MisT-eyed

Miss Spelling with Tory Spelling and iHeartRadio podcast.

Okay, guys, Dancing with the Stars finale was last night and you I was doing my podcast, so I've tried to sleep with my makeup and hair and somewhat. And am I Dancing with the Stars t shirt that my kid got thrun in the audience. They were tossing them out and he was like, Mom, you deserve this. I'm like God, at least I got something. And I am joined today by my friend Easton Allen, who also works with me at iHeart and is my fabulous sound engineer producer.

So Hi, You're too kind, toy. Thank you so much. It's such an honor to be here on this side of the microphone today.

I know see I always get to hear and see this part, but.

You guys don't.

So I'm honored that you're joining me today. And of course ruth Anna is here with us from the East Coast because she flew out of a red eye last night.

Are you tired?

I am exhausted, but this is how dedicated I am to you, Tori.

She is Okay, Dancing with the Stars finale. So, as you guys know, I was on Dancing with the Stars Season thirty three. I was sadly eliminated in the first elimination, which was the second week double elimination. It was Pasha and I went home and Anna Delvey and Ezra went home and it stood for nothing less than iconic when I was like, oh my god, this is the best experience I've ever had. And they said, Anna, what do

Thank god? She said that.

We were lucky enough to be able to come back for the finale. Everybody came back for the finale. All of the eliminated contestants joined the five finalists. Last night, I was filming a movie. I got eliminated. Because of that, I was able to do a movie in Florida and the Everglades. Did that for almost a month, flew home, no joke, went right into rehearsals for my dance with Pasha and Ezra and Anna and our opening performance, and it was so good to be back in the ballroom.

Euston I it was so exciting seeing you. There's a part where like you do a kind of a spin move and then you look right into the endo the camera and you look so good and I felt like you were staying right in my soul. And that was my favorite part of the whole thing.

I was that that was my EMMO.

You didn't know, mamma, Wow, you picked up on that executed perfectly.

How long did you all have to rehearse for that? For that huge number?

So Here's here's the interesting thing on Dancing with the Stars. When you're you start the show, you get a little bit of time. For your first dance. You get like I would say, we had like ten days of rehearsal maybe, and then each week you get five days, so it

We got two.

Days, two days.

Two days, and then we ran into camera blocking, so it was like, oh my gosh, my brain was.

Just like woo. It was like focus, you're back, this is it.

I was pretty used to in the moment dancing every day, you know, four to six hours a day, seven six days a week, so I yeah, went back into it and it was like, oh, right, this is what my body's supposed to do.

I think I picked it back for a dance like that where it's everybody and there's so many people, like are you and Pasha just practicing like rehearsing on your own and then you like kind of added into the or is there a part where like the whole group gets together, because is there's so much coordination from everybody for that kind of.

Thing we did.

Pasha and I practiced that little mini thing with the entire group by ourselves, and then late Saturday night we were joined by everybody and Sunday and then we did it all together.

Was that emotional for you to see everybody back together again?

It really was, Yeah.

And to see the crew and everyone, it was emotional. It was a happy place, a joyful place. And one member of the crew, I think yesterday, right before the show, she was like, are you are you excited to be back? Are you bummed that you had to come back and do this? And I was like, no, bummed, not at all. And I said, I was so excited when they asked me to come back, because first of all, they asked

In front of a live audience.

I was like, oh my gosh, I think this one there was actually more pressure on me, to be honest from myself, because I was like, okay, let go one of two ways, Like we went out on two great dances.

You know.

I was just getting the hang of it. I've never had dance training. I'm not an athlete. Let's face it. If you know me, you know I barely move, so you know, jumping into that, I am flexible that's the one thing I got going for me, But jumping into that it was really hard. So I feel like I would have kept growing if I had stayed on the show. So, you know, while the judges comments on my performance are performance, the first two weeks, I felt we're super fair, and

Like, oh you were robbed.

You know, you shouldn't have been eliminated this soon, but you did great, And I was like, shoot, so we can come back and I could do these two proper. Like the opening number, I was like, okay, I got this one. That one's going to be easy. But this single number that Pasha and I had, we were able to do two lifts and do things I had never done before. But it always hoped I would grow to do and I was like, gosh, this is on live TV. This is the finale. People could be like, oh my gosh,

It had to be done right.

You couldn't fake it because if you one thing went wrong, the lifts wouldn't have gone right, especially the last spin, the lift and spin where he got me off the ground at the very end of ours. And I just kept thinking, oh my gosh, like what happens if I just like blank and I screw up?

