00:00:02
Speaker 1: THE END.
00:00:14
Speaker 2: Welcome back to Danielle with I am the Danielle.
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Speaker 3: I was a child star who was relatively retired from the business until I was asked to play the same character 10 years later. Then I slithered back into my hole, only to return almost a decade after that and compete on season 34 of Dancing with the Stars.
00:00:33
Speaker 2: Since that time, I have launched more podcasts than anyone else in the greater Western hemisphere.
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Speaker 3: And now, with a new season of Dancing with the Stars once again blowing the collective minds of mainstream pop culture, I am talking all about it. Recapping every week with Kim Johnson-Herjavec while talking to the incredible cast of pros and celebrities creating the weekly wow moments in 2026. And this week, I am talking to two fan favorites who helped build a deafening anticipation for the show. and though eliminated week three, displayed a degree of determination and resilience that was undeniable. He is in his 11th season on the show and a mirrorball champion back in season 28 with Hannah Brown, and a runner-up for his incredible run in season 33 with Olympian Ilona Maher. My other guest is the Emmy-winning chef and entrepreneur who helped mold the industry that became food television and is the only person to have studied at Les.
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Speaker 2: Cordon Bleu and appeared on Scooby-Doo. Fresh off the ballroom floor, welcome Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Burstyn.
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Speaker 4: That is unbelievable.
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Speaker 2: Welcome. I'm so happy to have you here with me.
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Speaker 3: Alan already knows how I feel about him and his girlfriend and his dog. So Giada, I just wanted to personally congratulate you for taking such an incredible leap and proving to yourself what you are capable of. I feel like the scores and eliminations are truly a different competition than the one we put ourselves through.
00:02:18
Speaker 2: And you succeeded, in my opinion, with Flying Colors.
00:02:21
Speaker 3: So I wanted to give you your flowers as someone who has been on the journey themselves.
00:02:28
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's one hell of a whirlwind journey. Yeah. I will say that I was impressed that I was actually able to do what I did. I certainly had.
00:02:45
Speaker 5: an unbelievable coach in it all. Alan, there's no chance, not a zero chance I could do.
00:02:52
Speaker 4: Any of it without him. I think that, you know, he pointed.
00:02:57
Speaker 5: Out some really interesting things about me, some great and some, you know, that need work as we all do.
00:03:04
Speaker 4: As we go on these journeys. I think it's really.
00:03:07
Speaker 5: Hard for what Alan does because he's thrown into this like relationship, like right away, you have no time to get to know each other. He has no time to understand like, how does someone who doesn't know anything about music?
00:03:21
Speaker 4: I mean, I couldn't count music.
00:03:23
Speaker 5: Right.
00:03:23
Speaker 4: So Alan had to teach me that. So I think in his.
00:03:27
Speaker 5: I don't know, he'll talk about it, but it's, it's probably mind boggling trying to understand how, how do you teach this person that you just met and you only have a finite amount of time to get them ready for this. Yeah.
00:03:40
Speaker 4: So, It's impossible.
00:03:41
Speaker 5: I mean, it's an impossible task. So the fact that I actually got out there and did.
00:03:46
Speaker 4: Two dances is huge.
00:03:48
Speaker 5: I wish I would have had an opportunity to get better and do more. But hell, you know, sometimes the universe has whatever it has.
00:03:55
Speaker 4: Prepared for you. Yes.
00:03:56
Speaker 2: And Alan, how do you handle that?
00:03:59
Speaker 3: Because like Giada mentioned, there's also a bit of being a therapist.
00:04:04
Speaker 2: You don't even have a chance to learn.
00:04:08
Speaker 4: No, I think it's full-time therapy.
00:04:11
Speaker 2: Full-time therapy. And you have to figure out how does this person learn the best? Are they auditory?
00:04:16
Speaker 3: Are they visual? Like, and teaching her how to count music. You have so much on your plate immediately and you need to do like a crash course. How do you approach your relationship with each new celebrity?
00:04:28
Speaker 1: There was a lot on the plate and she brought lasagna.
00:04:32
Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, exactly. And there was lasagna on the plate.
00:04:35
Speaker 1: She bribed me with food. No, honestly, it was... Every season is different. And it's not just a learning experience for the celebrities. Like I learned so much from being with Giada. You know, just like you mentioned, like audio or visual. It was interesting this year with Giada. I had her write down her steps. And I've never done that before with anyone.
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Speaker 2: And do you feel like that was helpful?
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Speaker 1: Giada, you tell me.
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Speaker 5: Yeah.
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Speaker 4: Oh, my God. Yes. It allowed me to sort of Alan would say your body knows the dance. Just go with it. Your body knows the dance.
00:05:12
Speaker 5: And I would say, but my mind doesn't know the dance and my mind has to get like understand it. He's like, I wish you could throw that mind out for just a minute. So allow you to just go with it. And that I think for me was one.
00:05:24
Speaker 4: Of the hardest things to do.
00:05:26
Speaker 5: Let's literally throw it out the window and just go with my gut or go with whatever my body was doing. But yes, writing it down. I thought the day we did it was like a waste of our time, but it wasn't. I literally somehow absorbed the tango in my brain as well as my body.
00:05:42
Speaker 4: They became one.
00:05:44
Speaker 5: So, yeah, I think it takes a lot for someone like Alinda to know what to do.
00:05:48
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's but that's the whole thing is there's not something like, oh, I know what to do. Everyone's journey is so different and everyone's learning experience is so different that it is like a puzzle. And that's why it's so fun after 11 seasons of like, oh, it's not just copy and paste. It's like, let's figure it out together. And I think that's the beauty of the show and of the partnerships. And like, that's what makes everything so, so unique and real is that every relationship is different. And so like learning is different. And so it keeps us on our toes.
00:06:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm not trying to infantilize these celebrities, but it is a little bit like parenting. Like you, there's no rule book for it.
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Speaker 2: There's no guidebook.
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Speaker 3: You just kind of get thrown in and each child is different and you not, you can't raise each kid the exact same way because they don't necessarily respond. So it's a little, and you also have no idea what you're in for until you're actually in it.
00:06:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, and for the celebrities as well.
00:06:48
Speaker 4: Yes, I think it's for the celebrity. You think it's one thing, And then it turns into something totally different. And I get it. You're right, Danielle. It's kind of like parenting.
00:06:58
Speaker 5: Everybody can give you advice about parenting, but until you're in it, you don't really know what tips or tricks or tools you need in that toolbox to handle that child. And I will say at times we act, well, at least for me, I acted like a child, like the frustration of.
00:07:14
Speaker 4: Not getting it.
00:07:16
Speaker 5: And I think both Alan and I both got frustrated, not with each other as much as with ourselves.
00:07:21
Speaker 4: Alan trying to figure out how the hell do I teach this woman?
00:07:24
Speaker 5: And for me, how the hell do I tell him how to teach me something that I can't even fathom understanding? And I think sometimes, you know, with the time constraints, it really gets to you.
00:07:35
Speaker 1: Oh, yeah.
00:07:36
Speaker 4: Yeah. you know, that's when the therapy comes in.
00:07:40
Speaker 3: You have been in many high pressure situations in your career, Gialda, whether you are in a busy kitchen or you're on live TV, where does dancing with the stars rank in terrifying experiences? Like what made you sweat more, the ballroom or the back of Spago's on a Friday night?
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Speaker 5: I think the ballroom because I was prepped for the, you know, the back of Spago's. I went to culinary school. I had a lot of training for several years. I mean, yeah, there's, You never know what you're going to be in for there either because it's a live thing that's breathing.
00:08:13
Speaker 4: It's a beast. But definitely, I didn't have.
00:08:17
Speaker 5: I did not have the same amount of preparation for Dancing with the Stars that I had for my career. And I think that's the difference of the pressure, you know? And I said that, I think, a few times to Alan. He's like, you've done live television before. I said, yeah, but behind a stove with things that I love, with ingredients I can hold on to, with a knife I can hold on to, things.
00:08:40
Speaker 4: That are my security blankets.
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Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:08:43
Speaker 4: There's no security blanket. You're literally naked. You've got nothing to protect you. And yeah, it feels like you walked into a room totally naked.
00:08:53
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:08:54
Speaker 3: So Alan, did you ever think about just choreographing a dance with some knives?
00:08:58
Speaker 2: Make her feel more comfortable?
00:09:00
Speaker 1: No, I was afraid.
00:09:01
Speaker 2: Okay.
00:09:04
Speaker 1: You know, it's interesting though. It's like, it's weird how like the very first week I feel like Giada was so nervous. And then the second we like started, it was like, Oh, we're locked in. No, every week is different and every dance is different. And we had more time for the tango. So it's like, it's just, you can't. And I told her this, I was like, you can't, no matter what I say, you're not going to be prepared enough until you feel it yourself. Yep. No matter what anyone tells you, The second you go out there and you feel the energy, that's like, oh, I'm ready.
00:09:38
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:09:39
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:09:39
Speaker 1: No, it's like, it's one of those things where like no amount of preparation will get you prepared. Yeah.
00:09:45
Speaker 3: Or if you're, if you're just not going to feel ready, you're just not going to feel ready there. And there's, and by that time, by the time, you know, I don't feel ready. There's, it's too late. There's nothing you, you know, there, there's nothing you can do. You're like, well, I could, we could go back there and run it three more times. But if I'm not ready at this point, I'm probably just going to go out there and have to hope for the best.
00:10:06
Speaker 4: And what does Alan say when you say that?
00:10:08
Speaker 1: I don't like hope.
00:10:10
Speaker 2: You don't like hope.
00:10:12
Speaker 1: Hope is just like, you're there's zero control and hope.
00:10:16
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:10:17
Speaker 3: But there's zero control period. You can pretend to be in control. We can pretend we can fool ourselves into like, yeah.
00:10:24
Speaker 2: I mean, there is, there is, I.
00:10:26
Speaker 1: Think there's a difference between belief and hope.
00:10:28
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:10:29
Speaker 2: Okay. You're right. I believe I can do it versus I hope I can do it.
