When “Dancing With the Stars” airs new episodes, there are many people behind the scenes working tirelessly to deliver a polished product for audiences. The goal is to ensure that viewers never see any slip-ups, mishaps, or “freak-outs.”
According to DWTS insiders, celebrity freak-outs are pretty common.
During the second day of the “Dancing With the Stars” convention, former pro Kym Johnson Herjavec and casting director Deena Katz detailed some of the problems they’ve encountered over the past 21 years.
Former DWTS Pro Kym Johnson Herjavec Remembers Her Husband Panicking
“Dancing With the Stars” can be an incredibly jarring experience for contestants. While many celebrities are comfortable in front of the camera or on stage, few have ballroom backgrounds.
During the second day of the “Dancing With the Stars” convention, Kym Herjavec and Deena Katz addressed celebrity freak-outs they’ve encountered over the years.
“I know we’ve had celebrities have a freak-out,” Kym began before sharing a personal story. She and her now-husband Robert Herjavec competed in season 20. While things went swimmingly at first, Robert had a freak-out of his own.
“Our job as the pros is to make them feel like they’re really good,” Kym continued. “We were rehearsing in another state and we never saw any of the other couples until camera blocking. And that was the first time Robert saw the other couples. But I had made him think that he was so good, he thought he was going to win the Mirrorball. And then he went on stage and saw Rumer Willis.”
Once Robert Herjavec saw Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy on the dance floor, he quickly lost his nerve. After camera blocking, he began to panic.
“When he finished he had a freak out. And he’s like, ‘I can’t do it.’ And you have to talk them off the ledge,” Kym remembered.
Deena Katz Admits She Always Has to Calm the Celebrities
When a celebrity inevitably panics and tries to leave, casting director Deena Katz is the one who must reel them back in.
“Well you know, I have them every week with different [celebrities],” Katz shared. “You know there are some that I’ve had to be outside the back door convincing some to come inside. Every single week, there’s somebody that has an issue or is scared. Some have to have a glass of wine and they come to me.”
“Billy Ray Cyrus went missing, I think, before a live show,” Kym Johnson Herjavec remembered.
“Cloris Leachman we could never find. She was a lot,” Katz added.
“There were a few we weren’t sure were going to turn up for the live shows,” Conrad Green chimed in. “So we’d always have a contingency plan. I remember with Master P there were a few tricky times back in the day. So we were actually training someone on the side, weren’t we? And he was sitting in the audience watching just in case. That was season 2.”
“And we didn’t know. Like now, we would have had a story, like we learned,” Deena Katz added.
Though the “Dancing With the Stars” convention is coming to an end, there is still plenty more exciting content ahead. The new episode of “The Next Pro” kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC. This week, Jenna Johnson mentors the remaining competitors and teaches them the importance of connection and chemistry.
DWTS season 35 begins at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15 on ABC. There will be a second episode the next night on September 16.