And then people were like she was so great. Oh and then she came back and blew it. But I nailed it.

When you're rehearsing those kind of like spins and lifts, was there for a moment where You're like, I'm going to be oh god, I could get seriously injured doing this, or like, was was there that fear in you?

I just shot a movie with alligators in a swamp in the Everglades.

I have no fear anymore.

No, no, hurt is not the thing. I just like, first of all, it's if you're not used to being spun. He did ten spins with me above him. You get really dizzy, and then when he puts me down, you're just moving, moving, moving, You're like, you can't find your balance, and then we had to go right into the next lift, so there's not a moment to regain your balance. And the pros, you know, they know how to do this. They've been doing this for years. Even all of the

Let's go for it, Like I'm going to do this.

But at that point you just have to like trust your partner because he's like, at no point do I ever let go of you. He's like, so when I place you down and everything's moving, just turn and connect with me. And that really got me through it. Like that connection with him and I to go into the final move.

That's a beautiful practice, I think, not just for like doing the spins and keeping yourself in balance, but like when things feel like they're getting out of control, if you just like focus on that connection you have with somebody else, that can make you feel grounded.

Right, that is super true. Oh my gosh, should we put that on a T shirt?

I think we should.

I haven't had a moment. I just had to keep my eye on the prize. And I'm like, kids, and we're going to get through this standing with the Stars. Then it's my movie Lost in the Everglades, and then it's back on Dancing with the Stars, and they're like, what are we gonna, you know, discuss Thanksgiving. I'm like, Wednesday morning, when Dancing with the Stars is over, we're

Okay, I have a few comments on Dancing with the Stars, as.

I do, because you were there live.

You were there, I was there live, and then you went right to the airport.

I did go right to the airport first of all. And I'm not just saying this because I'm your favorite sidekick, but you looked stunning that outfit that I don't know.

If you want to say that.

You took an old outfit and made it a new outfit, which was phenomenal, Like how you how you figured out how to do that?

Well, our amazing costumer Daniella did it.

So I got two outfits, which was really cool.

I got to do an outfit change, which as a fashion eest, I always love a good outfit change in the quickie room behind on a set. But the opening number outfit was actually yes, Yes, was actually the outfit I was wearing the night I was eliminated when Pasha and I did the rumba.

But it had a long skirt attached.

To it, and Daniella it up and cropped it and added some fringe and made it something new and sparkly and shorts.

So the passives were phenomenal. Your work was incredible as somebody who had just spent you know, the better of three weeks with you in the Florida Everglades. The fact that you were able to transition from swimming with alligators in immense humidity and heat and like a serious acting role to then literally with less than a day dive right back into the Dancing with the Stars intense rehearsal schedule for whatever two and a half days before you

That said I was robbed, which I thought was.

Brilliant since at least every time I'm with you, when you went into fans and they say they loved you on Dancing with the Stars, they say you were robbed.

So that T shirt is phenomenal.

I need to have one.

So so the story on that is, afterwards that line just everybody kept saying it to me, like I couldn't talk to someone or even you know, out in public. You know, fans would come up to me in the grocery store. Everyone would say literally the same thing, you were robbed.

And I was like that.

So I was like, well, I was eliminated, robbed, Like oh well, I wouldn't.

Have gone all the way.

But it became such a thing, and you know, we do these fan conventions and everybody that came up to the table was like, we love you and Dancing with the Stars. You were robbed, you were robbed, you were robbed, You're robbed, You're rubbed.

And I was like, oh my god.

My thing in life is I love marketing and advertising, and I'm always like I love a good catchphrase.

Hello, I use my.

Name and everything and it works.

But I was like, I was robbed. I was robbed. That's a T shirt. I always say everything's a T shirt.

And then part of my big problem in life, which I'm working on, is I'm an idea person I don't execute it. So this time, I actually my best friend Jess and I went online and found a place that you can just like literally make a T shirt. And I was like, I'm going to fall through this time, and I got my eye was robbed t shirt, which you know, it was like a Bogo sitch, so I think I got two for the price of one or buy one, get one freeze.

So I have two. I have two.

That second one I actually as a joke but not a joke, want to send to my friend Chandler Kinney because while my heart was with everybody, all five finalists were unbelievable. The redemption dances were great. They're all really good humans, really good people, and really talented. There's a special place in my heart for Chandler since the beginning, and Chandler's gonna come on the show. We talked about it,

Love you, I love you. So yeah.