00:10:32
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:10:33
Speaker 2: Okay. I love that clarification.
00:10:35
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:10:36
Speaker 1: To me, I'm like, you got to believe in yourself. You got to believe that you can do it. I don't want you to hope you can do it. Cause then like hope is like, might happen versus believe like, no, I can make this happen.
00:10:47
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:10:48
Speaker 3: I put in the work I've focused. I, you know, and, and I guess depending on whether or not the celeb has put in the work, you know, if someone's like, Hmm, I shouldn't have taken three days off, you know, then I don't know.
00:11:00
Speaker 1: If anyone's ever taken one day off.
00:11:03
Speaker 2: Oh, I know some people.
00:11:05
Speaker 4: Well, I, yeah, I listen, I agree with both of you. You have to believe in yourself. And that is the, The ultimate lesson of Dancing with the Stars. You have to get there. And if you don't get there, then, you know, you don't get there.
00:11:20
Speaker 5: I guess.
00:11:21
Speaker 1: And I always use this analogy of like, you won't believe in yourself until you do it right. But you probably won't do it right until you start believing in yourself.
00:11:32
Speaker 2: Yep, yep.
00:11:33
Speaker 1: One of those things of like, something has to break. You either rip the bandaid off and be like, you know what, I'm going to do it anyways. And then you're like, oh, I did it. And now I know that, like, it wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be. Yeah. Now I believe in myself a little bit more.
00:11:49
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:11:49
Speaker 1: But it's that circle of, like, something has to happen of, in order to get it, like, oh, I feel so good about this.
00:11:57
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:11:58
Speaker 1: But you won't believe it until you get it.
00:12:00
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:12:00
Speaker 3: I remember the first time of every, you know, when you start doing the runs, like where you're like, okay, we've got the whole choreography down.
00:12:07
Speaker 2: You remember it. Now we just got to run it, run it, run it, run it.
00:12:09
Speaker 3: I remember the minute I would do it all the way through feeling like, wow, that was the best of my ability. Then after that, it was much easier to believe in myself. Cause it was like, I already did it. I know I can, I just have to replicate what I have already done before.
00:12:25
Speaker 2: So that is always helpful.
00:12:27
Speaker 1: And that's like one of those things of like, You know, the first time you get it to music, you're like, I did it.
00:12:33
Speaker 4: I did it.
00:12:34
Speaker 1: You know, there's little wins throughout the week.
00:12:37
Speaker 2: And they're all worth celebrating.
00:12:40
Speaker 1: Absolutely. But that's what like the show is so hard about is like, it's not just you going on a journey. You're also competing against others.
00:12:47
Speaker 2: I know. I know that competition part is hard.
00:12:51
Speaker 1: And it's sad because no one's like competitive. Everyone's like super competitive.
00:12:55
Speaker 2: Everyone's rooting for each other.
00:13:09
Speaker 3: I also wanted to talk about one of my least favorite parts of Dancing with the Stars fan discourse, and that is age. I know Alan saw this with Elaine last year. I saw it about myself. And it's like, if you are over 40 on this show... people treat you like you might as well be.
00:13:27
Speaker 2: On your deathbed.
00:13:28
Speaker 3: I remember one interview with Andy last year where, and I am paraphrasing, but they basically asked him if he wanted to do this because he wanted to try something new basically before he died. And it was like, it was a We are not actually that old. Like my grandfather lived to be 99 and a half. I may not even be middle-aged. So I just wanted to know, did you get that feeling? Like everyone just wanted to talk about you being the oldest contestant on this season?
00:14:07
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:14:08
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:14:08
Speaker 4: A hundred percent. Yeah.
00:14:10
Speaker 5: And I didn't realize I was the oldest contestant until I was the oldest contestant.
00:14:13
Speaker 2: Until someone was like, she's the oldest contestant.
00:14:16
Speaker 5: Until then I was like, I didn't even, it didn't, it didn't dawn on me until it dawned on me because everybody was like, Oh yeah, you're the oldest one of everybody.
00:14:25
Speaker 4: Oh my God. And then it was like, Oh, let's get rid of her. Come on. She's the oldest. Let's get rid of her.
00:14:30
Speaker 5: And I know Elaine had a lot of those same issues. Um, but yeah, And I, and they did get rid of me eventually. I mean, pretty soon, pretty quickly, but.
00:14:39
Speaker 4: I feel like, you know, I, I think that it is definitely, you know, a young person's sort of, uh, competition. Definitely.
00:14:49
Speaker 5: I mean, the amount of work you put into it and the stamina and not that, that someone my age can't do it because clearly we can.
00:14:57
Speaker 4: Um, but you know, I get, I.
00:15:00
Speaker 5: Get why they see it more as a young person's sort of, um, game. But at the same time, I think it's awesome to do no matter what age you are. And I think that you learn so many valuable lessons and things that you learn about yourself. You also gain a lot of self-confidence in it once you see yourself actually doing it. I think that is a That is something that you take away and it should happen for someone. And I think I've said this a million times, but I think we should do scary things every decade, at least every decade, because it keeps you alive and it keeps you moving forward.
00:15:41
Speaker 4: And it gives you.
00:15:42
Speaker 5: The self-confidence that you need, because I think society kind of bangs you in the head with like, you're too old for this, you're.
00:15:48
Speaker 4: Too old for that. But like, you're not, you're not.
00:15:52
Speaker 5: And the only way to remind yourself is to do scary stuff.
00:15:54
Speaker 4: And so I did something scary.
00:15:57
Speaker 5: It didn't last as long as I would have loved, but I got to meet Alan and so many other people. And I got to see myself do something that honestly, before this, Danielle, I definitely did not think I could do.
00:16:09
Speaker 4: So, you know, I take that with me. And I think that that was worth every second of it.
00:16:14
Speaker 5: And I will say this last week, my body misses it.
00:16:18
Speaker 4: Alan, it does. It misses like, it misses the dance part.
00:16:23
Speaker 5: It misses the feeling of like grabbing something by the horns and actually mastering it.
00:16:30
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:16:30
Speaker 4: I mean, mastering it is a big word, but I meant like, you know, getting it and it's fun.
00:16:36
Speaker 5: You know, my body misses that newness that like, even though I had a broken toe and I had all these issues, it still missed it.
00:16:43
Speaker 2: Weirdly.
00:16:44
Speaker 4: Oh yeah.
00:16:45
Speaker 1: That is so, you know, it's, it's, instant gratification it's achieving something it's setting these goals weekly but also every day of like okay today we got to try to learn this section and then when you do it you're like i did it was it hard yeah but but i've accomplished something today and it's like even though it might feel like oh it's nothing like to me when i'm in new york city and i get on the right train and i get to my destination.
00:17:13
Speaker 2: I'm like look what i did yeah it And it's like when.
00:17:17
Speaker 1: You're dancing every day and you're like, I learned a new step today. And for somebody, it could be like, so what? But for us, it's like, no, that's a huge accomplishment. And it is fun. And you learn about yourself and you're growing. And I think it's nice to set goals like every day. But then like Giada was saying, when you go out there and you do it and you're like, yeah, I mastered it to different levels. Everyone.
00:17:43
Speaker 4: Yes, for sure.
00:17:44
Speaker 1: And we're not comparing to people. But when you achieve that, that is such a strong feeling.
00:17:50
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:17:52
Speaker 5: It gives you a sense of purpose that is different than your regular life.
00:17:56
Speaker 4: You know, like, sure, we all set goals for ourselves or whatever.
00:17:59
Speaker 5: But this is an immediate gratification of mastering something.
00:18:05
Speaker 4: And you're just like, wow, that feels amazing.
00:18:08
Speaker 5: Because As we get older, we stop doing that so much, right? We get comfortable, we get into our lives of what we do well. And like, and I'm sure for you too, Danielle, when you started your podcast.
00:18:18
Speaker 4: You're like, I did that. Yeah, I interviewed 10 people. This is a milestone. And then eventually you do it more and more and you're like, okay, okay, okay.
00:18:26
Speaker 5: But everyone, but it's just amazing when you're dancing because yes, every day I'd be like, oh my God, I just danced that piece that Alan choreographed.
00:18:33
Speaker 4: On my toes. Yes.
00:18:35
Speaker 5: And I got to do that and I did it and he was happy that I did it as well as I could do it. And I feel like that instant gratification kind of goes away And I will say that this past week, it did.
00:18:47
Speaker 4: It went away. And I was like, wait, that's freaking bummer.
00:18:50
Speaker 1: I know.
00:18:51
Speaker 2: That's the part I wish more people talked about.
00:18:53
Speaker 4: That's the downside of it, you know?
00:18:55
Speaker 3: The day after you get eliminated and you have had a jam packed every single day schedule and then you get eliminated and they don't send you the call sheet. You don't get your rehearsal time and you wake up and you go, well, I wasn't expecting this.
00:19:10
Speaker 2: This is empty of a day.
00:19:11
Speaker 4: Yeah, exactly. It's hard. And also you had nothing planned, right? Because you'd blocked out your schedule. So now you're like, oh, wow.
00:19:18
Speaker 5: Not only am I not dancing, but I really don't even have anything else in there.
00:19:22
Speaker 2: I can't even distract myself.
00:19:23
Speaker 4: I've got to deal with this. Exactly.
00:19:26
Speaker 1: Exactly.
00:19:27
Speaker 5: I thought I'd share that because sometimes I think people don't talk about that because that's the downside.
00:19:33
Speaker 4: I'm looking for a place on the West side that I can go dancing. Yes. No joke. I'm like, I think I like this. Not, not for as many hours a day as I was.
00:19:41
Speaker 5: Doing it, but like to continue that, because that feels, I didn't realize how, how good it felt to accomplish that and that instant feeling.
00:19:51
Speaker 4: And I crave it.
00:19:52
Speaker 5: I obviously crave it in a way I never thought I would.
00:19:56
Speaker 4: So Alan, well done dude.
00:19:58
Speaker 2: Well done.
