Burgess]

Hi.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hi.

[Wilfred L.]

You don't look like Brian Greene. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

You're not Brian Greene.

[Sharna Burgess]

Your name says Brian Greene.

[Wilfred L.]

We expected Brian. I don't know what's going on here.

[Sharna Burgess]

He is here. He's currently fixing our Christmas tree.

[Wilfred L.]

Nice. Well, we're so glad to have you. You are for me, the first pro that I've spoken to since.

[Sharna Burgess]

I feel privileged.

[Wilfred L.]

That's amazing. We began this Dancing with the Stars journey having no clue what the show was, how it worked, and we still don't really know. We're just kind of figuring it out as we go along. So we.

[Ryder Strong]

What.

[Sharna Burgess]

What do you feel you've learned?

[Ryder Strong]

Well, I'm still waiting. When do they hand out the roses?

[Sharna Burgess]

Yeah. Wrong ABC show.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Okay.

[Sharna Burgess]

Network, wrong show.

[Wilfred L.]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

We'Ve learned a lot. I mean, one of the things I've learned is that the judging seems to be completely and totally arbitrary, that it's just week. The zeros in week one actually mean five. In week two, it means six. In week three, it means seven. So if you get an eight now, it's like you might as well have gotten a zero. So, yeah, we're learning as we go.

[Sharna Burgess]

Yeah, it's sort of. Listen, you kind of get that every season. You know, there's no real rubric for it. It's right. The judges have their opinions. It is subjective to their opinion, what they're watching on the night. As a judge and someone that does it in Australia, there have been times when I've judged and thought I've seen everything. And the judge next to me will say something. I'm like, holy crap, how did I miss that? Because as a judge, you're trying to watch everything all at once. The technique, the footwork. Did they mess anything up? Did they miss hand connections, styling, the personality? Like, all of it. And sometimes your eyeballs can't be in all the places at the one time.

[Wilfred L.]

Right.

[Sharna Burgess]

And so sometimes you just miss stuff, man. It happens. Human error.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, I mean, you said. You said you're human, which is obviously we all are. But as a judge, do you have your favorites? I mean, do you try not to be like, wow, I love this person. I'm not going to judge them as harshly as I am this other person who maybe I just don't like.

[Wilfred L.]

Like, say, if someone becomes your fiance.

[Sharna Burgess]

Yeah, I think that might be a conflict of interest, but, you know, as a judge, look, we all start on even playing field right at the start of the season, so you're kind of removed from it. You've done your research on who's on the show, but unless you actually have a personal connection with them, everyone is the same. But then, yeah, you know, it's not that you get biased, but you start to get to know people, and then you start to understand their story or where they're coming from, and it's a lot harder to be so objective Sometimes because you're like, oh, I know you had a car accident, or I see how hard you're working, or you were sick this week, you start to know the personal details that can sometimes work their way in to how you feel. And you have to step back and go, okay. It's not my job to judge on how I feel. That's the audience. That's why there is an audience vote. It is my job to purely judge the dancing. Now, that does mean performance and how it made me feel, because that's dance. But it very much also means the technical aspect of it and what we're looking at. So. But again, they're all human. You have to pull yourself back sometime and be okay. I love the story, but I can't give Andy a 10. I love Andy, but I can't give Andy a 10.

[Ryder Strong]

You know what I mean? Does.

[Sharna Burgess]

Does. Although Flavor Flav felt very.

[Wilfred L.]

Oh, Flavor Flav. That was.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hang on.

[Wilfred L.]

Where's my battle? Where's my battle? Every time.

[Ryder Strong]

Every single time. Yeah. So, I mean, how much interaction do the judges have with the contestants during the week? Or do they just see them at the show?

[Sharna Burgess]

Just see them at the show.

[Wilfred L.]

Okay.

[Sharna Burgess]

The judges don't have an interaction. I like to, as I've never experienced it here. You might sometimes catch them for 30 seconds at the end of the show, which I know we heard Elaine talk about how she had filled Derek in on her injuries. Cause we just weren't seeing those things in the packages, unfortunately. But they don't have interaction. When I judge in Australia, because I've known the pro dancers for such a long time, sometimes I'll come down at the end of the show and have a chat with them and say, you know, any questions? You know? Or like, hey, I really loved it. But I didn't get to dive into this because, you know, that's what I try and do with the fourth chair, right. Is give more airtime to what they're saying because they have very limited time. So I think it would be nice for them to have a little interaction. But then maybe they're trying to keep that separation so they don't get biased. You know what I mean? You don't want to go in and start chatting with a couple about something or working with them on it and then have to judge that at the end of the week because you might feel biased, the fact that they improved on it, you know, So I understand them feeling more removed from the actual contestants and create. And having space.

[Wilfred L.]

Well, so you started as a pro.

[Liberty Mutual Advertiser]

How What.

[Wilfred L.]

What season did you start on?

[Sharna Burgess]

It was 2011. It was season 13.

[Ryder Strong]

My God, this show has truly been on forever. Forever. It's been on forever.

[Wilfred L.]

So I'm curious, how did you come into being a pro? Like, how was. Did you know what you were getting into? How was the job pitched to you?

[Sharna Burgess]

The show had been around for a while, and so I knew about it. And at the time, I was touring with a dance show called Burn the Floor. So I had already shifted from being a competitive ballroom dancer and found my love in theater and performance. And I loved this show. I absolutely loved what it was doing for ballroom dancing. And so when they offered it to me, I was still under contract for a year with Burn the Floor, doing a tour through Europe. We were finishing Broadway, and then I was contracted to go to the uk, to the West End, and so I finished that out. And in 2011, I was able to join. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I. No television. I got told to get social media accounts, which I didn't have. Like, and at the time, I think it was Twitter and Instagram, but, like, it was a whole other ball game. And I thankfully, at the time, had a couple seasons on the troop, where I really got to learn the ropes of how to be a pro. I would be in there assisting and helping the pros, then choreograph their routines and get to see how they work or standing in when people were injured. And so I got to learn the ropes a little bit before I had my very first season. And my very first season was Andy Dick, and I did not know what I was in for. That was like. That was.

[Ryder Strong]

I did a show with Andy. You never know what you're in for. That was a wild ride, and it absolutely is.

