Photo Credit: COURTESY ABC

Week 4: The Judges Are Being Really Tough on Me!

The former Broadway star takes Us behind the scenes of the hit ABC show

SAYING GOODBYE TO STEVE
I am going to miss him being backstage and being so supportive. He was everyone’s cheerleader! He actually is always here with a smile and is so funny. Steve is the biggest sweetheart and he loved this [show] so much.

JIVE TALKIN’
The jive is a lot of hard work, more than anyone knows. I literally worked my tail off and lost four pounds doing the jive this week alone! I’m noticing [the weight loss] most in my core, in my waist area. My stamina has been good throughout all of this. We jumped the entire dance [last week], so it was all cardio. We were practicing six hours a day!

JUDGING THE JUDGES
I think they are being really tough on me! They are judging each person for their own abilities, so [the judges] know I won a Tony award and I think they expect more from me. I am just going to try to give them more. When Carrie Ann called me ‘boring,’ I had never been called boring on stage before. If our dance was boring, I don’t know what to say. She is doing her job and we are doing ours. There are no ill feelings, and we are going to work really hard to impress her next week!

FOUR WEEK PROGRESS REPORT
This is the hardest thing I have ever done! When I am singing, my mind is focusing on the words and when I am dancing, my mind can wander: I hear the audience, I see the light changing....I like consistency. If the music will be different from when we rehearsed it, or if my outfit doesn’t feel right, it’s hard. I have learned that there is no consistency in ballroom dancing and I need to focus and keep my personality. [Tony and I just] have to figure out how to blend them together.

BY MARISSA JARET WINOKUR