00:19:59
Speaker 1: Something about the show that is not like a normal reality show where it's like, everyone truly wants the best and you want to experience it and you want to last as long. Whereas like a lot of other reality shows are just about drama. Whereas like this is just about like believing in yourself and learning things. And like, I don't think there's another show where you can just go out there and learn something new every single week.
00:20:24
Speaker 4: Yep.
00:20:24
Speaker 1: You know, like Dancing with the Stars is so unique for that. And the purpose behind it is what makes it so beautiful.
00:20:32
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:20:45
Speaker 3: I want to talk a little bit about the packages and the editing of some of it.
00:20:50
Speaker 2: Some of the.
00:20:51
Speaker 3: Packages made it look like you two butted heads a lot, but I wanted to know what that was. Is Giada a perfectionist and was too hard on herself and you were always trying to tell her to be a little kinder to herself?
00:21:02
Speaker 1: Well, yes. First of all, we don't watch the packages. You know, we don't watch the packages before the show. It's like when they started asking us, we're like, We didn't see this package.
00:21:11
Speaker 4: Yeah, the two of us hadn't even seen it. So we were both like, oh gosh, we should see this before we go on a podcast. What happened?
00:21:19
Speaker 1: I think people might have blown it out of proportion. We had nothing but love for each other.
00:21:24
Speaker 4: And it was just.
00:21:25
Speaker 1: That, like, you know, the pressure of getting it and the time crunch. Because we also had one less day because the premiere was Tuesday and Wednesday. So we didn't get to the first on Wednesday. So it was like, we only had Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday to learn a new dance.
00:21:45
Speaker 4: Oh yeah.
00:21:46
Speaker 1: Everyone did. But like, it was just four days before camera blocking. It was already like, Oh, we're behind. And I think that just added to the pressure. But to me, I saw how much Giada cared. I started like wanting this as opposed to like giving up.
00:22:07
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:22:08
Speaker 1: To me, That the butting of heads, I think we were on the same page. We were just, there's just frustration of like, why isn't it happening faster? Right. But by no means was it like, did I ever feel like any negativity or anything?
00:22:24
Speaker 4: Right.
00:22:25
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think I learned that I'm a perfectionist and Alan is too. We're both perfectionists and we both, and with that hand in hand comes really caring. We really, really, really cared about it. It wasn't like I was like, yeah, maybe I'll get it. maybe it won't, which I'm sure does happen too with some celebrities. And they're like, I don't really give a shit about this.
00:22:47
Speaker 4: Let's move on.
00:22:47
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:22:48
Speaker 4: I really cared.
00:22:49
Speaker 5: And I really wanted to, I wanted to do a good job, as good a job as I possibly could for Alan, for my daughter, for, because you're vulnerable and because you're live television and you want to prove to everybody, like who, everybody who's like you dance a lot of the, you know, My chef friends were like, wait, you dance?
00:23:09
Speaker 4: I didn't think you danced.
00:23:10
Speaker 5: I'm like, no, that's the whole point.
00:23:14
Speaker 4: I'm not. And so you want to I really cared and I wanted to do a great job.
00:23:19
Speaker 5: I wanted to make. everyone around me and myself proud. And I think that when you have that kind of perfection mindset, you get frustrated when you're like, why can I not get.
00:23:32
Speaker 4: This simple, you know, sidestep? Why? Why is my brain blocking it?
00:23:38
Speaker 5: Right? And so I think that's where the frustration came up. And my feeling of the feeling of stress of like, I only have X amount of time.
00:23:47
Speaker 4: So I don't have a moment to waste.
00:23:50
Speaker 5: And I think that's what, and I keep saying to everybody, it wasn't that Alan and I were frustrated with each other. We were frustrated with ourselves and I was frustrated with myself and my ability or lack of.
00:24:01
Speaker 1: Well, no, then that thing is like, I don't think there was any, is the word animosity. We had fun in rehearsals and we were learning. And like, even if it was like, a little bit like high pressure. It was never like, it was always fun.
00:24:18
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:24:18
Speaker 1: That's why I was like, Oh, people online are like, Oh, this. And I'm like, Oh, they, people are going to say whatever they want.
00:24:24
Speaker 5: Yep.
00:24:25
Speaker 1: We really did have fun in rehearsals. And it was one of those things. Every time rehearsals finished, we're like, I can't believe three hours just went by.
00:24:33
Speaker 2: So go goes by so fast.
00:24:36
Speaker 1: How did that just happen?
00:24:38
Speaker 4: Yep.
00:24:38
Speaker 1: And so, but that's how, you know, like you're, you're having fun with it. And, And you're, you're accomplishing something versus like watching the clock.
00:24:48
Speaker 5: Yeah. Yeah.
00:24:49
Speaker 2: You're like, Ooh, how long do I have to be in a room with this person?
00:24:52
Speaker 4: Exactly.
00:24:53
Speaker 1: It was really fun. And like, we would always run late.
00:24:56
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:24:57
Speaker 1: We would always like be there. Like, and, and, and so to me, that's a good indication of like, even though it was hard, it was fun.
00:25:05
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:25:05
Speaker 1: And so it is, it is sad that we don't get to be in the room together.
00:25:09
Speaker 3: Well, Alan, I am disappointed for many reasons that I won't get to see you compete anymore.
00:25:13
Speaker 2: But the biggest reason is.
00:25:14
Speaker 4: Let me guess.
00:25:16
Speaker 2: We won't get an Alan costume.
00:25:18
Speaker 4: I know.
00:25:20
Speaker 2: I mean, there is no.
00:25:22
Speaker 3: Pro ready to commit more to a character than Alan Burstyn.
00:25:27
Speaker 2: Please tell me. Can I force you to tell me what you were thinking of doing?
00:25:31
Speaker 1: Yes. You know, and Gianna doesn't even know this. So I don't know. I don't know. So.
00:25:37
Speaker 1: People assume I do it for Halloween, but I really do it for Disney.
00:25:41
Speaker 2: I know, Disney night.
00:25:42
Speaker 1: It's Disney night every night where I dress up and go full prosthetics. So with Jesse James Decker, I was Billy Butcherson from Hocus Pocus. Then with Ilona, I was a donkey.
00:25:57
Speaker 5: Yes.
00:25:57
Speaker 1: Oh my God.
00:25:59
Speaker 2: With Elaine.
00:26:00
Speaker 1: Elaine, I was an alien. I was really thinking about it. I was like, We have to incorporate chef. And I was like, and I can't speak too much about what Disney night is.
00:26:12
Speaker 2: Okay.
00:26:12
Speaker 1: Right. I was really thinking and hoping that it was going to be Sebastian and the chef from Little Mermaid.
00:26:21
Speaker 4: Oh my God. That is so great. Oh, I'm so sorry, Alan.
00:26:28
Speaker 2: It's so cute. Oh my gosh.
00:26:30
Speaker 3: I think, you know, Honestly, I think you just need to find a way. Giada, if you can come for Disney night, just go to the ballroom.
00:26:39
Speaker 2: He can dress up. You can go.
00:26:41
Speaker 3: It can still be a moment. You can give the people what they want on social media. Which, speaking of social media, you, Alan, as a veteran of the ballroom now, have had to deal with the ever-increasing focus on social media and the intense magnifying glass it has created. It's like TikTok and Instagram have become its own products. competition on the show.
00:27:04
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:27:05
Speaker 3: How does it affect your day-to-day in rehearsals? And are you happy with how important it has become to the show?
00:27:16
Speaker 1: I think, again, it's one of those double-edged swords. I think it is so important for the show. I think it gives people another opportunity to learn about you.
00:27:24
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:27:25
Speaker 2: To be invested.
00:27:26
Speaker 1: Because on the show, you get that minute, minute and a half package, a dance and And whatever time you have with Julianne in the skybox. Yep. On social media, you're in control of, of how much you want to put out, how little you want to put out, how much you want to interact. But it is, it's so time consuming.
00:27:45
Speaker 4: Yes.
00:27:47
Speaker 1: Even for us, we were trying like, we're like, Oh, we got to film this TikTok today, but then we run out of time and then we stay after and we're filming in the lobby. And it's like, we're, we're trying to, um, I love social media just for all the fun stuff with it. But it's a strong tool.
00:28:08
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:28:09
Speaker 1: I think you can either be consumed by it or encouraged by it. I think it's good to use it, but I don't think it's good to sit there and read all the comments.
00:28:19
Speaker 2: Oh, exactly. No, no, no, no.
00:28:21
Speaker 4: Yeah, I definitely did not.
00:28:24
Speaker 1: Everyone's going to have an opinion, and I don't think everyone's opinion is correct, obviously, because... their opinions and and i think it's it's more about like there's a way to connect without getting the.
00:28:37
Speaker 2: Harm totally yeah totally.
00:28:40
Speaker 1: But i do love like there's nothing i love more than the discourse online about the show yeah the fact that people are talking about dancing with the.
00:28:50
Speaker 4: Stars yeah so cool yeah it is.
00:28:54
Speaker 1: And and they're they're part of the reason why the show is so successful It's because they're so invested.
00:29:00
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:29:01
Speaker 1: That is one of the biggest parts about the show.
00:29:03
Speaker 5: And they're so invested in the pros. Like they really are. I mean, people love Alan. I can't tell you how many people were like, I love him. I just love watching him dance. I love watching his TikToks, all his social.
00:29:14
Speaker 4: That was my burner account.
00:29:15
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:29:18
Speaker 4: No, but really, Alan, people do. They love you. They love Emma. You guys have.
00:29:25
Speaker 5: Really gotten into the consciousness and really changed the perspective of dancing and I think have elevated the whole genre. And it's really spectacular. And I think they're just as important now.
00:29:30
Speaker 1: I know.
00:29:30
Speaker 5: I felt exactly the same way.
00:29:32
Speaker 4: Just saying, you know.
00:29:48
Speaker 5: I think every case is probably different, but I would say that like, you know, for me especially, I think Alan and his following and it's youthful following, which is not that I don't have any youthful following.
