Miss Spelling with Tory Spelling and iHeartRadio podcast. Hey, guys, welcome to Misspelling. I'm me Laria Baldwin and I'm filling in for my friend Toy this week. So I'm so excited to be here with you guys, and I can't wait to answer all of these questions.
So we'll start with some Dancing with the Stars questions. Okay, what made you want to join Dancing with the Stars.
Dancing with the Stars was a really fast, last minute, wild whirlwind of universe coming together.
I mean, I love to dance.
I danced when I was much younger, and I broke my hip, so I stopped dancing. I couldn't walk for the better part of a year, and I was I was new to TikTok. I am new to TikTok, and I was trying to figure out what TikTok is about.
Only people dance. So I started dancing on TikTok and I'm dancing with my husband, and people start writing in Dancing with the Stars, and then all of a sudden, Dancing with the Stars called me and they're like, do you want to jump on a plane in a couple of days and come here and I was like, looked over my.
Husband and I looked at my kids.
I was like, okay, and then we went on this like wild, fun adventure. So it was really a really exciting universe coming together experience.
Right, did your whole family move out to LA for the time you were on.
Yes, Alec was back and forth because he I mean again, this was not something that we had planned. Some people, I think they know that they're going to do this like a year before. I mean mine was like days before. So it was a you know, we pivoted. We took the kids out of their normal school and we put them in homeschool when they were out there. So it was just a lot of pivoting and rallying and sort of being like, all right, mommy's going on this adventure, so let's go with them with her.
And were the kids excited for you?
So excited? And they loved when it was show day.
They loved when it was showday and they'd come and they'd think about what they're wearing and where they're sitting. And then the little ones would come in just for my performance because they were a little bit too small to watch. Have the attention span for the whole thing, but.
Yeah, they were so cute sitting in the audience. Did you have any hesitations about joining after your your hip issues?
I mean, I think that it's not just the hip. I broke my foot a year ago. I've broken my ankle a few years ago. I mean, I and it's not you know, I don't have weak bones. I just have I'm just insane and I do crazy physical things like I broke my inkle almost getting hit by a car. Like there's like it's always there's a story to each one of them. But I you know, I mean, I think it was more am I being crazy?
And you know, I'm a mom and I have seven.
Kids, and I believe very much in Reugene, and so I feel like it was more that. But my kids and my husband, even you know, not my very younger kids, but my older kids were being able to articulate. Mom, you always support us everything that we're doing, and so we want to be there to cheer you on. And even you know, said to my daughter, I was scared when I go out there, my oldest I said, what if I and the first week and I'd made this big deal and we all flew out there, And she
said mommy, at least you tried. And I love that my kids know that, and I just I was I don't know other parents out there, but like when your kids says something that just like you know, it knocks the wind.
Out of you because it is just so beautiful. That was one of those moments for me.
That's awesome. That's awesome. All right, So getting to this show, how did you balance for her soul, mommy life everything like that? Oh?
It was hard. And actually one of my best friends came out with me and helped me with the kids because Alec again was back and forth.
My nannies came out with me.
So there's that. But you know, I mean it was it was hard because my kids are used to me being around a lot. I'm a very you know, physically present mom, and so it was you know, and they knew that when I got home, your body hurts and I'm tired, and I you know, don't have as much energy to run around with them. But they also, again especially the older ones, really understood that no matter how long I was gonna be on the show, was a
short period of time. This was just for now, and they wanted they you know, they fell in love with glev my dance partner. They fell in love with so many of the other pros. And my daughter Carmen is obsessed with Danielle Fischel and to paying gay and she's like, oh my.
God, I love to paying.
So they just say they really knew that this was a once in a lifetime adventure.
Right, What were you hoping to get out of dancing with the stars. Were you hoping to show like another side of yourself or just kind of a personal you know.
I mean, I've been asked a question, the questions like that is like, you know, everybody's always wanting let me, let me try to prove myself to you guys. Now, let me show you something different about me. I don't think I'm calculated enough to know how to do that. I just don't think things through obviously most of the time.
I really feel that.