I got that T shirt and I was like, this is funny. I'm gonna wear it one day. And remember I brought it to I brought that T shirt to the Everglades and I was like, I'm gonna wear this one day. I'm gonna way. I never wore it, and then when I went back, I was like, I'm gonna wear it to a rehearsal.

I'm just gonna wear it and wear it proud.

This journey may not be over for you.

I don't want it to be over. And in the dance troupe is amazing. I love all of them, but specifically Stephanie who is as a sister, and Roman have agreed to officially give me dance lessons. We discussed it last night and I was like, Okay, I'm going to fall through on this, but it's on me to fall through on it. But they and I told Pasha, when you come back from tour in like four months, because they are They're on tour from January through April. It's wild.

So we have click click click, click, click click.

And then Pasha and I go right into our moves. We see the big screen black screen behind us, and they're counting down. I looked to my kids in the audience and I was just like I love you cause I was like, Okay, you know what in this moment, I need to call my nerves. I need to turn back to Pasha. I need to be focused completely on him, and we just need to be as one and just dance. But in these next couple of seconds, let me look at my five babies in the audience and I was like,

Okay.

I was like, tee, take that and turn to your partner. And as Pasha used to tell me during rehearsal, do your job.

Well.

Then I'm congratulations on two phenomenal performances. And you know, Anderson Cooper and I will be having words after the holiday.

What an unbelievable experience. Like backstage afterwards, we could hear the people cheering.

Oh.

Before the show, Carrie Anne was telling Jen and I, Jen Tran and I that she's like, just you know, She's like, sometimes the audience members are all like you know, a lot of them are family members and friends, and they've been here all season. They're tired too, So sometimes what you hear in the audience, you won't hear as much cheering and stuff as you, guys expected, like when you were in the season earlier. So don't let that

Super proud of, is she said these words you.

Went home too soon, And I was like, you're my friend, thank you, my beautiful judge and friend. Yes, But I got to say when Pasha and I did that first lift, and he said afterwards, did you hear the audience?

They went wild?

They went crazy, They went so crazy if I wanted to, I couldn't even hear the music to count my steps and beats to keep on. After that first lift, when I heard them just roar, I was like, Yeah, I'm gonna nail this second one, and and and part of the thing on the second one when he does the lift and we latch arms and he like kind of throws me around. My I'm so basically get my toes. So he's like twirling me around. It's almost like a helicopter.

And his you know, his.

Words were, you know, in that moment, you.

Just have to thrust your hips.

You know, get your hips up like butt clenched and just up and that's going to give you your body the momentum to get as much height as possible. So during the rehearsals and stuff, I would always I'm I'm the hardest critic on myself.

Look back at each of our rehearsals and I be.

Like, oh, I just want to I see them do this on the show and all the contestants and the pros do it. I want to do this this move and I was like, I gotta get butt up, you know, And it was always something that I didn't quite get enough air. But in that moment with the crowd cheering, I like did a butt crunch of a lifetime. I'm telling you, I like I engaged my glutes so hardcore. I was driving them up through that ceiling. The mirror ball was up there, the confetti, I was like, let's

I was like, I'm scared. Did I mess up? He's like no, and he was like it's great.

And I look back and he goes, look at this one point, he goes, both of your feet are off the.

Ground completely even, And I was like.

Yes, first of all, everybody's phenomenal, but how great would it be if this cast went on tour.

All of you.

But during dress rehearsal, like I really got to focus backstage on watching all of the freestyles, and it was crazy. It was like I was a fan even though I knew all these people and been there, and each time I watched one of the freestyles, I was like, Oh, that one that they're going to win. And then I'd watch another freestyle I'd be like, oh, oh my god, shoot, they're gonna win. Like each one just kept blowing me away.

I don't know, I thought.

I thought it was really phenomenal, and I actually, you know, never wanted to pick a favorite, but everyone was like, who do you think is going to win? I was, I said, Chandler, and you know.

Watching right there because we were right.

There, and as the finalists are eliminated, it just goes dark on them, and you know, the light goes out, and so you know, it was Stephen and Riley, Danny and Whitney and then I still can see it in my head.

It was just so epic and so classy. Yet beautiful.

When Chandler's light went out, she just put one heart up for her fans into all of her family and friends, and I was like, she's a special human. There's been thirty three seasons. Let's be real. In thirty three seasons, they can't have always had a cast that all got

And yeah, I can't wait.

And I'm super proud of all my dancing family pros and cast, And yeah, I'm sad now I'm sad again. I'm sad that it's like over, like really over this time. Nothing's ever really over