[Sharna Burgess]

And it was also beautiful at the same time because he's an addictive personality. He'd switched out substance for dance. So he was all in. Obsessively all in. And I had his full attention at all times, and he gave it everything. I had a beautiful experience with him. Chaotic, but beautiful. But I think I also learned a lot at the time, too, of how to be a pro. What it takes. I had that ground the groundwork with being on the troop. And then when I started as a pro, I made it my absolute business to watch the best of the best on the floor. And at the time, that was really Mark and Derek that were doing some of my favorite things I'd ever seen. And I made sure that I studied them and learned everything that they did and so to try and be the best pro that I could.

[Ryder Strong]

Was there a reputation in the dance community? I mean, was it like, did you have dancers coming up to you being like, you're gonna do Dancing with the Stars? Or is it like, oh, my God, you get to do Dancing with the Star. You're not Dancing with the Stars.

[Sharna Burgess]

I mean, how is it thought about so both ways? To be honest, they're the purists, the competitive purists that are like, ugh, Dancing with the Stars. You know, because it's not pure ballroom dancing. And the technique will never be as spectacular as it is on a ballroom dancing floor. It cannot be. You know, we dedicate entire lives to just a simple rumble walk, which is how to walk. Like, there's no possible way we can do that in 10 weeks with a person. So, yeah, there's two ways of thinking. There are those that say that they don't like it, and. But I honestly think that's driven by a lot of jealousy, because it's the best dance job in the world that you can possibly have. Highest paying, greatest everything that comes with it on a platform. And then there are those that are just hungry to be on it, which is, you know, I think you see a lot of that now. And it's now not just ballroom dancers that are hungry to be on it. It is dances across the board of every single style that are now getting in there and learning ballroom. Much like what we see, our troop dancers are now. They're like hybrids of everything. They can tumble and flip like a gymnast and do a rumble walk like a ballroom dancer and everything in between. That's spectacular. I am a ballroom purist, and then I got into contemporary jazz later. But this new generation, everyone wants to be on Dancing with the Stars. So everyone is doing ballroom dancing in their training.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, well, I mean, reality tv, Ryder and I are very new to reality tv. But it obviously, if, you know, if it's a show where you take a bunch of and you throw them in a room and you play them with alcohol and you film it, that's one kind of reality show. Right? But really, reality has done so much for Dance with so youo Think youk Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars, it really has kind of helped to shape an entire new generation of dancers, hasn't it?

[Sharna Burgess]

Oh, well, yes. And I remember when I was a kid, my thing was ballroom dancing, but I didn't tell people that because ballroom dancing was what your grandparents did. Like, it was not the cool style to do. You wanted to do hip hop, maybe ballet, you know, But I was like, oh, I'm a dancer. I just wouldn't be specific about it. But now it's the cool thing to do. Dancing with the Stars or Strictly Come Dancing, the mothership of it in England, worldwide, it has put dancing now opening the door for all other forms of dance now. So you think you can dance and other shows to be in people's living rooms to find fitness through it, to find mental health help through it. Like, it's really helped people understand how amazing this can be, that it's cathartic. You don't have to compete, you don't even have to be good. But it is something that everyone can enjoy and everyone can give a fair crack. And I think that's what's so amazing about Dancing with the Stars. And that's why people love watching it for 20 years.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Sharna Burgess]

Because not only do we have the people that come on with dance talent and this season is very, very stacked, but look at how well Andy's doing. He is the one that people relate to. He's the one that people see themselves in that I could never possibly try it, but he's doing it right. You know, that speaks to everyone sitting at home that has whatever insecurity about trying something new. It is this. But this Dancing with the Stars concept is magical in itself. And I don't think they've ever recreated it in any other reality TV platform. Maybe singing. But you're taking. People can actually sing.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Sharna Burgess]

You know, but this is everyday people. Okay. They're celebrities, but they're not dancers. They're stepping outside their comfort zone in front of America. And it's, that's why it's lasted so long. Because there is a magic in that vulnerability.

[Wilfred L.]

It, it. Being a pro in this context seems like the hardest and most thankless job because you, you, you, you have to put so much work into it, clearly. Creative work, physical work. But then even if you do incredibly well, the star takes all the thunder. Right. Like, they get all the credit.

[Ryder Strong]

Awesome.

[Wilfred L.]

Andy, Andy, the other person standing. Right. But then on the other side, too, I'm also curious about. There must be times when you get in there and you have ideas and the person just can't do it. They just can't rise to their end. And then you have to adjust and sort of lower your own standards or what you expected to be able to do that that week. So do you have, maybe without naming names, like, have you ever had an experience where you literally just had to completely throw out what you had planned to do because somebody wasn't capable of rising to what you wanted.

[Ryder Strong]

Name names, name names, name names.

[Sharna Burgess]

Honestly, most seasons. So because that's the process, right? You, you, you prep. We have three weeks in the beginning of the season to try everything out on our celebrity to see what's good. Now, what I used to do as a pro is within that time, I'm trying to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are. How do they learn? Are they visual? Do they need to hear me say it right down to do I look in their eyeballs when I say it, or do we need an activity? When I'm doing it, everybody listens differently. You are studying human behavior on how to be a coach. Now, what that comes with is putting your ego, checking your ego at the door and knowing it has absolutely nothing to do with your amazing ideas or how cool your choreography is or how awesome your ideas were this week. It has everything to do with the human being standing in front of you and that you are trying to get them, teach them how to dance and how to last in this competition. That is both the physical aspect, the emotional aspect, the connection with the audience. It is everything. So if you go into it selfish about your creative ideas, you're never going to go anywhere as a pro because A, your celebs won't enjoy it, B, you'll only be good with people that are actually talented and C, people won't connect with you because you're solely going to be selfish about your own ideas. It is the most selfless job because it has to be about the person that's in front of you. Every person I taught, I was a different coach. When I had football players, I was a football coach. I was a drill sergeant. I had absolutely no mercy. When I had actors or an Andy Dick, I was much more sympathetic, much more empathetic, much more understanding.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Wilfred L.]

Actors are like the.

[Ryder Strong]

That we need to be held with kid gloves.

[Wilfred L.]

It's so true. Like, we're the biggest babies.