I just I love to move my body, and I love to dance and to put those dance shoes on again. And you know, after the very first dance we were finishing in about it was our idea and I just kept on, We're just not even thinking and I kept on bending over and I touched the ground and it was like this, you know that that dance floor that I knew so well that I you know, I, I said goodbye to you a long time ago, and it
just to have that emotional connection. And you know, moms, we like, you know, especially when we're in our forties, everything is about Okay, where's what's my kids need to do?
And what does my work need to do?
And so we lose so much of our own identity and so this was just such a beautiful reconnection, reconnecting with something that had was very meaningful to me.
Right, yeah, are you excited to go back for the finale?
You cannot? I can noway, No, I'm not nervous.
Nerves.
I mean, like maybe good nerves, but not bad nerves. It was such I loved everybody on that show, every single person, from the hair and the makeup, to the justices, to the the producers, to the big you know, the big people with all of their power on the way top, to the pros, to the to my you know, my my fellow castmates, everybody.
Just I'm so magical.
I didn't meet one person that I didn't absolutely adore on that show, and so I'm just excited to see everybody again.
Yeah, so many people say that. They said everyone it's just always so much like a family and everyone supports each other.
It's kind of really weird. Like you get looking around you're.
Like, nah, no, this can't be.
So good, and you look like, how have you guys created something that's just so positive? Right?
Yeah? So when you got eliminated, the next dance was dedication week, and we're going to dedicate it to Alec. Can you share what dance you were going to do was a part of it?
Yeah, well, he was gonna be a part of it. It was gonna can I tell you the internet did me dirty that one because it would have been so funny, would have been iconic, you know, Alec. He was gonna we're going to do our dance to our first wedding dance, and it was going to be like SNL meets Dancing with the Stars meets like Blackpool Dancing meets just like
ridiculous Baldwinville. So it's like it was gonna be really really funny, and you know, who know, it was down the line if there's gonna be an opportunity for us to create that or not.
You know, do you know what you're doing? For the finale.
I have no idea. I have to I have to call Gleb and ask him. I hope it'll be something fun. I don't I don't really know that much about about it. I haven't you know, I should watch the finales of other seasons. But I hope it'll be like One Last Dance would be so fun.
Yeah. Absolutely. Are you still in touch with Gleb or anyone else with the show or is it hard right now because the show's still no, no.
No no. Glev and I are going to be like lifelong friends. We became like buddies right away. I'm like, you know, I feel that he's another person I feel so lucky to have connected with. You know, he really is a special, special person. And I do believe in people coming into each other's lives at certain time times. So you know, we send each other memes all day
and text and we'll have a phone call. And you know what, we stayed in LA for about two weeks after the show, and we hung out a ton of times, and he hung out with Alex. So it's it's he's a really special person.
Awesome. Do you think that any of the issues or the like backlash that Gleb had from last season affected anything on your season.
Look, I think it's a combination of a lot of things. It's a reality show, right, and that's it. It's a reality show. Now, it's a fun reality show. It's a everybody's warm and fuzzy on the inside reality show. But it's a reality show. And so I look, I met him, you know, right away, and obviously this is the show came out, the Dancing Stars came out when everything was coming out about you know, what was what had happened with him in the pastor has not happened with him? Right?
I don't even know. I don't like commenting on other people's relationships, but you know, I told him we're partnership. We go through things together in every single way, and I really think that. I think that we are a package. And of course people are going to vote for certain reasons, and there's going to be people who are going to try to influence people. But all we could do was do our best dancing and have the most fun, and we did. We did that, right.
Do you think you guys are unfairly cut from the competition? Should other people have gone home before you?
That's a really hard question because I love everybody on the show, and if you know me, I'm like peace and love and I'm a Samles wull dance together forever. I mean I cried every single time somebody was eliminated. I like really had a very hard time afterwards and was a lot to process. And it's like a weird mixed feeling of like, Okay, I get to go to dance tomorrow, but it's painful because everybody worked so hard.
And you know, dancing wise, we're very we're you know, we're very good together at glebinin dancing wise, we are very good together.
And I know that.