00:30:01
Speaker 4: But it's just different, right?
00:30:02
Speaker 5: And to have those two worlds come together, I think it's really phenomenal. And I will be honest, I had a rough go with the TikToks. Like I, after learning all of those moves and steps and whatever, when Alan be like, okay, we're going to learn a quick TikTok dance.
00:30:19
Speaker 4: I'd be like, wait, what?
00:30:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, please no.
00:30:21
Speaker 4: I don't think my brain can take. And at times he was like, Jada, come on. I don't know that I have it in me anymore. But then I would get it and I'd be like, I did that TikTok.
00:30:31
Speaker 5: Right.
00:30:31
Speaker 4: I did it. So, yeah.
00:30:34
Speaker 5: So for me, in the beginning, I was like, oh, my God. After all that, now I got to do it. And I literally thought it would be easy and it wasn't. And Alan was like, hello, girl.
00:30:44
Speaker 4: Wake up. Let's go. And we did. But then he did. He taught me. He had the patience to teach me.
00:30:49
Speaker 5: We did it. Yeah.
00:30:51
Speaker 1: And you nailed him. We had some good ones. I was going to say it. People online think that we're forced to do TikToks.
00:30:57
Speaker 2: Right, no.
00:31:00
Speaker 1: I see comments like, oh no, they have to do this many TikToks. No. No one has to do anything.
00:31:06
Speaker 4: No.
00:31:08
Speaker 1: But when you see things online, I'm like, how did this catch steam that But yeah, I'm going to settle that. No one is forced.
00:31:16
Speaker 2: There are no quotas, no quotas for TikToks.
00:31:19
Speaker 3: It's really a matter of another thing for the pro and the celeb to figure out together.
00:31:27
Speaker 2: What is our bandwidth for this? Do we have time today?
00:31:29
Speaker 3: I mean, there were many times Pasha and I would go into a day and we'd be like, all right. Let's at least get a couple of, you know, let's get some TikTok ideas done before the day was over.
00:31:38
Speaker 2: And then we would finish and we would go, you know what? We're going to do it tomorrow.
00:31:41
Speaker 3: We're not going to do it today because today's been a harder day or we had, you know, we, we were really focused on something like you. It's no, there's no, no one's forcing anyone, but it is a matter of like wanting to utilize it as a tool and not wanting it to be a detriment to you on the most important thing, which is your dance. Yeah. Gianna, I know you talked so much about your daughter and how she played a role in your decision to do the show. She must have been so proud and so blown away seeing you actually do it. She even recreated one of your dances, which is so sweet. What has she told you about what this experience has meant to her?
00:32:19
Speaker 5: Well, I think for her, it was so fun. Well, first of all, my daughter's always wanted to dance. It's the one she's very much into musical theater, but it's the, she sings very well. She acts and all that, but she can't, she doesn't really dance. And it's something that she's always wanted to do. So I think she was trying to live vicariously through me and the small things she did know how to do.
00:32:41
Speaker 4: She would try to help me get like, help me to kind of practice.
00:32:44
Speaker 5: Cause there's a lot of what people don't realize that there's a lot of practice in That has to happen at home. Like outside of just being in the rehearsal space, you got to practice as much as you can at home. And so she would help me when she was still around to do that. And so for her, it was, I think, a lot of fun to see me do something that she's always wanted to master. I think that she also really felt like for me, it was time to try to push myself into a scary zone that I've gotten comfortable in what I do really, really well. And that she felt like at this point, mom, I'm doing something scary. You should do something scary. And I think it bonded us. The fact that we were both stepping into something that felt really scary and a tiny bit lonely.
00:33:30
Speaker 4: And so that really helped as well.
00:33:32
Speaker 5: And I think she also saw that like, okay, her mother as successful as she's been in her life, wasn't so successful at this.
00:33:39
Speaker 4: And that is okay. She still put herself out there.
00:33:42
Speaker 5: She still had a good time and it's okay to try things and maybe, and not succeed or get very far. I mean, you know, success can be defined as different things. And sometimes as a kid, when you're watching your parent be successful at something all the time, you, you stop thinking that you could take chances or you could, you know, step outside and try something. And that if you don't get to the level that you want it to get to, that it's somehow you shouldn't.
00:34:10
Speaker 4: Have done it.
00:34:11
Speaker 1: Exactly.
00:34:11
Speaker 4: And a waste of time.
00:34:12
Speaker 5: And I think she realized, Oh, for my mom, that was not a waste of time. And it wasn't a waste of time for us, even though she didn't get as far as she would have wanted to get. And I think that's sort of the, that's what I think the takeaway for her is.
00:34:26
Speaker 4: And I think that, and that's a lesson for me too.
00:34:30
Speaker 1: And me, like, just cause you don't win something doesn't mean it was a weight. Like there's so much beauty in it. And, and to me, trying it is like the best thing. Yeah. Like, trying it is the accomplishment.
00:34:43
Speaker 3: I mean, the fact that Giada wants to find dance classes, like it's going to, it has changed your life. If you incorporate this into your daily life, you've just taken on something, a hobby you had no idea you loved.
00:34:55
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:34:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, exactly. And so I think that's part of this journey too.
00:35:00
Speaker 5: Yeah. You know, I, I'm sad for Alan because I think I may be the first celebrity that got, uh, eliminated this early on for him. I think he usually even though he gets sometimes older celebs, he tends to go a lot further. So I apologize. That's probably a first for Alan. But for me, it transformed me. But yeah, but I mean, like for me, it's really lit a fire in me that I never in a million.
00:35:25
Speaker 4: Years would have thought I would do.
00:35:28
Speaker 5: So I have to say thank you to you and to everybody because I wouldn't have done it. And to my daughter who pushed me to kind of say yes to this experience, which I will tell you, Danielle, I was terrified. Yeah.
00:35:41
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:35:42
Speaker 4: Terrified. Yeah. I spent all summer like.
00:35:44
Speaker 5: Oh my God, what am I going to do? So, and so I think like, you know, it was fantastic. And I intend to do more scary things in my future.
00:35:55
Speaker 4: So watch out.
00:35:56
Speaker 2: Love that. I want to talk food for one second.
00:35:59
Speaker 3: When Alan came on my podcast recently, he admitted that even though he is a born and bred Minnesotan, he had never heard of a Juicy Lucy.
00:36:10
Speaker 2: Giada, he should have known what that is, right?
00:36:13
Speaker 4: What is a Juicy Lucy?
00:36:15
Speaker 5: I don't know.
00:36:15
Speaker 1: I don't know.
00:36:18
Speaker 4: Oh my gosh. What is it, Danielle?
00:36:20
Speaker 3: It's a hamburger patty with the cheese already inside the middle of it.
00:36:24
Speaker 4: Oh, is that what they call it? A Juicy Lucy? Yes, a Juicy Lucy. Oh my gosh. I've even made them and I didn't know that.
00:36:31
Speaker 3: Well, the best Juicy Lucy in Los Angeles is at Barney's Beanery, FYI.
00:36:35
Speaker 2: Is it?
00:36:36
Speaker 5: Oh, yes.
00:36:36
Speaker 2: So if anybody wants to go to Barney's.
00:36:38
Speaker 3: That's where you can get your Juicy Lucy here.
00:36:41
Speaker 4: Um, wow. Okay.
00:36:42
Speaker 3: Giada, if you had to compare the experience of dancing with the stars to making a specific dish, what would it be?
00:36:52
Speaker 4: Oh gosh, that is a great question.
00:36:58
Speaker 5: Um, I, you know, I think I'm just going to say a sheep pan lasagna because you kind of throw everything into the mix and, and then you come out with this like unbelievable finished product that looks great. It smells better, even better. And it tastes phenomenal. And I think although you can't taste a dance, you can certainly, um, it heightens all of your senses when you watch it and you feel it makes you feel something. And I think a great dish makes you feel something from the inside out. And it kind of starts with the senses on the outside and warms up the inside.
00:37:35
Speaker 4: And I think a dance does the same. And I think it takes a lot.
00:37:39
Speaker 5: Of passion and energy and focus to really create an unbelievable dance. And so I would say a sheep pan lasagna, which is the first thing I made.
00:37:50
Speaker 4: Oh, I love that.
00:37:55
Speaker 3: Did you use your pasta? You have, first of all, Giazzi. You have the greatest tagline.
00:38:00
Speaker 4: I had so many plans for that.
00:38:02
Speaker 5: Like us doing part of our dance in a Sprouts aisle where we sell it. like even going to Vegas in front of my restaurant and doing some kind of fun thing on the.
00:38:11
Speaker 4: Strip, none of which I had a chance to do.
00:38:13
Speaker 5: But in my mind, I was going to do all those things and kind of incorporate it all in that.
00:38:18
Speaker 2: I would have.
00:38:19
Speaker 3: Loved to have seen that. I love your tagline, by the way, Giada De Laurentiis is powered by pasta.
00:38:26
Speaker 2: It's gluten free. And I know you have a commitment to keeping it healthy. Where can people get it?
00:38:31
Speaker 4: Oh, well, they can get it on Amazon.
00:38:33
Speaker 5: They can get it at Sprouts on the West side, you know, in Southern California, Gelson's, Erewhon, lots of different retailers. Oh, great.
00:38:42
Speaker 3: Giada, the public has loved you for almost 25 years. And I know for a fact, seeing you challenge yourself week after week this year on Dancing with the Stars only brought you closer to them and made us appreciate you even more.
00:38:54
Speaker 2: Congratulations on pushing yourself and Alan.
00:38:57
Speaker 5: Thank you.
00:38:58
Speaker 3: Give a big old slobby kiss to Jeff and Emma for me.
00:39:01
Speaker 2: Okay.
00:39:02
Speaker 4: Yes. Go Emma. Thank you.
00:39:05
Speaker 5: Bye.
00:39:06
Speaker 4: Thank you.
00:39:06
Speaker 1: Bye.
00:39:07
Speaker 4: Thank you guys.
Speaker 1: THE END.