[Sharna Burgess]

I am engaged so.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, you're doing so. You have such a big ego, but it's so weak. Oh, that's absolutely true. Now, one of the things that we've been told, because again, and we've done this specifically, we have not gone back and watched any of the old Dancing with the Stars. This is. We have done eight episodes of Dancing with the Stars and eight episodes of Dancing with the Stars. Only we have been told that the show has evolved quite a bit. So my other co host of another podcast I do is Sabrina Bryan, who was on the Cheetah Girls, who was on the show, she's one of my favorite people in the world. But she has told me, without being specific, that the show has evolved even from when she was on it. So we know that. But my question is, we do a segment on our show called Will's History of Dance, where I have an encyclopedic knowledge of everything dance. I am not Googling it at all. It's not on Wikipedia. It's all up here. But it seems like every dance was kind of created anywhere from the 1840s to the 1920s. So while the show has evolved, have the dances evolved? I mean, if we watch a Viennese waltz from season one and it's really great, is that gonna look the same as it does from this season?

[Sharna Burgess]

Completely different. Completely different. Everything has absolutely evolved. Just like it's evolved in the competition world too. By the way, you know those purists that are doing ballroom dancing, A lot of them have ballet training. A lot of the content they're doing. Yes, they stick to the syllabus that you need to in the competition world, but they're adding flourishes left, right, and center. If you watched Dancing with the stars 20 years ago, you were seeing straight up ballroom dancing. We did not have jazz. We did not have contemporary. We didn't have any of those things. It was the ten ballroom dances. Cha cha, samba, rumba, Pasadena blade, jive, waltz, foxtrot, quick step, Vienna's waltz, and tango. Now we've added an Argentine tango, Lindy hop, jazz, contemporary. And not only that, we're also incorporating those different flavors within the dance, like Mark Ballas's choreography. While true to the style that he is doing, he puts a different flare on it every single time. You would never have seen that even. Probably maybe you did see it with Mark back in Sabrina's time, who was his partner, but you definitely saw a much more traditional version of it. Everything has to evolve because people, first of all, everything just naturally does. It's the way of the world. But people can get bored if it's the same thing all the time. So the show felt it needed to evolve. Then we had so thinking and dance come into the picture, and we're like, oh, man, everyone's doing contemporary and jazz and hip hop. We tried hip hop one time. Not so great. We shall not. No, no. It didn't really work out well for us on the few times we did hip hop.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, God, please tell me that was Andy Dick's season that you guys had.

[Sharna Burgess]

To do hip hop jazz, though. And if you do watch one, we did a Queen of Hearts and the Mad had a jazz routine, and it was so twisted and fun. It was amazing. But yes, to answer your question, it would not look the same. And another layer on that is, since we lost our amazing Len Goodman, who was really the traditionalist, who was really the stickler for the rules, we've sort of lost the rules a little bit, too. And some of the discrepancies that you're seeing even this season is that people are like, well, who's supposed to break hold and when are you supposed to break and when? Why are you not. The rules are blurry now because things are evolving. And I think we haven't found what that really means yet. Like, what are our new sets of rules? Let's all know them and all have them. Like, Carrie Ann will forever not want lifts, right? That's always been her thing. But unless it's a jazz or a contemporary. Right? But in the specific dance, there's no lift. And Len was the one that always said, you're not supposed to break hold in tango. You know, you're not supposed to break holding. Quick step. And he would take a point off for it. But now we have some judges doing it and some judges not. Or some weeks a couple gets called out and other weeks a couple doesn't. And that's making people be like, well, what the heck is going on? What are the rules? And this seems unfair.

[Wilfred L.]

That's mostly how I feel. But, yeah, but, you know, but that's just because I came in as a complete newbie. So when I'm watching it and I'm like, oh, I don't understand what they're judging. I kind of want to, like, learn. And I've. And I feel like the first five weeks I was kind of figuring it out. I was like, oh, this is supposed to be that way. And now I've lost all track. I'm like, but wait a minute.

[Sharna Burgess]

Now you're like, I don't know.

[Wilfred L.]

So do you feel. I mean, do you. It sounds like you. You kind of crave a little bit more structure too. Do you feel like it's evolved a little too far into the, like, wishy washy, whatever, whatever goes category?

[Sharna Burgess]

I say that as now a judge, right? I say I want rules, but believe me, when I was a pro, I bended and bro, I bent and broke all of those rules like it was. I loved breaking them and taking risks because I always loved that style and that kind of energy. And I would value the crowd pleasing public vote over that one point that I was going to lose from the judge. It was strategic whether I thought we could take that risk or not, you know. And then I also didn't want to look like I was taking the piss out of the rules. So I would again choose when to take the risks or not. But as a judge, what makes it easier for me to judge and to be fair and to be consistent is rules. And it's only fair to consist to contestants that they have the same rules and they can then choose to break them.

[Wilfred L.]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, that's one of the things that Cheryl mentioned when she was the guest judge. Cheryl Burke. Because this is the first time Ryder and I, because we talked about it on our show that we'd ever heard what you just said. Breaking the hold.

[Sharna Burgess]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And we were wondering, does that mean ever? Because they started side by side. So are they already breaking the hold then? If they're dancing side by side or is it the second you then touch each other, you're not allowed to then.

[Sharna Burgess]

Break away the second, basically. So if you have. There are some dances that we've taken on the American Smooth rules, which is where you can open, hold and do all different sorts of frames. And then there are a couple dances, be it tango and quick step, where we have the traditional international rules where once you take up frame, you are in frame. So you can generally on Dancing with the Stars get away with. It was around a 15 to 22nd intro of some sort of flourish to get into it. And then you have yourself an ending of whatever the 5 to 10 seconds, however long it goes for. But once you are in frame, you are supposed to stay in frame. And that means both sides being connected, not letting go of one and doing a little twirl, that's like both sides being connected. And so we are not necessarily seeing that anymore. And so it's interesting. Maybe it's evolved. And I was just going to say.

[Ryder Strong]

Is that evolution or is that breaking the rules? But again, evolution. Yeah. If you don't know what the rules are going in, I guess. I guess if the rules don't. This is again where I find the judging to be very arbitrary. Where it's like if the rules don't apply to anybody, it's fine, but if the rules apply to some people and not to others, that's not okay.

[Sharna Burgess]

Totally.