I know that because I have a background in dance do. I love watching Andy Richter like improve and he's just a joy to watch. Absolutely, So every single partner on there, whether they got eliminated first or they are going to win, is valid because dancing is about entertainment and enjoying it. Anyone can dance, and so you know, again this isn't who's the best dancer, This is you know, whose journey are we watching? And you know what music choice was it?
And what does that resonate with people? And what are the online campaigns to support people and to tear people down. That's all a big part of the reality show. So you know, I mean what, I've continued, loved to continue to dance, absolutely, But at the same time, I said to my kids. My kids were there and they were crying, and I kneeled down with them on the ballroom floor. After the cameras were often, I said, I know, I'm really and I'm crying too, So I'm really really sad.
And I want you to look at my castmates and you see how happy they are. And part of this experience is being happy for the people who get to dance tomorrow, and so I really never want to lose that. And you know, I'm reminding myself and teaching them. So I do feel like it's a it's a mixed bag.
Yeah. And speaking of internet chatter, do you agree with the heat that Yan is getting.
I've only seen like headlines. First of all, I love Yon,
I love Yon. I was I've been laughing a little bit because there was some really like funny, like obviously bullshit trash article about me that I was having like a fit that I wasn't dancing with Yon when I I wasn't like and I was like, and at that point it was so funny because I hadn't actually been to I went to LA for the promos, and then I was back rehearsing in New York for a little bit because the dancing the stars are so supportive and they helped me have some extra time in New York
to transition my family. But I was like reading this stuff and I'm like, who's Yan like? And apparently I'm like throwing things it mad that I'm not dancing with Yan and something about like I needed a certain lighting in my dressing room that doesn't exist. You don't get a dressing room dancing with You do get a trailer, But trailer lighting, I think is just pretty fluorescent. It's my first trailer I ever had, but I think that they just across the bad fluorescent. Maybe if you're like
a super stud you get a special lighting. But it was like all these like obviously just who I also wonder who are these people who just like write this stuff? And I was like, I'm not even physically present to be doing any of these things, and I don't know who Yan is. So that was my first introduction to Yan was apparently I was really mad that I.
Wasn't dancing with him, and I like laughed about it so much.
Where we finally did meet, I was like, do you know that apparently I have through a tantrum that I wasn't dancing with you.
But so, first of all, Yan is a beautiful dancer. He's no.
Is he a ballroom dancer? No, but not everybody on there is a ballroom dancer. You know, they've learned some ballroom, but they're not a ballroom dancer. And I think that he brings something completely unique. He's one of the loveliest people you'll ever meet. He's such a good person, and so is Jen, and they're so cute together. I mean, every single time I watched them, I have a great time watching them. So I feel like everybody, look again, it goes back to it's a reality show and people
are trying to create drama about it. But if you really know the people, you know, just let people dance. That's it. Let people dance and enjoy it.
If they did a redemption season to bring back contestants, would you do with it.
No, I'm obsessed with Dancing with the Stars. I like, I had the best time at the time in my life.
Everyone says that when they come off the show, they're like, oh my god, I just want to dance. That's all I want to do now.
Yeah, no, it's again. It is such a positive experience and it's hard on your nervous system to like just stop because like every every day, no days off, every day, and then you wake up the next day and you're like, okay, what do I do with myself today? And of course I have seven kids, so I know what I'm doing with myself. And it is you get into this routine of just like, Okay, this is what I thought it was going to be, and now it's over. You just you know, get you get off the train. So it
is that is a painful side to it. But truly, truly, truly, it's only been a positive experience. I would say that the one thing is like when you go and you do the podcast right afterwards, where I.
Like bald my eyes out. I think a lot of people bother their eyes out afterwards because.
It's just so emotional.
I had my kids outside the room and.
They were crying, so I'm having to act try out like a logical conversation. I'm like hearing my kids crying I'm dressed up like Princess Leah, Like I'm seeing the ridiculousness of myself doing this, and you just get up and you're like, all right, I don't know, I don't know what to say. I'm just I guess I'll be the new meme tomorrow, which I watched.
I mean, you know, they're always looking for that. So going back to the show, did you have any say in your song or picking your wardrobe or anything like that.