00:00:14
Speaker 2: Welcome back to Danielle with I am the Danielle.
00:00:18
Speaker 3: I was a child star who was relatively retired from the business until I was asked to play the same character 10 years later. Then I slithered back into my hole, only to return almost a decade after that and compete on season 34 of Dancing with the Stars.
00:00:33
Speaker 2: Since that time, I have launched more podcasts than anyone else in the greater Western hemisphere.
00:00:39
Speaker 3: And now, with a new season of Dancing with the Stars once again blowing the collective minds of mainstream pop culture, I am talking all about it. Recapping every week with Kim Johnson-Herjavec while talking to the incredible cast of pros and celebrities creating the weekly wow moments in 2026. And this week, I am talking to two fan favorites who helped build a deafening anticipation for the show. and though eliminated week three, displayed a degree of determination and resilience that was undeniable. He is in his 11th season on the show and a mirrorball champion back in season 28 with Hannah Brown, and a runner-up for his incredible run in season 33 with Olympian Ilona Maher. My other guest is the Emmy-winning chef and entrepreneur who helped mold the industry that became food television and is the only person to have studied at Les.
00:01:33
Speaker 2: Cordon Bleu and appeared on Scooby-Doo. Fresh off the ballroom floor, welcome Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Burstyn.
00:01:43
Speaker 4: That is unbelievable.
00:01:48
Speaker 2: Welcome. I'm so happy to have you here with me.
00:01:53
Speaker 3: Alan already knows how I feel about him and his girlfriend and his dog. So Giada, I just wanted to personally congratulate you for taking such an incredible leap and proving to yourself what you are capable of. I feel like the scores and eliminations are truly a different competition than the one we put ourselves through.
00:02:18
Speaker 2: And you succeeded, in my opinion, with Flying Colors.
00:02:21
Speaker 3: So I wanted to give you your flowers as someone who has been on the journey themselves.
00:02:28
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's one hell of a whirlwind journey. Yeah. I will say that I was impressed that I was actually able to do what I did. I certainly had.
00:02:45
Speaker 5: an unbelievable coach in it all. Alan, there's no chance, not a zero chance I could do.
00:02:52
Speaker 4: Any of it without him. I think that, you know, he pointed.
00:02:57
Speaker 5: Out some really interesting things about me, some great and some, you know, that need work as we all do.
00:03:04
Speaker 4: As we go on these journeys. I think it's really.
00:03:07
Speaker 5: Hard for what Alan does because he's thrown into this like relationship, like right away, you have no time to get to know each other. He has no time to understand like, how does someone who doesn't know anything about music?
00:03:21
Speaker 4: I mean, I couldn't count music.
00:03:23
Speaker 5: Right.
00:03:23
Speaker 4: So Alan had to teach me that. So I think in his.
00:03:27
Speaker 5: I don't know, he'll talk about it, but it's, it's probably mind boggling trying to understand how, how do you teach this person that you just met and you only have a finite amount of time to get them ready for this. Yeah.
00:03:40
Speaker 4: So, It's impossible.
00:03:41
Speaker 5: I mean, it's an impossible task. So the fact that I actually got out there and did.
00:03:46
Speaker 4: Two dances is huge.
00:03:48
Speaker 5: I wish I would have had an opportunity to get better and do more. But hell, you know, sometimes the universe has whatever it has.
00:03:55
Speaker 4: Prepared for you. Yes.
00:03:56
Speaker 2: And Alan, how do you handle that?
00:03:59
Speaker 3: Because like Giada mentioned, there's also a bit of being a therapist.
00:04:04
Speaker 2: You don't even have a chance to learn.
00:04:08
Speaker 4: No, I think it's full-time therapy.
00:04:11
Speaker 2: Full-time therapy. And you have to figure out how does this person learn the best? Are they auditory?
00:04:16
Speaker 3: Are they visual? Like, and teaching her how to count music. You have so much on your plate immediately and you need to do like a crash course. How do you approach your relationship with each new celebrity?
00:04:28
Speaker 1: There was a lot on the plate and she brought lasagna.
00:04:32
Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, exactly. And there was lasagna on the plate.
00:04:35
Speaker 1: She bribed me with food. No, honestly, it was... Every season is different. And it's not just a learning experience for the celebrities. Like I learned so much from being with Giada. You know, just like you mentioned, like audio or visual. It was interesting this year with Giada. I had her write down her steps. And I've never done that before with anyone.
00:05:00
Speaker 2: And do you feel like that was helpful?
00:05:03
Speaker 1: Giada, you tell me.
00:05:04
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:05:05
Speaker 4: Oh, my God. Yes. It allowed me to sort of Alan would say your body knows the dance. Just go with it. Your body knows the dance.
00:05:12
Speaker 5: And I would say, but my mind doesn't know the dance and my mind has to get like understand it. He's like, I wish you could throw that mind out for just a minute. So allow you to just go with it. And that I think for me was one.
00:05:24
Speaker 4: Of the hardest things to do.
00:05:26
Speaker 5: Let's literally throw it out the window and just go with my gut or go with whatever my body was doing. But yes, writing it down. I thought the day we did it was like a waste of our time, but it wasn't. I literally somehow absorbed the tango in my brain as well as my body.
00:05:42
Speaker 4: They became one.
00:05:44
Speaker 5: So, yeah, I think it takes a lot for someone like Alinda to know what to do.
00:05:48
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's but that's the whole thing is there's not something like, oh, I know what to do. Everyone's journey is so different and everyone's learning experience is so different that it is like a puzzle. And that's why it's so fun after 11 seasons of like, oh, it's not just copy and paste. It's like, let's figure it out together. And I think that's the beauty of the show and of the partnerships. And like, that's what makes everything so, so unique and real is that every relationship is different. And so like learning is different. And so it keeps us on our toes.
00:06:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm not trying to infantilize these celebrities, but it is a little bit like parenting. Like you, there's no rule book for it.
00:06:30
Speaker 2: There's no guidebook.
00:06:32
Speaker 3: You just kind of get thrown in and each child is different and you not, you can't raise each kid the exact same way because they don't necessarily respond. So it's a little, and you also have no idea what you're in for until you're actually in it.
00:06:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, and for the celebrities as well.
00:06:48
Speaker 4: Yes, I think it's for the celebrity. You think it's one thing, And then it turns into something totally different. And I get it. You're right, Danielle. It's kind of like parenting.
00:06:58
Speaker 5: Everybody can give you advice about parenting, but until you're in it, you don't really know what tips or tricks or tools you need in that toolbox to handle that child. And I will say at times we act, well, at least for me, I acted like a child, like the frustration of.
00:07:14
Speaker 4: Not getting it.
00:07:16
Speaker 5: And I think both Alan and I both got frustrated, not with each other as much as with ourselves.
00:07:21
Speaker 4: Alan trying to figure out how the hell do I teach this woman?
00:07:24
Speaker 5: And for me, how the hell do I tell him how to teach me something that I can't even fathom understanding? And I think sometimes, you know, with the time constraints, it really gets to you.
00:07:35
Speaker 1: Oh, yeah.
00:07:36
Speaker 4: Yeah. you know, that's when the therapy comes in.
00:07:40
Speaker 3: You have been in many high pressure situations in your career, Gialda, whether you are in a busy kitchen or you're on live TV, where does dancing with the stars rank in terrifying experiences? Like what made you sweat more, the ballroom or the back of Spago's on a Friday night?
00:07:57
Speaker 5: I think the ballroom because I was prepped for the, you know, the back of Spago's. I went to culinary school. I had a lot of training for several years. I mean, yeah, there's, You never know what you're going to be in for there either because it's a live thing that's breathing.
00:08:13
Speaker 4: It's a beast. But definitely, I didn't have.
00:08:17
Speaker 5: I did not have the same amount of preparation for Dancing with the Stars that I had for my career. And I think that's the difference of the pressure, you know? And I said that, I think, a few times to Alan. He's like, you've done live television before. I said, yeah, but behind a stove with things that I love, with ingredients I can hold on to, with a knife I can hold on to, things.
00:08:40
Speaker 4: That are my security blankets.
00:08:42
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:08:43
Speaker 4: There's no security blanket. You're literally naked. You've got nothing to protect you. And yeah, it feels like you walked into a room totally naked.
00:08:53
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:08:54
Speaker 3: So Alan, did you ever think about just choreographing a dance with some knives?
00:08:58
Speaker 2: Make her feel more comfortable?
00:09:00
Speaker 1: No, I was afraid.
00:09:01
Speaker 2: Okay.
00:09:04
Speaker 1: You know, it's interesting though. It's like, it's weird how like the very first week I feel like Giada was so nervous. And then the second we like started, it was like, Oh, we're locked in. No, every week is different and every dance is different. And we had more time for the tango. So it's like, it's just, you can't. And I told her this, I was like, you can't, no matter what I say, you're not going to be prepared enough until you feel it yourself. Yep. No matter what anyone tells you, The second you go out there and you feel the energy, that's like, oh, I'm ready.
00:09:38
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:09:39
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:09:39
Speaker 1: No, it's like, it's one of those things where like no amount of preparation will get you prepared. Yeah.
00:09:45
Speaker 3: Or if you're, if you're just not going to feel ready, you're just not going to feel ready there. And there's, and by that time, by the time, you know, I don't feel ready. There's, it's too late. There's nothing you, you know, there, there's nothing you can do. You're like, well, I could, we could go back there and run it three more times. But if I'm not ready at this point, I'm probably just going to go out there and have to hope for the best.
00:10:06
Speaker 4: And what does Alan say when you say that?
00:10:08
Speaker 1: I don't like hope.
00:10:10
Speaker 2: You don't like hope.
00:10:12
Speaker 1: Hope is just like, you're there's zero control and hope.
00:10:16
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:10:17
Speaker 3: But there's zero control period. You can pretend to be in control. We can pretend we can fool ourselves into like, yeah.
00:10:24
Speaker 2: I mean, there is, there is, I.
00:10:26
Speaker 1: Think there's a difference between belief and hope.