[Ryder Strong]

So then I guess that's where it becomes a question of. It's like, okay, what are we doing here? Because this person did this. This person did that one of them's an 8 and one of them's a 10. How are we, as people watching this show supposed to know what the hell just happened? And then it's what you said too, where it's like, then the judges. And this is a detriment to them, where they're not really given any opportunity to explain themselves. So it's like, you've got 25 seconds to say, I love you, you're great. Here's an eight. And then you can't explain why you really gave that score. So you're kind of just thrown to the. They're thrown to the wolves as well. And we've been guilty of it as well. We called out Carrie Anne for what it seemed like was something we even said. It's probably not personal. It seemed like it was because you get a snippet of something that happens and then you're on to the next. So, yeah, I mean, I guess that's. How do you. How do you then, with the evolution of the dance, how do you then formalize the rules so that they're followed by everyone? Is that even a possibility anymore?

[Sharna Burgess]

I think it's a good question, and maybe it's something that the show will look at and refresh because I certainly think fans are calling for it, people. And we have new viewers like yourselves that are like, wait a second, what does all this mean? But then we have the old school viewers that are like, well, these were the rules. But it's kind of a bit weird now, and I'm not so sure, but they have a bit more of an understanding of it. I think we just need to go back to, like, clarify, you know, like, where do we sit? Are we wiping the don't break hold thing? Because. Cool, but let's just put it across the board and be super clear. But I think what you're also seeing too is while this is evolving and changing and people are taking risks, Some people, like, there was one week it was Gleb and Ilaria, and they broke hold and they did a quick step and you're not supposed to. And Derek said something about not enough in hold and whatnot. To be fair, he didn't say that you broke hold. He just said there wasn't enough of it. And then someone else did a dance where there was a lot of broken hold but didn't get pulled up. I think it was the way Gleb's dance was structured. It was so obvious that there was so little of the content in frame that it really stuck out so much that Derek felt called to talk on it. But the other one maybe meshed a little bit more and went in and out. I think while it's blurry, it just, it was a moment where it really stuck out for Derek and he's like, oh, wait, that doesn't feel like enough. In hold. I didn't get what I needed. But again, it doesn't make it right. It's still blurry. It's not clear for everyone. And I would love moving forward for them to, like, hash it out a little. Like, what are our new rules? Cool, let's have new rules. Let's let it evolve, but let's have new rules so we know what it is for everybody. Or throw them all out the window, say no rules and just go for how much you love it. And was there technique in it, you know?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, see, that's it. That's cool.

[Pod Meets World Host 1]

We will be taping a live episode of Pod Meets World at Disney California Adventure park on December 4, 2025.

[Ryder Strong]

If you live in the Southern California area, or if you can be in the Southern California area on December 4, we have an opportunity for you to.

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[Wilfred L.]

Plus, you'll have the chance to meet us while we're taping an episode of Pod Meets World inside Disney California Adventure Park.

[Ryder Strong]

Visit coast1035.com forward/podmeats world. Now to enter for your chance to win.

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[Wilfred L.]

You mentioned having a strategy which seems like so essential to this. You know, something that when we the our first Dancing with the Stars, we were actually there for the first episode of the season and got to see it live and you know, Robert Irwin came out and just like blew the house and crushed it. Afterwards we started talking to people and they were like, well, strategy wise, he might have, might have come out too hot, you know, and we were like, what. What is. That's a thing. So do you have like an overall. When you like in general, do you go into a season being like, we gotta, we gotta show that we can do traditional dances for the first couple weeks and then break the. Do you have like an overall strategy or is it just based on who you're dancing with?

[Sharna Burgess]

Based on who you're dancing with, knowing their strengths and weaknesses, planning out which dances you want to save because they'll be better at them and you want to save them for later down the line. That's definitely in the strategy. Back in my, back in my day. Wow. When I was competing, that felt weird.

[Ryder Strong]

To say it wasn't even contemporary at the time.

[Sharna Burgess]

Yeah, yeah. There was none. We never did it. We did. I was in that time. But we would have, we would be able to really tailor their journeys a little bit more. Sometimes with all the theme weeks, you're not so sure how to like, I think plan that out. But we would have most memorable year and you know, like dedication night. So you would want to get to know your celebrity know those stories and know how to bring those things out just to give the audience a little bit more every week that they wanted to come back for. Right. And so there's a strategy. But, yes, it's different for everyone, but in those persons, that person's response to Robert, I don't know, man. His natural arc that he's now had because he came out so strong and everyone was like, holy, he's so good. And then he had a moment where it fell, right. And it lulled. And everyone's like, oh, no. But remember, he's not really a dancer. He's never done this before. He wrestles crocodiles for a living. And now he's blowing it out of the water again. Like, that arc and that momentum that Carrion just commented on is actually phenomenal. To shoot him all the way to the mirror ball. Especially because, like, Joey won last season. Right. And it was the same similar thing with him. He's not a dancer. He's good enough that he can fool you that he's a dancer, but he has enough awkwardness and imperfection to remind you that he's not that everyone. He's learning this from the ground up. Unlike someone who's a Whitney, which people tend to have lots of thoughts and opinions on the fact that she is a trained dancer.

[Ryder Strong]

She's a professional. It's two professionals that are dancing together.

[Pandora Jewelry Advertiser]

Sure.

[Sharna Burgess]

But it doesn't mean she's going to win.

[Ryder Strong]

No, but I think that's. That's going to end up being a detriment, frankly, because I think people. That's why Andy's still there, is because I look at her, I'm sure she's a lovely human being. I obviously have nothing against her personally, but I was sure.

[Sharna Burgess]

I don't go there.

[Ryder Strong]

Neither do I. But at the same time, you know, I was watching with my parents, and I've seen two episodes with my parents, and both times my parents are like, so wait, which one is the pro? They literally. They can't tell the difference. They don't know which one is the pro. And that's why I think shows like so youo Think youk Can Dance and all that stuff. Again, nobody wants to watch American Idol. Well, I take that back. People obviously like watching her and they're voting for her. But I. I'll say for myself, I don't want to watch American Idol and see the person who's getting there really far has already had a record contract. That kind of does. It defeats the purpose of the show for me. But this this brings me to an interesting kind of series of questions about your celebrity that you get when you first find out who's coming on the show. Do you get a whole list of people that are coming on the show and you yet don't know who you're partnered with and you're kind of like, ooh, I wish I was this person, or I wish I was. And then they hand you someone and you're like, or. Or is it kind of like you don't know the other people coming on the show and they just go, you're with Andy Dick this year. And then you go, because I know Andy, so. But it's a whole different thing.

