Most of the time the pros will get a phone call finding out whether they are on a season or not. A few months before season 21 I had a meeting with the producers to discuss ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in general and how I see my involvement. It was pretty general. However, the producer asked if I was available the following day to come to the studio to dance around for about ten minutes with one of the potential celebrities who wasn’t sure if she wanted to join not feeling confident about her dance ability. Of course, I made myself available and when I danced around with Paula for a few minutes I knew she could move, she was just extremely nervous and in her head. After leaving that session I was waiting for weeks for Paula to decide if she wanted to join the cast and If I would even be partnered with her. Luckily, I did get the call that Paula was going to join and requested me as her partner. I had to spend almost three weeks downtown in Savannah, GA, which was so amazing. We rehearsed at Paula’s beautiful home and had an amazing time. Lots of laughter and lots of breaks! Paula’s condition wasn’t very good, but as the weeks progressed, she got better and better. A nice benefit of rehearsing at Paula’s home was her amazing kitchen where many famous dishes had been prepared. Paula made me a Dutch pancake from her latest book and it was delicious.
Paula made it to week 6 even though she had two torn meniscuses. She pushed through week after week in pain but wasn’t willing to give up or use it to get sympathy votes. She made it six weeks of hard work and diligence. In my opinion, Paula would have made it further if she didn’t have the pain or the weekly nerves to deal with. In rehearsal, she was becoming a great dancer, in particular her leg action. All in All, I had a fantastic time with Paula and have so much respect for her for the human she is.