00:10:28
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:10:29
Speaker 2: Okay. You're right. I believe I can do it versus I hope I can do it.
00:10:32
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:10:33
Speaker 2: Okay. I love that clarification.
00:10:35
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:10:36
Speaker 1: To me, I'm like, you got to believe in yourself. You got to believe that you can do it. I don't want you to hope you can do it. Cause then like hope is like, might happen versus believe like, no, I can make this happen.
00:10:47
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:10:48
Speaker 3: I put in the work I've focused. I, you know, and, and I guess depending on whether or not the celeb has put in the work, you know, if someone's like, Hmm, I shouldn't have taken three days off, you know, then I don't know.
00:11:00
Speaker 1: If anyone's ever taken one day off.
00:11:03
Speaker 2: Oh, I know some people.
00:11:05
Speaker 4: Well, I, yeah, I listen, I agree with both of you. You have to believe in yourself. And that is the, The ultimate lesson of Dancing with the Stars. You have to get there. And if you don't get there, then, you know, you don't get there.
00:11:20
Speaker 5: I guess.
00:11:21
Speaker 1: And I always use this analogy of like, you won't believe in yourself until you do it right. But you probably won't do it right until you start believing in yourself.
00:11:32
Speaker 2: Yep, yep.
00:11:33
Speaker 1: One of those things of like, something has to break. You either rip the bandaid off and be like, you know what, I'm going to do it anyways. And then you're like, oh, I did it. And now I know that, like, it wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be. Yeah. Now I believe in myself a little bit more.
00:11:49
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:11:49
Speaker 1: But it's that circle of, like, something has to happen of, in order to get it, like, oh, I feel so good about this.
00:11:57
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:11:58
Speaker 1: But you won't believe it until you get it.
00:12:00
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:12:00
Speaker 3: I remember the first time of every, you know, when you start doing the runs, like where you're like, okay, we've got the whole choreography down.
00:12:07
Speaker 2: You remember it. Now we just got to run it, run it, run it, run it.
00:12:09
Speaker 3: I remember the minute I would do it all the way through feeling like, wow, that was the best of my ability. Then after that, it was much easier to believe in myself. Cause it was like, I already did it. I know I can, I just have to replicate what I have already done before.
00:12:25
Speaker 2: So that is always helpful.
00:12:27
Speaker 1: And that's like one of those things of like, You know, the first time you get it to music, you're like, I did it.
00:12:33
Speaker 4: I did it.
00:12:34
Speaker 1: You know, there's little wins throughout the week.
00:12:37
Speaker 2: And they're all worth celebrating.
00:12:40
Speaker 1: Absolutely. But that's what like the show is so hard about is like, it's not just you going on a journey. You're also competing against others.
00:12:47
Speaker 2: I know. I know that competition part is hard.
00:12:51
Speaker 1: And it's sad because no one's like competitive. Everyone's like super competitive.
00:12:55
Speaker 2: Everyone's rooting for each other.
00:13:09
Speaker 3: I also wanted to talk about one of my least favorite parts of Dancing with the Stars fan discourse, and that is age. I know Alan saw this with Elaine last year. I saw it about myself. And it's like, if you are over 40 on this show... people treat you like you might as well be.
00:13:27
Speaker 2: On your deathbed.
00:13:28
Speaker 3: I remember one interview with Andy last year where, and I am paraphrasing, but they basically asked him if he wanted to do this because he wanted to try something new basically before he died. And it was like, it was a We are not actually that old. Like my grandfather lived to be 99 and a half. I may not even be middle-aged. So I just wanted to know, did you get that feeling? Like everyone just wanted to talk about you being the oldest contestant on this season?
00:14:07
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:14:08
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:14:08
Speaker 4: A hundred percent. Yeah.
00:14:10
Speaker 5: And I didn't realize I was the oldest contestant until I was the oldest contestant.
00:14:13
Speaker 2: Until someone was like, she's the oldest contestant.
00:14:16
Speaker 5: Until then I was like, I didn't even, it didn't, it didn't dawn on me until it dawned on me because everybody was like, Oh yeah, you're the oldest one of everybody.
00:14:25
Speaker 4: Oh my God. And then it was like, Oh, let's get rid of her. Come on. She's the oldest. Let's get rid of her.
00:14:30
Speaker 5: And I know Elaine had a lot of those same issues. Um, but yeah, And I, and they did get rid of me eventually. I mean, pretty soon, pretty quickly, but.
00:14:39
Speaker 4: I feel like, you know, I, I think that it is definitely, you know, a young person's sort of, uh, competition. Definitely.
00:14:49
Speaker 5: I mean, the amount of work you put into it and the stamina and not that, that someone my age can't do it because clearly we can.
00:14:57
Speaker 4: Um, but you know, I get, I.
00:15:00
Speaker 5: Get why they see it more as a young person's sort of, um, game. But at the same time, I think it's awesome to do no matter what age you are. And I think that you learn so many valuable lessons and things that you learn about yourself. You also gain a lot of self-confidence in it once you see yourself actually doing it. I think that is a That is something that you take away and it should happen for someone. And I think I've said this a million times, but I think we should do scary things every decade, at least every decade, because it keeps you alive and it keeps you moving forward.
00:15:41
Speaker 4: And it gives you.
00:15:42
Speaker 5: The self-confidence that you need, because I think society kind of bangs you in the head with like, you're too old for this, you're.
00:15:48
Speaker 4: Too old for that. But like, you're not, you're not.
00:15:52
Speaker 5: And the only way to remind yourself is to do scary stuff.
00:15:54
Speaker 4: And so I did something scary.
00:15:57
Speaker 5: It didn't last as long as I would have loved, but I got to meet Alan and so many other people. And I got to see myself do something that honestly, before this, Danielle, I definitely did not think I could do.
00:16:09
Speaker 4: So, you know, I take that with me. And I think that that was worth every second of it.
00:16:14
Speaker 5: And I will say this last week, my body misses it.
00:16:18
Speaker 4: Alan, it does. It misses like, it misses the dance part.
00:16:23
Speaker 5: It misses the feeling of like grabbing something by the horns and actually mastering it.
00:16:30
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:16:30
Speaker 4: I mean, mastering it is a big word, but I meant like, you know, getting it and it's fun.
00:16:36
Speaker 5: You know, my body misses that newness that like, even though I had a broken toe and I had all these issues, it still missed it.
00:16:43
Speaker 2: Weirdly.
00:16:44
Speaker 4: Oh yeah.
00:16:45
Speaker 1: That is so, you know, it's, it's, instant gratification it's achieving something it's setting these goals weekly but also every day of like okay today we got to try to learn this section and then when you do it you're like i did it was it hard yeah but but i've accomplished something today and it's like even though it might feel like oh it's nothing like to me when i'm in new york city and i get on the right train and i get to my destination.
00:17:13
Speaker 2: I'm like look what i did yeah it And it's like when.
00:17:17
Speaker 1: You're dancing every day and you're like, I learned a new step today. And for somebody, it could be like, so what? But for us, it's like, no, that's a huge accomplishment. And it is fun. And you learn about yourself and you're growing. And I think it's nice to set goals like every day. But then like Giada was saying, when you go out there and you do it and you're like, yeah, I mastered it to different levels. Everyone.
00:17:43
Speaker 4: Yes, for sure.
00:17:44
Speaker 1: And we're not comparing to people. But when you achieve that, that is such a strong feeling.
00:17:50
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:17:52
Speaker 5: It gives you a sense of purpose that is different than your regular life.
00:17:56
Speaker 4: You know, like, sure, we all set goals for ourselves or whatever.
00:17:59
Speaker 5: But this is an immediate gratification of mastering something.
00:18:05
Speaker 4: And you're just like, wow, that feels amazing.
00:18:08
Speaker 5: Because As we get older, we stop doing that so much, right? We get comfortable, we get into our lives of what we do well. And like, and I'm sure for you too, Danielle, when you started your podcast.
00:18:18
Speaker 4: You're like, I did that. Yeah, I interviewed 10 people. This is a milestone. And then eventually you do it more and more and you're like, okay, okay, okay.
00:18:26
Speaker 5: But everyone, but it's just amazing when you're dancing because yes, every day I'd be like, oh my God, I just danced that piece that Alan choreographed.
00:18:33
Speaker 4: On my toes. Yes.
00:18:35
Speaker 5: And I got to do that and I did it and he was happy that I did it as well as I could do it. And I feel like that instant gratification kind of goes away And I will say that this past week, it did.
00:18:47
Speaker 4: It went away. And I was like, wait, that's freaking bummer.
00:18:50
Speaker 1: I know.
00:18:51
Speaker 2: That's the part I wish more people talked about.
00:18:53
Speaker 4: That's the downside of it, you know?
00:18:55
Speaker 3: The day after you get eliminated and you have had a jam packed every single day schedule and then you get eliminated and they don't send you the call sheet. You don't get your rehearsal time and you wake up and you go, well, I wasn't expecting this.
00:19:10
Speaker 2: This is empty of a day.
00:19:11
Speaker 4: Yeah, exactly. It's hard. And also you had nothing planned, right? Because you'd blocked out your schedule. So now you're like, oh, wow.
00:19:18
Speaker 5: Not only am I not dancing, but I really don't even have anything else in there.
00:19:22
Speaker 2: I can't even distract myself.
00:19:23
Speaker 4: I've got to deal with this. Exactly.
00:19:26
Speaker 1: Exactly.
00:19:27
Speaker 5: I thought I'd share that because sometimes I think people don't talk about that because that's the downside.
00:19:33
Speaker 4: I'm looking for a place on the West side that I can go dancing. Yes. No joke. I'm like, I think I like this. Not, not for as many hours a day as I was.
00:19:41
Speaker 5: Doing it, but like to continue that, because that feels, I didn't realize how, how good it felt to accomplish that and that instant feeling.
00:19:51
Speaker 4: And I crave it.
00:19:52
Speaker 5: I obviously crave it in a way I never thought I would.
00:19:56
Speaker 4: So Alan, well done dude.