[Sharna Burgess]

It's different, right? No one gets a list. Right. You don't get to see. We're all checking the. The media releases and seeing what's been leaked just the same as anyone else. There were a few key moments where I was brought in and they said, hey, this is who I have for you. And one of those was Andy Dick for two reasons. It was my first season being promoted to pro and also of a. Do you know who Andy is? Do you know his history? Like, we want to make sure you're okay going into this kind of a situation, because who knows what my life has been like up to that point, Right?

[Ryder Strong]

Sure.

[Sharna Burgess]

So that sensitivity is really appreciated. But no, no, pro really gets the full disclosure. You walk into that room and you meet your celebrity for the first time. And me being Australian, by the way, nine times out of ten, I was like, you don't know who they are? No idea who they are. The only one I KN that I fangirled over was Nick Carter. I. Because I had no idea. They flew me back from Australia early. They would not tell me because they were so excited. And I went to this sound stage to meet my partner. I was like, what's going on here? I had no idea, no idea who it could be. And I seen the cameras are on me, and I see Nick Carter walking down the hallway, and I was like, nick Carter's here. That's so cool. Had no idea he was walking directly towards me. And the more he got to me, the more I blushed, the more I turned into the 10 year old that had, like, his posters on my bedroom walls. And I was like, I fangirl. I've never fangirled. I was like, are you my partner? Like, I couldn't even get my words out. And then I told him about the posters that were on my bedroom wall. So that was really embarrassing. But, like, you you don't ever actually know who's going to be in the room. And unless there is a very specific reason, they've had to check in with you about it.

[Ryder Strong]

And are you jealous of other pros and some of their. Their celebrities? Are you looking over, going like, oh, man, what I could have done with that guy?

[Pandora Jewelry Advertiser]

Sure.

[Sharna Burgess]

I mean, listen, let's be real. We're all competitors. We all love each other. We're absolutely family, but everyone wants to win. We literally came from a competitive life that we dedicated ourselves to. I was going to be a world champion. That was my dream. I left Australia at 18 years old to move to London to be a world champion. I'm a competitor by nature, so it's impossible for me to get into a season and not be like, damn, I wish I had that guy. That would be fun. But I've also had some of my most unbelievable seasons with people that weren't the dancers, that weren't the ringers. Like, you get to learn after a time of being on the show, it's not actually about how good they are. You're gonna be in a fake marriage with this person for three months. It's a simulated marriage. Basically. You're gonna go through everything, ups and downs. You'll be each other's shoulder to cry on, therapist, best friend, everything. And you want a person that you can actually get through that with. And sometimes it's not about it being the greatest, but you can also go all the way to the end. Example, Andy. I won with Bobby Bones. You know, I had a double amputee one time that I danced with, and I walked in, but I didn't walk in going, oh, my God, no. I walked in so excited for the opportunity to give him dance.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Sharna Burgess]

Because I understood the game at that point. I understood it wasn't about me, it was about that person. And, wow, what a gift that season was for me to be able to. I remember him walking. He would walk more confidently and better on his prosthetic than he had ever. And he'd been an amputee, double amputee for years. And that kind of stuff makes me emotional, like what dance can bring to a person. And so, yeah, I think some people maybe still get those things because they really want to win. But I. I think I loved it for the journey and the storytelling. I was always the storyteller. That was always my favorite part of it anyway. So, yeah, I guess, of course, I'm a competitor, but if you understand the gig, then you don't really get those Issues.

[Wilfred L.]

Right. And so you won with Bobby Bones, who I. I know nothing about any of this, but I've been told that he was basically. That he was basically the Andy Richter of his season. So did you ever think you would win that year? Were there moments like, how did. What was that process? Like, when did you realize, like, oh.

[Ryder Strong]

We got a shot.

[Sharna Burgess]

Shot, dude, never. They handed us a mirror ball, and I still didn't think we had a shot. I was like, what do you mean? Wow. We joked. We were like, we were going to get a mirror ball tattoo if we won because we never thought. I ended up having. I got the word mirrorball tattoo because I was like. He said it to all of his fan base. I. You know, every week when we went through, we were shook that it was happening, and we were exhausted, by the way, because Bobby worked his butt off and he did all the overtime. But it was also exhausting for both of us, traveling Nashville to la. He was putting in the hours and the work, and he loved every single moment of it. But it was. I honestly hadn't prepped the following week because I was like, this is the week we're gonna go home. It's been so nice. You know, we're friends for life. And then they're like, safe. Bobby and Shadow. I was like, what do you mean? I've got to do a Passa Dolly. Like, it was just. It was a thing. We got to the finale. I had no freestyle prepared. I was like, I don't. You haven't seen a freestyle yet. It is the big moment where the couple gets to do whatever they want. They throw a bud budget at it. You get to do all the things. And I was like, I. And you're usually prepping that for weeks because you know you've got a shot. I had no things, guys. I didn't have a song. I didn't have no idea what I was gonna do.

[Wilfred L.]

I probably made it better because you were just rolling with it and just in the moment.

[Sharna Burgess]

Oh. It ended up being for. Not. He did three steps in the whole thing, but if you ever go back and watch it. Bobby Bones, we did the Greatest Showman, and it was a showpiece. You know, I had him narrate the first part of it. Like, it was phenomenal. It was fun, but it was. It was shocking. We. I never, ever had a clue. And it was really the first time where someone like that won. You know, we'd had those people in the finals before even getting second. There was a baseball player, David Ross, who was Wonderful and lovable, but he. And he got second. And I think someone that could really dance one. It was the first win of its kind, and it really ruffled a lot of feathers, too. But the truth is, it's what the show is about.

[Ryder Strong]

That's what I was going to ask is. Is because I. I did not know who he was either. But obviously we've done a bit of research and it seemed like there was some ruffled feathers. So the question is, as. As the pro, are you more proud of taking somebody like that to the finals, or are you more proud of taking somebody who has some dance talent and going to the finals?