Definitely in the songs we had a ton of say they really dancing the stories really wants your personality to shine, so they listen to you a lot, and they really care. There's lots of teams having meetings. I also am the kind of person where I come on to this and I know that I'm you know, I'm not the pro on it, neither in dance or in costuming or in
what's gonna sound the best or the camera angles. So you do see like I'd be sitting next to my castmates and they're in like the make out, hair and makeup chair and they're actively telling people who what to do. I sometimes wonder if it's an endearing quality about me or it just makes me you know, kind of a pushover where I'm like, do what you want to do.
I am here to enjoy your enjoy your expertise. So I really, for the most part, like costume wise, hair wise, makeup wise, I just enjoyed being around these people who are very good at what they do.
Did you ever have any wardrobe mount functions right before show?
Oh? And yes I did.
Let's see, I had my first costume there was so first of all, like you want to you wear this costume for a while, like a really long while, because we do a dress rehearsal and then we have a quick break and then we go into the live show and and and then you've done a rehearsal and practice close before, so you've you've done this dance many many times. You know, i'd get to the studio, I'd I get to air and make up between six thirty and seven thirty.
And you know sometimes we weren't out until I want to say, like nine thirty ten, after doing press and everything. And so the first one. So trying to like pee in these outfits right before you're going to go on is a feat in itself, especially like I like feathers and you're like pulling to one side. It's just it's just not it's not a graceful situation. And as I'm looking down, I see this string, hey, from like the
crotch of my of my dress. So I mean, I thank god like I went to pee before, because like it would have been extraordinarily embarrassing to be like, you know, why is there this string hanging out from the cratch of her So we.
Found that one out.
It was actually really really tight on my They made it a little bit too tight on my neck, so I was bruised to the next day all my collar bones the back of my neck because of how tight the dress was. And I mean, they want to make sure that there are no wardrobe those kinds of wardrobe malfunctions.
The week afterwards, we did.
Tangle and my elbows like we had to tape them because it was like getting like this awful pain in my elbows from that. You know, he sort of threw me around into a trick towards the end. But I feel like the other ones it was, you know, not as not as much. The last outfit was probably my least favorite because it was just like so much fabric and it was like we kept on catching each other on it and made it hard to dance.
But so yeah, that was that was that nice.
Did you guys have a costume plan for the Halloween episode?
No, we were playing around with different ideas. I like the idea of doing Fantom of the Opera. That's what's been super fun. But we were kind of like you kind of plan on two weeks ahead because you don't want to count your chickens too what you want to be prepared, but right not overly prepared, because any heart gets broken more.
It's been said that once you've spent seven days a week training for Dancing with the Stars, even though it's really hard, it gives you that confidence that I can do anything. You feel that And is there anything that you want to do now that maybe like you were afraid to do before?
Or I always feel like.
Kids is right?
I mean, I just I just enjoyed the experience so much so I feel like, you know, are we going to spend more time in La Probably. I think we've had some very serious conversations in terms of that, and I think that that's given me the confidence into making a potentially bigger move than I thought we would. Again, we'll see we are. We are really people who pivot and see in our life, as you know, is constantly wild and changing. I kind of like the idea this
is completely like out of blue. I kind of like the idea of like getting out of soap opera or something like that.
I think it would be so fun.
I just like playing, you know what I mean, anything where you get to play and have fun and interact with other people.
I very much. I very much like that. So we'll see, we'll see.
You know. I have some fun projects in the work, and I have a lot of fun meetings in the works of just like dreaming, like a lot of dreaming right now, which is a great time.
Awesome. I heard soap operas are a lot of hard work too, so you.
Like to love it? Yeah, just make yourself busy, you know. Again, I'm saying that without any experience or anything, and maybe I would see it and like I try it out and it's like, no, not for me. This is literally like Ilaria doesn't think they through and is saying on a podcast.
You know, that's like that's the best way to go through life. Maybe it's go with it, you know.
All right, guys, that's it for today.
Thank you so much for listening with me, and I am so happy, Tori, that you gave me this opportunity. I love you, and I can't wait to see you soon.