This is the most dramatic podcast ever and iHeartRadio Podcast. Welcome to a very special edition of the most Dramatic podcast ever. I'm Chris Harrison alongside Lauren Zema from her home office in Austin, Texas, we woke to the very sad news that legendary Dancing with the Stars judge had Judge Lynn Goodman had passed away at the age of seventy eight. Lynn was just known as a wonderful, kind giving man. Obviously we all loved to have millions did
watching Dancing with the Stars all those years. He died in his home, surrounded by his family. He had been battling bone cancer for quite some time and stepped away from the show to spend time back home. But when so much in this day and age is made of people that are divisive, people that are angry, why not do a show about someone that everybody just loved. Lynn was one of those guys that everybody could just rally around.
Even when he was being kind of critical of the dancers, you knew it came out of a good place.
They all respected him one hundred percent, and we wanted to give a couple of those people who worked with him for so long the time to share their memories with him. I think we're also in a day and age where you know, somebody passes and it's kind of a quick blip and then it's on to the next And you and I were both just so involved with this show. I covered Dancing with the Stars for six
seven years with Entertainment Tonight. You saw several bachelor people go on the show, and you'd attended several times, and so we just wanted to reach out to some of our dancer friends and former contestant friends and share some memories of Len and talk about a show that we both loved and a guy who everybody, as you said, loved and respected.
I remember when the show was being pitched and an ABC executive came in our control room and said, we're talking about so By the way, Lynn was also the judge of Strictly Calm Dancing. That is what Dancing with the Stars is. It was a BBC show first, same thing celebrities, you know, dancing with pro dancers. Lynn was on that show and for many years he would go back and forth between the BBC show and then come to Hollywood and do Dancing with the Stars. And when
I remember what it was pitched. I'm like, I don't know slabs pro dancers. Clearly I was wrong. And Tony Bernielli who was also a judge, He came over from Strictly Come Dancing and they spent many, many years together. But I remember Trista Wrenn. Trista was the first. She was our bachelorette, and she was the first person ever voted off Dancing with the Stars. She was, Yes, she has the dubious honors.
So when they was the first elimination of the first season.
And they of the show. So when the show started, you know that that started this symbiotic relationship. Obviously we're all in the ABC family on primetime and Dancing with Air when The Bachelor wasn't on, and so often they used people from our show. Well, it all started with Trista, our first bachelorette. But yeah, she had dubious honor. The first person in the history of the show ever voted off was Trista.
Well, it also sort of became kind of a controversial
battle between your shows. I guess I would interview pros a lot of the time, would say some of them that they struggled with when Bachelor contestants were on because they would have this strong fandom voting for them that wasn't actually watching Dancing with the Stars like the Bachelor Nation, fans would vote for the contestants, but they weren't actually watching, which bothered the pros sometimes and it also sort of held over contestants head sometimes whether they would be able
to go be on the show.
Well, like I mean, you remember infamously, you remember Sean Loh did so well because he was so beloved. Caitlin Bristow, Hannah Brown, those are the people that did so great on the show, and they danced really well. Not Sean, the ladies did. And he'll be the first to tell you, but you're right, I remember you. During the voting, it was a lot of well, this is a popularity contest.
The Bachelor has this built in fandom, and it just went to show up about how beloved these people were when they came off The Bachelor of bache Arette at the time.
But Lenn rose above it all.
He did well. And to your point, I was on the show quite a bit where I would stop by and support whoever it was that was dancing at the time, and I spent a lot of time with the judges. I knew Carrie and Ama very well and got to meet Lynn and spend a lot of time with him. We'd be at ABC events. Just always such a kind, good man, just a gentleman, Always a smile on his face, a twinkle in his eye, always light on his step. He looked and carried himself like a dancer, which he,
by the way, was he in his teens. He was a competitive dancer and went on I believe it was in his late twenties when he won the British championship. He was the best dancer in the UK. So that's where it came from. It came from his competitive edge. And when he stopped competitive dancing, he's like, I'm done with that. But obviously he was perfect for this job which was created and then came to the States and Dancing with the Stars.
That's something I love about Dancing with the Stars is that the judges have always been people with legitimate experience. You know, It's not like when Ellen DeGeneres was member, when she was brought on to judge American Idol, right, and everybody's like, why is this half right? But you know, Lenn had an incredible pedigree, and I think I read in one of the obituaries written about him this really sweet quote. He said something like, you know, I'm just
a guy who got lucky. He was always very humble as well that he became this dancer, But in terms of this fame and becoming this judge and being on television, he just viewed that he got lucky.
He did an interview and he said, I want this to be my obituary. He said, you can write it, he said, and this is the quote you were talking about. He was a dance teacher from Dartford who got lucky. Because that's just about the truth of it. The self deprecation clearly in that, but it doesn't tell the story of how beloved he was. And so Elsie and I thought, let's do a show just for a good man that left a big impression on millions of people as we
watched him for the better part of two decades. And as Lauren said, we're going to talk to some former professional dancers, a couple of the celebrities who danced on the show, and just hear their stories, the people that were in the trenches with them day in and day out, and so Lenn Goodman, this show is for you. Lindsay Arnold became a professional dancer on season sixteen of Dancing with the Stars. At the time, I remember when she
came in. If I'm not mistaken, it was about the same time Whitney came in.
Yes, we've all started the same season.
I remember meeting both of you at an ABC event. You were the second youngest dancer and Dance with the Star's history. Obviously you heard the story about Lenn passing away, and I know he was someone near and dear to you, as he was to everybody in that Dancing with the Stars family. Can you shed some light on who he was, what he meant?