00:19:58
Speaker 2: Well done.
00:19:59
Speaker 1: Something about the show that is not like a normal reality show where it's like, everyone truly wants the best and you want to experience it and you want to last as long. Whereas like a lot of other reality shows are just about drama. Whereas like this is just about like believing in yourself and learning things. And like, I don't think there's another show where you can just go out there and learn something new every single week.
00:20:24
Speaker 4: Yep.
00:20:24
Speaker 1: You know, like Dancing with the Stars is so unique for that. And the purpose behind it is what makes it so beautiful.
00:20:32
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:20:45
Speaker 3: I want to talk a little bit about the packages and the editing of some of it.
00:20:50
Speaker 2: Some of the.
00:20:51
Speaker 3: Packages made it look like you two butted heads a lot, but I wanted to know what that was. Is Giada a perfectionist and was too hard on herself and you were always trying to tell her to be a little kinder to herself?
00:21:02
Speaker 1: Well, yes. First of all, we don't watch the packages. You know, we don't watch the packages before the show. It's like when they started asking us, we're like, We didn't see this package.
00:21:11
Speaker 4: Yeah, the two of us hadn't even seen it. So we were both like, oh gosh, we should see this before we go on a podcast. What happened?
00:21:19
Speaker 1: I think people might have blown it out of proportion. We had nothing but love for each other.
00:21:24
Speaker 4: And it was just.
00:21:25
Speaker 1: That, like, you know, the pressure of getting it and the time crunch. Because we also had one less day because the premiere was Tuesday and Wednesday. So we didn't get to the first on Wednesday. So it was like, we only had Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday to learn a new dance.
00:21:45
Speaker 4: Oh yeah.
00:21:46
Speaker 1: Everyone did. But like, it was just four days before camera blocking. It was already like, Oh, we're behind. And I think that just added to the pressure. But to me, I saw how much Giada cared. I started like wanting this as opposed to like giving up.
00:22:07
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:22:08
Speaker 1: To me, That the butting of heads, I think we were on the same page. We were just, there's just frustration of like, why isn't it happening faster? Right. But by no means was it like, did I ever feel like any negativity or anything?
00:22:24
Speaker 4: Right.
00:22:25
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think I learned that I'm a perfectionist and Alan is too. We're both perfectionists and we both, and with that hand in hand comes really caring. We really, really, really cared about it. It wasn't like I was like, yeah, maybe I'll get it. maybe it won't, which I'm sure does happen too with some celebrities. And they're like, I don't really give a shit about this.
00:22:47
Speaker 4: Let's move on.
00:22:47
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:22:48
Speaker 4: I really cared.
00:22:49
Speaker 5: And I really wanted to, I wanted to do a good job, as good a job as I possibly could for Alan, for my daughter, for, because you're vulnerable and because you're live television and you want to prove to everybody, like who, everybody who's like you dance a lot of the, you know, My chef friends were like, wait, you dance?
00:23:09
Speaker 4: I didn't think you danced.
00:23:10
Speaker 5: I'm like, no, that's the whole point.
00:23:14
Speaker 4: I'm not. And so you want to I really cared and I wanted to do a great job.
00:23:19
Speaker 5: I wanted to make. everyone around me and myself proud. And I think that when you have that kind of perfection mindset, you get frustrated when you're like, why can I not get.
00:23:32
Speaker 4: This simple, you know, sidestep? Why? Why is my brain blocking it?
00:23:38
Speaker 5: Right? And so I think that's where the frustration came up. And my feeling of the feeling of stress of like, I only have X amount of time.
00:23:47
Speaker 4: So I don't have a moment to waste.
00:23:50
Speaker 5: And I think that's what, and I keep saying to everybody, it wasn't that Alan and I were frustrated with each other. We were frustrated with ourselves and I was frustrated with myself and my ability or lack of.
00:24:01
Speaker 1: Well, no, then that thing is like, I don't think there was any, is the word animosity. We had fun in rehearsals and we were learning. And like, even if it was like, a little bit like high pressure. It was never like, it was always fun.
00:24:18
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:24:18
Speaker 1: That's why I was like, Oh, people online are like, Oh, this. And I'm like, Oh, they, people are going to say whatever they want.
00:24:24
Speaker 5: Yep.
00:24:25
Speaker 1: We really did have fun in rehearsals. And it was one of those things. Every time rehearsals finished, we're like, I can't believe three hours just went by.
00:24:33
Speaker 2: So go goes by so fast.
00:24:36
Speaker 1: How did that just happen?
00:24:38
Speaker 4: Yep.
00:24:38
Speaker 1: And so, but that's how, you know, like you're, you're having fun with it. And, And you're, you're accomplishing something versus like watching the clock.
00:24:48
Speaker 5: Yeah. Yeah.
00:24:49
Speaker 2: You're like, Ooh, how long do I have to be in a room with this person?
00:24:52
Speaker 4: Exactly.
00:24:53
Speaker 1: It was really fun. And like, we would always run late.
00:24:56
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:24:57
Speaker 1: We would always like be there. Like, and, and, and so to me, that's a good indication of like, even though it was hard, it was fun.
00:25:05
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:25:05
Speaker 1: And so it is, it is sad that we don't get to be in the room together.
00:25:09
Speaker 3: Well, Alan, I am disappointed for many reasons that I won't get to see you compete anymore.
00:25:13
Speaker 2: But the biggest reason is.
00:25:14
Speaker 4: Let me guess.
00:25:16
Speaker 2: We won't get an Alan costume.
00:25:18
Speaker 4: I know.
00:25:20
Speaker 2: I mean, there is no.
00:25:22
Speaker 3: Pro ready to commit more to a character than Alan Burstyn.
00:25:27
Speaker 2: Please tell me. Can I force you to tell me what you were thinking of doing?
00:25:31
Speaker 1: Yes. You know, and Gianna doesn't even know this. So I don't know. I don't know. So.
00:25:37
Speaker 1: People assume I do it for Halloween, but I really do it for Disney.
00:25:41
Speaker 2: I know, Disney night.
00:25:42
Speaker 1: It's Disney night every night where I dress up and go full prosthetics. So with Jesse James Decker, I was Billy Butcherson from Hocus Pocus. Then with Ilona, I was a donkey.
00:25:57
Speaker 5: Yes.
00:25:57
Speaker 1: Oh my God.
00:25:59
Speaker 2: With Elaine.
00:26:00
Speaker 1: Elaine, I was an alien. I was really thinking about it. I was like, We have to incorporate chef. And I was like, and I can't speak too much about what Disney night is.
00:26:12
Speaker 2: Okay.
00:26:12
Speaker 1: Right. I was really thinking and hoping that it was going to be Sebastian and the chef from Little Mermaid.
00:26:21
Speaker 4: Oh my God. That is so great. Oh, I'm so sorry, Alan.
00:26:28
Speaker 2: It's so cute. Oh my gosh.
00:26:30
Speaker 3: I think, you know, Honestly, I think you just need to find a way. Giada, if you can come for Disney night, just go to the ballroom.
00:26:39
Speaker 2: He can dress up. You can go.
00:26:41
Speaker 3: It can still be a moment. You can give the people what they want on social media. Which, speaking of social media, you, Alan, as a veteran of the ballroom now, have had to deal with the ever-increasing focus on social media and the intense magnifying glass it has created. It's like TikTok and Instagram have become its own products. competition on the show.
00:27:04
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:27:05
Speaker 3: How does it affect your day-to-day in rehearsals? And are you happy with how important it has become to the show?
00:27:16
Speaker 1: I think, again, it's one of those double-edged swords. I think it is so important for the show. I think it gives people another opportunity to learn about you.
00:27:24
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:27:25
Speaker 2: To be invested.
00:27:26
Speaker 1: Because on the show, you get that minute, minute and a half package, a dance and And whatever time you have with Julianne in the skybox. Yep. On social media, you're in control of, of how much you want to put out, how little you want to put out, how much you want to interact. But it is, it's so time consuming.
00:27:45
Speaker 4: Yes.
00:27:47
Speaker 1: Even for us, we were trying like, we're like, Oh, we got to film this TikTok today, but then we run out of time and then we stay after and we're filming in the lobby. And it's like, we're, we're trying to, um, I love social media just for all the fun stuff with it. But it's a strong tool.
00:28:08
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:28:09
Speaker 1: I think you can either be consumed by it or encouraged by it. I think it's good to use it, but I don't think it's good to sit there and read all the comments.
00:28:19
Speaker 2: Oh, exactly. No, no, no, no.
00:28:21
Speaker 4: Yeah, I definitely did not.
00:28:24
Speaker 1: Everyone's going to have an opinion, and I don't think everyone's opinion is correct, obviously, because... their opinions and and i think it's it's more about like there's a way to connect without getting the.
00:28:37
Speaker 2: Harm totally yeah totally.
00:28:40
Speaker 1: But i do love like there's nothing i love more than the discourse online about the show yeah the fact that people are talking about dancing with the.
00:28:50
Speaker 4: Stars yeah so cool yeah it is.
00:28:54
Speaker 1: And and they're they're part of the reason why the show is so successful It's because they're so invested.
00:29:00
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:29:01
Speaker 1: That is one of the biggest parts about the show.
00:29:03
Speaker 5: And they're so invested in the pros. Like they really are. I mean, people love Alan. I can't tell you how many people were like, I love him. I just love watching him dance. I love watching his TikToks, all his social.
00:29:14
Speaker 4: That was my burner account.
00:29:15
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:29:18
Speaker 4: No, but really, Alan, people do. They love you. They love Emma. You guys have.
00:29:25
Speaker 5: Really gotten into the consciousness and really changed the perspective of dancing and I think have elevated the whole genre. And it's really spectacular. And I think they're just as important now.
00:29:30
Speaker 1: I know.
00:29:30
Speaker 5: I felt exactly the same way.
00:29:32
Speaker 4: Just saying, you know.
00:29:48
Speaker 5: I think every case is probably different, but I would say that like, you know, for me especially, I think Alan and his following and it's youthful following, which is not that I don't have any youthful following.