[Sharna Burgess]

That's a really interesting question. That's an angle I've never been asked. You know, I think the Bobby specific situation came with a lot of complicated stuff for me. I was incredibly proud at the time. And then when I saw all the hate that I was getting and that we broke the show and there was a lot of stuff involved with that, that was a bit yucky to process for a while, but now, incredibly proud. I just. We did our job. We did it to the absolute best of our ability and we got there and we did what the show is about. So absolute. As much pride as I have in the Nick Carter season and any other great season that I have, I created some amazing work with Bobby for what he was capable of and super proud of it. But certainly there's nothing quite like when you have someone that can really do some stuff and you get to look back at that work and be like, wow. Cause also in those seasons, I get to dance even to my fullest ability with someone like Bobby, my technique is out the window. I am dance. I'm making sure he is getting what he needs. Look at me. That when I've got someone like a James Hinchcliffe or a Nick Carter, I can dance my off. So, yeah, I can go back and watch those performances. I did a fully blindfolded Argentine Tango with one of my partners because. And he was an Indy car driver, a race car driver that just freakishly was amazing at dance. And he was one that learned, by the way, through the physics of dance. Because of his background in race cars and driving and momentum, we would be talking about percentages of weight and centrifugal force and all sorts of things that he needs. Crazy, right? Wow. But anyway, I can be. I look back at some of that work in that season and it's. I think some of the stuff. I'm the most proud of him and Nick Carter, as far as Creativity. But then I look at Bobby Bones, I'm like, I worked my off. So did he. We created some amazing stuff.

[Ryder Strong]

Did you now? One of the things we're seeing that with Emma, we noticed that there's. During the dance, she's essentially talking to Andy the whole time.

[Sharna Burgess]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

So is that what it's like? I mean, are you literally like. And don't forget, move your feet and hands out this way. And is it. I mean, are you kind of walking them through the dance as well?

[Sharna Burgess]

All of it? Yes. All of. All of the above. Not everyone you have to do that with. But she is reciting. And so what you learn throughout your rehearsal of the week is you have your own dance language. You have little keywords that you've come up with that resonated with them that make sense. You know, one of my things in a frame was palm tree. It was a visual, it was a thing that made sense to people in the shaping they were supposed to make. You're counting them in 5, 6, 7, 8. You'll see. A lot of the time, I think for some reason it feels like it's more the female because the, the, the female pros that are doing it, the males are always in the dominant leading position. So they can physically. The dance is built for them to physically put the girl where they're meant to be. Right. Unless they're doing a side by side section. But we are in the passive position. So sometimes it's hard to back lead and you are yelling these things to them and telling them left, right, or 5, 6, or arms up or whatever it is, he'll lead you. I like trying to smile, trying to like say the things to them that they need to hear and remember.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, that was another question that we had was exactly what you were saying. Because we both had different points of view and both of them, I think were right, strangely enough. But do you believe it's harder to be a female pro because you have to teach the man how to lead? Or is it harder to be the male pro because you still get the. To have the dominant position? Which one's more difficult?

[Sharna Burgess]

I mean, I personally think it's harder being the female pro because of what we have to teach in teaching them to lead and teaching them to be a man. They are the ones that are lifting us. You know, they are the one. There's. There's a lot that goes into it. It's also the, the job that we have is harder for dancing with sass, specifically because ballroom dancing is designed to show off the woman. Woman. Right. So we have all the flourishes and the extra things and the. So that we have more complicated footwork, but it's designed to show us off. So then as the female pro, you have to work really hard for people to not say, oh, she was dancing around him, when sometimes that is just. Just naturally what the choreography is. Right. So we have to work really hard to make sure the choreography makes them shine and specifically put the feature on them in ways that you don't necessarily always do it in ballroom dancing because it's much more focused on watching the female. But it is hard. It's hard both ways. Look, and it really is a case by case basis. There is some types of female celebrities that have been really hard to teach. You know, it depends if they have. It's all related to athleticism and body strength and core strength, determination, focus. Can they. Can they handle it? You know what I mean? Sometimes the men can handle the. The tough love a little bit more than the women can. So then the men have to soften their style of teaching. We all have things that we have to deal with going, whether it's for male or female celebrities. But I think in a physical sense of what we have to teach and how to get the as much juice out of the squeeze. Is that the right saying? I think the females is something. Juice out of the. I don't know.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. Anyway, is. Is. Is the juice worth the squeeze? Is what the actual.

[Sharna Burgess]

I think I got the wrong analogy then. Or the wrong saying.

[Wilfred L.]

It was perfect.

[Ryder Strong]

It worked. It worked.

[Sharna Burgess]

It worked fine.

[Ryder Strong]

You evolved the analogy. Like the dance itself evolves. See, we brought it all back around down.

[Sharna Burgess]

It's now a thing. If I had to pick, I would say the female pros have it harder. But I'm a female pro, so I'm sure any of the male pros would be like, whatever is she talking about?

[Pod Meets World Host 1]

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[Wilfred L.]

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[Wilfred L.]

All right, so I'm sure you've talked about this a lot on your. Your own podcast, but I'm really curious if you have, if you can present some overall feelings about this season in comparison to seasons past or what makes this season unique or interesting in your opinion.

[Sharna Burgess]

It's funny. I think every season is unique, you know, because you just simply have different personalities. We have a very stacked season, and it's not always this stacked. You know, very few times it's this stacked. Funnily enough, the season I won with Bobby, it was this stacked. You're not.

[Ryder Strong]

That's one of the reasons why you.

[Sharna Burgess]

Want, I think, that in a season full of stacked dancing, where maybe the votes for amazing dancing are split between and whatever is going on, Bobby was able to come in with the people that vote for the people's champion and took the whole thing home because it was wild, standing there with four other couples that could legitimately dance.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Sharna Burgess]

And then we won. And I think you're looking at something similar this season where Andy is, as the judges have said, the heart of the show, the people's champion reminding people what this experience is about while everyone else is fighting over who's got dance experience and the difference of a point between Alex and Whitney and who whatever. Those votes are now split. But there is that core chunk of people that love Dancing with the Stars for the experience and the person that is the underdog or the whatever. And they're all voting for Andy, especially now that we sadly lost Danielle. They are definitely all voting for Andy. Andy.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. So were there seasons where Danielle would have made the finals or maybe even won 100%.

[Sharna Burgess]

She's wonderful and talented. She was doing such a great job. She was just caught up in the middle of a season where you have an Andy, which is also a rare personality and character and energy. Right. The way he captivates, that's rare. But then you have it stacked on the front end with gymnasts and dancers and all sorts of things. And she sadly was left in the middle. Not because she's not talented, not because she was. Wasn't captivating on the floor, doing a great job, but there was just such extremes on either side of her.

[Wilfred L.]

Right.

[Sharna Burgess]

And it just made it really, really hard for her to. To go all the way. But her impasha did a phenomenal job.

[Wilfred L.]

Yeah.

[Sharna Burgess]

You know, and she is also what this experience is about. Yeah, very much so. And watching her do that, and I love that she got to do her last contemporary. That was an emotional piece for her and she felt how cathartic dance can be. And she was talking about the things that it brought up for her. It's beautiful in that way. And Dancing with the Stars is about that too. So I love that she got to have that experience before she left. But I was really sad it's gone so fast. You know, where we've got three weeks to go and so it feels too soon to leave her, but I get it. We've got three weeks and a stacked cast and it's going to go very fast.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. Can I. Can I ask you a couple quick rapid fire questions?

[Sharna Burgess]

Sure.

[Ryder Strong]

You can choose not to answer any of these questions, but you have to answer every single one.

[Wilfred L.]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

Which pro has the biggest ego?

[Sharna Burgess]

The biggest ego? All of us. All of us.

[Ryder Strong]

Really? So it's not just instantly Val.

[Sharna Burgess]

No, actually, no. So if you knew that Val is also incredibly humble at the same time, if you got any personal time with him, he definitely has that New Yorker like thing about him that is just all up there and you feel that. That it's 100% ego, but he's not. He's also. He's got a lot of humility to himself as well.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay. How much does the amazing amount of social media that has been surrounding this show lately affect the judging?

[Sharna Burgess]

Oh, the judging is very interesting and it's hard to answer that because this unbelievable amount of social media is very new in the last couple of years. I think everyone is adjusting. I think you can see Derek being affected by it and some of the things he said relating to when he. More positivity. Like, I know personally, some of the dancers that I've spoken to in Just sharing some advice with them on how to, like, post and ghost and don't look. I think it's affecting everyone across the board because it is vicious out there and unnecessarily so. And I. I never had really that in. In my time, it was Tumblr. I remember seeing blogs of people that hated me, but it wasn't like this. And so. And I do believe they have someone that is on set to always be there for them, for them to check in, like some aid. Whether that is a counselor, I don't know what we call that person, but it is. There are resources there for people to reach out to.

[Ryder Strong]

A mental health professional, maybe something along those lines.

[Sharna Burgess]

Yeah. Because it is wild this season and I imagine that it's affecting everybody.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Wilfred L.]

It's interesting to hear the booze. When, like, Carrie Anne was judging last night, I was like, is it coming into the room in a way that it didn't before? Like, yeah.

[Sharna Burgess]

What's interesting about that is not that boos are choreographed or are or indicated to happen, but the. The hype, man, is very much like, if you love something, love it. If you hate it, do it. Because it's a live audience. We want sound. You know what I mean? We want movement, we want things. And so you need that in there. But it was never received. It almost used to be comical in a way. Like, Len used to get booed all the time, but now that booing is crossing over into social media, and I think we're all getting a little bit more sensitive with it now. Now. And like, how are you booing when sometimes Carrie Ann was the only one on the panel at some point trying to say a critique, and then she's getting booed. But then online people are like, but the judges aren't saying anything and they're giving it an 8. Like, you can't have it both ways, man. It's just getting really intense all around. But I think, personally, I think we need the booze.

[Pod Meets World Host 1]

It's just.

[Sharna Burgess]

They've felt a little bit more intentional as. Than playful lately.

[Ryder Strong]

It's just. There's a. There's a mean aspect to what. But it's social media, so that's the way it is.

[Wilfred L.]

Well, it feels like there's a history behind it, you know, like that.

[Ryder Strong]

That's the.

[Wilfred L.]

For me is I was like, I feel like they're responding to what happened last week because they've all whipped each other up into a frenzy. And I'm like, carryan hasn't actually said anything yet. And they're already booing her. I'm like, well, hold on.

[Ryder Strong]

Like, let's.

[Wilfred L.]

Let's hear her out.

[Sharna Burgess]

She literally just says, but. And they.

[Wilfred L.]

Exactly.

[Ryder Strong]

They're just like, no. It's like, literally her job. At least say something.

[Wilfred L.]

She's been so judgmental as a judge.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm a judge.

[Pandora Jewelry Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Another quick question. Is it true in Australia, all the spins go in the opposite direction?

[Sharna Burgess]

Action. Absolutely. Yes.

[Pandora Jewelry Advertiser]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Great. And then for me, final quick fire. Who's gonna win.

[Sharna Burgess]

My money right now? If I was a betting woman, would be on Robert.

[Wilfred L.]

Really? Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

So you don't. You don't think. You think. You think the people will take Andy so far and then they will, at the end of the day, still vote for somebody who can dance.

[Sharna Burgess]

So the difference here is that Robert, there is just something about the Irwin family, right. And there is just something spectacular about that legacy. He is so lovable and he's very good. And the fact that he is like Steve all day and in the skybox and then he dances and he puts on this whole other Persona, it's wild to watch and it's captivating. And I think the fact that he is not a dancer, that is dancing very well and all the other things around it. My money's on Robert, but I reckon we might see Angel Randy in the final. Well, haters gonna have to prepare themselves.

[Ryder Strong]

I was gonna say they're gonna have to do something, but you're. I mean, you obviously live here now, but are you getting vibes from back in Australia? What it's like watching him go this far on the show?

[Sharna Burgess]

Oh, no, I. Yeah, I live here now, so.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, no, I know. But I'm just wondering if you're hearing from back home, like, how amazing, like, oh, my God, he's Australia's champion.

[Sharna Burgess]

Oh, well, they don't actually get it in Australia. It doesn't air in Australia. Australia is the Australia one.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, man. So it's not like Love island where there's 37 different versions you can watch. Oh, okay. Amazing.

[Sharna Burgess]

Yeah. Our Australian Dancing with the Stars is in, like 100 and something territories. And so Dancing with the Stars in Australia only is Dancing with the Stars Australia. The UK only is the UK one, so. But I do have people over there, of course, that would try and, like, get their VPNs and whatnot to watch it, especially when I was on it. And I would say that Australia is YouTubing the heck out of it. Because of Ron. Robert.