00:30:01
Speaker 4: But it's just different, right?
00:30:02
Speaker 5: And to have those two worlds come together, I think it's really phenomenal. And I will be honest, I had a rough go with the TikToks. Like I, after learning all of those moves and steps and whatever, when Alan be like, okay, we're going to learn a quick TikTok dance.
00:30:19
Speaker 4: I'd be like, wait, what?
00:30:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, please no.
00:30:21
Speaker 4: I don't think my brain can take. And at times he was like, Jada, come on. I don't know that I have it in me anymore. But then I would get it and I'd be like, I did that TikTok.
00:30:31
Speaker 5: Right.
00:30:31
Speaker 4: I did it. So, yeah.
00:30:34
Speaker 5: So for me, in the beginning, I was like, oh, my God. After all that, now I got to do it. And I literally thought it would be easy and it wasn't. And Alan was like, hello, girl.
00:30:44
Speaker 4: Wake up. Let's go. And we did. But then he did. He taught me. He had the patience to teach me.
00:30:49
Speaker 5: We did it. Yeah.
00:30:51
Speaker 1: And you nailed him. We had some good ones. I was going to say it. People online think that we're forced to do TikToks.
00:30:57
Speaker 2: Right, no.
00:31:00
Speaker 1: I see comments like, oh no, they have to do this many TikToks. No. No one has to do anything.
00:31:06
Speaker 4: No.
00:31:08
Speaker 1: But when you see things online, I'm like, how did this catch steam that But yeah, I'm going to settle that. No one is forced.
00:31:16
Speaker 2: There are no quotas, no quotas for TikToks.
00:31:19
Speaker 3: It's really a matter of another thing for the pro and the celeb to figure out together.
00:31:27
Speaker 2: What is our bandwidth for this? Do we have time today?
00:31:29
Speaker 3: I mean, there were many times Pasha and I would go into a day and we'd be like, all right. Let's at least get a couple of, you know, let's get some TikTok ideas done before the day was over.
00:31:38
Speaker 2: And then we would finish and we would go, you know what? We're going to do it tomorrow.
00:31:41
Speaker 3: We're not going to do it today because today's been a harder day or we had, you know, we, we were really focused on something like you. It's no, there's no, no one's forcing anyone, but it is a matter of like wanting to utilize it as a tool and not wanting it to be a detriment to you on the most important thing, which is your dance. Yeah. Gianna, I know you talked so much about your daughter and how she played a role in your decision to do the show. She must have been so proud and so blown away seeing you actually do it. She even recreated one of your dances, which is so sweet. What has she told you about what this experience has meant to her?
00:32:19
Speaker 5: Well, I think for her, it was so fun. Well, first of all, my daughter's always wanted to dance. It's the one she's very much into musical theater, but it's the, she sings very well. She acts and all that, but she can't, she doesn't really dance. And it's something that she's always wanted to do. So I think she was trying to live vicariously through me and the small things she did know how to do.
00:32:41
Speaker 4: She would try to help me get like, help me to kind of practice.
00:32:44
Speaker 5: Cause there's a lot of what people don't realize that there's a lot of practice in That has to happen at home. Like outside of just being in the rehearsal space, you got to practice as much as you can at home. And so she would help me when she was still around to do that. And so for her, it was, I think, a lot of fun to see me do something that she's always wanted to master. I think that she also really felt like for me, it was time to try to push myself into a scary zone that I've gotten comfortable in what I do really, really well. And that she felt like at this point, mom, I'm doing something scary. You should do something scary. And I think it bonded us. The fact that we were both stepping into something that felt really scary and a tiny bit lonely.
00:33:30
Speaker 4: And so that really helped as well.
00:33:32
Speaker 5: And I think she also saw that like, okay, her mother as successful as she's been in her life, wasn't so successful at this.
00:33:39
Speaker 4: And that is okay. She still put herself out there.
00:33:42
Speaker 5: She still had a good time and it's okay to try things and maybe, and not succeed or get very far. I mean, you know, success can be defined as different things. And sometimes as a kid, when you're watching your parent be successful at something all the time, you, you stop thinking that you could take chances or you could, you know, step outside and try something. And that if you don't get to the level that you want it to get to, that it's somehow you shouldn't.
00:34:10
Speaker 4: Have done it.
00:34:11
Speaker 1: Exactly.
00:34:11
Speaker 4: And a waste of time.
00:34:12
Speaker 5: And I think she realized, Oh, for my mom, that was not a waste of time. And it wasn't a waste of time for us, even though she didn't get as far as she would have wanted to get. And I think that's sort of the, that's what I think the takeaway for her is.
00:34:26
Speaker 4: And I think that, and that's a lesson for me too.
00:34:30
Speaker 1: And me, like, just cause you don't win something doesn't mean it was a weight. Like there's so much beauty in it. And, and to me, trying it is like the best thing. Yeah. Like, trying it is the accomplishment.
00:34:43
Speaker 3: I mean, the fact that Giada wants to find dance classes, like it's going to, it has changed your life. If you incorporate this into your daily life, you've just taken on something, a hobby you had no idea you loved.
00:34:55
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:34:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, exactly. And so I think that's part of this journey too.
00:35:00
Speaker 5: Yeah. You know, I, I'm sad for Alan because I think I may be the first celebrity that got, uh, eliminated this early on for him. I think he usually even though he gets sometimes older celebs, he tends to go a lot further. So I apologize. That's probably a first for Alan. But for me, it transformed me. But yeah, but I mean, like for me, it's really lit a fire in me that I never in a million.
00:35:25
Speaker 4: Years would have thought I would do.
00:35:28
Speaker 5: So I have to say thank you to you and to everybody because I wouldn't have done it. And to my daughter who pushed me to kind of say yes to this experience, which I will tell you, Danielle, I was terrified. Yeah.
00:35:41
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:35:42
Speaker 4: Terrified. Yeah. I spent all summer like.
00:35:44
Speaker 5: Oh my God, what am I going to do? So, and so I think like, you know, it was fantastic. And I intend to do more scary things in my future.
00:35:55
Speaker 4: So watch out.
00:35:56
Speaker 2: Love that. I want to talk food for one second.
00:35:59
Speaker 3: When Alan came on my podcast recently, he admitted that even though he is a born and bred Minnesotan, he had never heard of a Juicy Lucy.
00:36:10
Speaker 2: Giada, he should have known what that is, right?
00:36:13
Speaker 4: What is a Juicy Lucy?
00:36:15
Speaker 5: I don't know.
00:36:15
Speaker 1: I don't know.
00:36:18
Speaker 4: Oh my gosh. What is it, Danielle?
00:36:20
Speaker 3: It's a hamburger patty with the cheese already inside the middle of it.
00:36:24
Speaker 4: Oh, is that what they call it? A Juicy Lucy? Yes, a Juicy Lucy. Oh my gosh. I've even made them and I didn't know that.
00:36:31
Speaker 3: Well, the best Juicy Lucy in Los Angeles is at Barney's Beanery, FYI.
00:36:35
Speaker 2: Is it?
00:36:36
Speaker 5: Oh, yes.
00:36:36
Speaker 2: So if anybody wants to go to Barney's.
00:36:38
Speaker 3: That's where you can get your Juicy Lucy here.
00:36:41
Speaker 4: Um, wow. Okay.
00:36:42
Speaker 3: Giada, if you had to compare the experience of dancing with the stars to making a specific dish, what would it be?
00:36:52
Speaker 4: Oh gosh, that is a great question.
00:36:58
Speaker 5: Um, I, you know, I think I'm just going to say a sheep pan lasagna because you kind of throw everything into the mix and, and then you come out with this like unbelievable finished product that looks great. It smells better, even better. And it tastes phenomenal. And I think although you can't taste a dance, you can certainly, um, it heightens all of your senses when you watch it and you feel it makes you feel something. And I think a great dish makes you feel something from the inside out. And it kind of starts with the senses on the outside and warms up the inside.
00:37:35
Speaker 4: And I think a dance does the same. And I think it takes a lot.
00:37:39
Speaker 5: Of passion and energy and focus to really create an unbelievable dance. And so I would say a sheep pan lasagna, which is the first thing I made.
00:37:50
Speaker 4: Oh, I love that.
00:37:55
Speaker 3: Did you use your pasta? You have, first of all, Giazzi. You have the greatest tagline.
00:38:00
Speaker 4: I had so many plans for that.
00:38:02
Speaker 5: Like us doing part of our dance in a Sprouts aisle where we sell it. like even going to Vegas in front of my restaurant and doing some kind of fun thing on the.
00:38:11
Speaker 4: Strip, none of which I had a chance to do.
00:38:13
Speaker 5: But in my mind, I was going to do all those things and kind of incorporate it all in that.
00:38:18
Speaker 2: I would have.
00:38:19
Speaker 3: Loved to have seen that. I love your tagline, by the way, Giada De Laurentiis is powered by pasta.
00:38:26
Speaker 2: It's gluten free. And I know you have a commitment to keeping it healthy. Where can people get it?
00:38:31
Speaker 4: Oh, well, they can get it on Amazon.
00:38:33
Speaker 5: They can get it at Sprouts on the West side, you know, in Southern California, Gelson's, Erewhon, lots of different retailers. Oh, great.
00:38:42
Speaker 3: Giada, the public has loved you for almost 25 years. And I know for a fact, seeing you challenge yourself week after week this year on Dancing with the Stars only brought you closer to them and made us appreciate you even more.
00:38:54
Speaker 2: Congratulations on pushing yourself and Alan.
00:38:57
Speaker 5: Thank you.
00:38:58
Speaker 3: Give a big old slobby kiss to Jeff and Emma for me.
00:39:01
Speaker 2: Okay.
00:39:02
Speaker 4: Yes. Go Emma. Thank you.
00:39:05
Speaker 5: Bye.
00:39:06
Speaker 4: Thank you.
00:39:06
Speaker 1: Bye.
00:39:07
Speaker 4: Thank you guys.