[Home Depot Advertiser]

Right.

[Sharna Burgess]

And very, very excited. He's on all the local news Channels. They are all very, very excited about Robert potentially winning it, just like his sister Bindi did. So, yeah, they're tuning in, but it doesn't actually air over there.

[Ryder Strong]

Crazy.

[Wilfred L.]

Wow, man. Well, Sharna, thank you so much for answering all of our questions, teaching us a little bit more about Dancing with the Stars. This is. Yeah, this has been quite a journey. And even though Danielle's off, we're not finished yet. We're gonna to keep. We're going to keep going.

[Sharna Burgess]

All right. I love that. We'll enjoy you guys, and maybe we'll do this again sometime.

[Ryder Strong]

Thank you.

[Wilfred L.]

Thank you so much.

[Sharna Burgess]

No worries. Bye, everyone.

[Wilfred L.]

Bye.

[Ryder Strong]

See you, man.

[Pod Meets World Host 1]

She's.

[Ryder Strong]

It's incredible.

[Wilfred L.]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

To. There's so much. So many questions we had. She was able to answer. First of all, though, I do have to say the accent. She's from New Jersey.

[Wilfred L.]

Total crap.

[Ryder Strong]

But knowledgeable, which is nice.

[Wilfred L.]

Oh, man. I, I, I, I would never want to be a. I would love to be a judge. Like, I feel like being a judge is actually pretty fun, but the idea of putting all of that effort creatively, physically, and then really just kind of being the unsung hero. No, thanks. No, thanks.

[Ryder Strong]

It's not just that, but it's exactly what she said. She's right. They all come from such competitive backgrounds that there are times they, I'm sure, walk in and see their pro and are like, oh, man. But then I have to imagine they also know the show well enough to go like, okay, the story's there.

[Wilfred L.]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

We could go far with this, and they will progress as Dan. I mean, say what you want about Andy, and there's plenty of people saying plenty of things, but he has gotten better from the first week to now.

[Wilfred L.]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And if that's what the show is about, then he's what the show is about. I mean, it's.

[Wilfred L.]

I know, but, like, you said it best, I think, a couple episodes ago, where you were like, is it fair when you have people who are really, you know, who are learning how to dance and doing something so much more than he is, frankly, capable of getting eliminated? You know, and I felt it with Danielle last night.

[Ryder Strong]

He's still there, and our best friend is gone, and she's worked her off, and I'm not saying he hasn't.

[Wilfred L.]

No, he has.

[Ryder Strong]

It was a different level. It's just a different level. And it's one of those things where, yeah, it's such a weird thing, but it's almost the flip side of the popularity contests you grew up with in High school, where the football player who wasn't qualified in any way, shape or form to actually be president of the class was voted overwhelmingly to be president of the class. It feels a little bit like that.

[Wilfred L.]

Well, I think Sharna put it best when she said that this season, and it sounds like the Bobby Bones season for her was that it was too extreme in both directions. Do you know what I mean? It's sort of like the show should be either. Or the show should either be. Anybody can learn to dance. Let's root for people based on their progress. Or the show is a real dancing competition. Let's, you know, vote them based on quality of actual dancing. And I think in. Unfortunately, this season is sort of split between those two and people like Danielle who are really progressing and kind of able to do both right, Have a personal story, be somebody who never danced before. I mean, she's just losing out. And that's.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, it's too bad. Strangely enough, having only seen the eight episodes, I do think, think this show from a production standpoint needs a retool. It does. It needs to. What is this show right now? Is it a professional kind of dance thing where you're trying to find the next great professional dancer? Or is it let's take people who can't dance and teach them how to dance?

[Wilfred L.]

You know what it would take? I think that the answer is either a complete judge reset, like, completely new panel of judges, or. Or ask the judges, episode one, to explain their criterion. Do you know what I mean? Like, if each of them said, here's what I'm judging on for this entire season, and I'm not going to change my opinion as we go because just letting it be their personalities without them presenting, like, here's the things I think the show is. Here's what I'm going to be judging based on. We're just sort of, like, left to assume those things. But if they clearly stated, this is my thesis statement coming in, I am a judge who is going to care about X X, then we could be like, okay, and they could be different, right? They could have different. But as. But right now, we're just sort of left to be like. And that's, you know, on the show's producers, I think maybe to make that a little clearer from the outset of the season, like, Derek is this type of judge. Carrie Anne's coming with this. Bruno's gonna be the fun. You know, whatever it is, they just come with, like, I'm gonna be judging based on this. And, you know, because, like, what was Flava Flav doing, You know, like, it's.

[Ryder Strong]

Just because he was Rock and Roll hall of Fame, but he had.

[Wilfred L.]

But that's also. Also can. That could be reflected in all the judges to a certain extent. You're just like, oh, okay, I guess we're just gonna listen to this person.

[Ryder Strong]

Right?

[Wilfred L.]

So it'd be nice to have a little more clarity on that front, I think.

[Ryder Strong]

I think that's a great idea. Even levels. I don't know if you. I mean, how do you say that? It's. But it's weird. Then you throw in somebody like Andy or I guess it's Bobby Bones, who again, neither of us know anything about, but. And he. They throw a wrench into the system where when you say, but come on, this person is a professional dancer, basically, and they're like, yeah, but these people are winning or they're being voted through every week. So isn't that kind of showing what the show can do? It's such. It's infuriating at times. It really is infuriating. And then you're right. I see Andy, who you like and who. His story is great. And you're really. I'm watch. Enjoying watching him, and he's lovable and likable, and my best friend who worked her off, who was clearly the better dancer, is no longer there. And so it's kind of like, ugh, yeah, I don't know. It's infuriating. But we're here for the journey.

[Wilfred L.]

All right, that's it for this episode of Pod meets Twirled. Join us next episode as we continue watching season 34 of Dancing with the Stars. We may not know a cha cha from a chimichanga, but we know what we learned. Way back in Feeney's class, Daniel Fishel 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 Romo, producer and editor, Tara Sugbash, producer, Matty Moore, engineering engineer and boy meets world superman Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram odmeatsworldshow or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com.

[Pod Meets World Host 1]

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[Ryder Strong]

See paypal.com promoter points can be redeemed for cash and more. Paying for subject to terms and approval. PayPal Inc. And MLS 910457 this is an iHeart podcast.