Yes, I mean, I think the outpouring of love that we've seen has just really just paid tribute to him as a person. But I don't think there's enough that we could possibly say or do to like truly capture how incredible this man was. I was somebody who had watched Dancing with the Stars from season one, started out as a die hard fan, like twelve year old me sitting on my couch every single week, and Len was always there, like he was a part of the show
from the beginning, and truly. The best way I can discreim is he was the heart of the show, Like he really really was. So it was so cool for me because coming from a position of being a fan watching these judges and watching Len in particular, and then getting to be a part of the show and getting to interact with him, I have to say, honestly, and I think everybody would probably say the same thing, like Len gives off this really like mean, like he gave
off this I'm a grumpy man vibe. But it was the coolest thing ever to have that switch from like feeling that and being like, oh, I'm so nervous to meet Len, to literally be the most welcoming, warm, kind person I had ever met in my life. It was the coolest shift, Like, and it was that first season. I saw it right away, Like it didn't take a long time for me to see this incredible man that
he was. It was pretty instantaneous where I'm like, no, he is a kind human and he says it like it is, which is what made the show so incredible. He never held back and he wasn't going to sugarcoat things, and that's why I think people respected about him so much.
Lin's it seemed to me, And actually I should share one thing about Len was he really didn't do the press lines much because he usually was like flying back to England. And I don't know how much you hung out with him off stage, you know, in between when
the cameras were actually rolling. But was he that same person or it seemed to me always like he would be the type who'd probably come up to you after the cameras stopped rolling and still give you that same feedback, and that he was genuine through and through and he would even be tough on you behind the scenes a little bit, but in a good way.
That is exactly it. It's that there was nothing like him putting on a show. What you saw from Len, no matter when it was is what was truly him. And I think that was so special about him is he was authentic to his core. And it's true he would not come off stage and be like sorry I had to say that. No he said something, it's because he meant it, he felt it, he stood behind it, and we all really respected that because we're like, that's your opinion, that is what your job is.
Not to take anything. It all away from Carrie An and Bruno who were lovely in their own right and added their own little thumbprint to the show. But when you're standing there as a dancer with your celebrity partner and you're awaiting the judge's words, how much weight and what did it mean when Len spoke?
Oh, that was everything, And like you said, it's like no disrespect to the other judges, but Len was like you cared so much about Len's opinion and it was a universal thing, like we all felt it. And I think it's just because of that authenticity that we knew was there, Like we knew that what he said was what he felt, and like we knew it was coming from a place of like, Okay, whatever Len says, I've got to listen to that. And it's true. It's true
for the good and the bad. If Lenn said something bad, it hits you a little bit harder than the others. And when he said something really good, you were like even that much more stoked. And I love that, like him getting a ten from Len became this thing that like was such a prized possession.
It meant so much, the ten from Lenn.
It literally was like prize. And it's funny because I feel like, as pros, we would kind of have to explain that to our celebs because the celebs come in, they're like a ten from Anyone's fine, We're like, yes, yes, but yeah, the ten from Len. Because I feel like,
here's the thing. I feel like Len was one of the most known judges to kind of talk to the pros as well, to get after the pros if there wasn't enough content, and kind of I feel like he was the first one to kind of start not like like discouraging the pros, but in a way like he would be hard on us and it was good because
we needed it and we needed to hear that. So it's like when we got that positive feedback from him, I feel like it was also like he was giving us a pat on the back, which felt really really good.
How did he balance that with you, Lindsey? Or maybe was it hard in the beginning though, because you and Whitney were so young. I mean, you're not even you know, full grown, experienced adult professional dancers on stage at that point, but you're up there getting the feedback from Len along with everybody else.
Yeah, I think it was a little bit scary. I think too, because when Whitney and I joined the show. I feel like it started kind of shifting from being just strict ballroom, Like all you saw was ballroom. There was never any other styles or anything kind of incorporated.
And because we were cross trained, we did bring a little bit of that, like we'd do a chow job, but maybe we'd throw a little hip hop section in there, and you know, Len hasn't always loved that, so but it was cool because here's the thing, there was such a respect between Len and the pros, Like we knew what he liked to see, and we knew if we were going to go a little different that he probably
was wasn't going to be on board with it. And I feel like he always just paid so much respect to the pros for our work, but then at the same time was like, this is what I like and you know that, and if you're gonna choose not to do it, then I'm going to comment on it. So it was like this mutual respect. But I feel like it definitely shook things up when things started shifting a little bit.
To echo off what LZ was just saying, Lens was, was he a bit of a father figure? He was probably a bit of a father figure over the entire franchise, but to you and Whitney, maybe in a very real way because you were so young, did he have that effect on you? Did he kind of take you under his wing of like helping you along as you were so young starting on this show.
I think the guidance that Len gave from behind the table for me personally, I mean, he can't speak for everybody, but for me personally was such a very It was a driving force for the way that I became as a choreographer, as a teacher, because, like I said, I came into the show, I had a lot of different style experience, and I wanted to be individual, Like I wanted to bring a new flavor, something different that everybody
hadn't seen. But the same time, I feel like Len really guided me and helped me make sure I was keeping the integrity of the show and maintaining what the show is all about, but then also like bringing my own flair, and I love that he encouraged but also like kept us in line. I think that was I think it's very important. I think it's the reason that the show has done as well as it has because he really helped keep the integrity of the show.
Well, you've spoken him so well. Uh, Lin's even in just these few minutes. And I got to ask you though, and I have to thank you because I was just looking at your Instagram story before you came on here. You're not like heading to the hospital in a minute, are you, because.
I just I mean, we hope not, but it could.
My du date is.
Next Friday, so I'm like, we could go at any point.
Which is exciting.
Okay, let's do it.
Let's make it happen.
You're pregnant with baby number two. And I felt back as I messaged you, can you please come do this tribute to Len? And then I was looking at your Instagram stories and You're like, I'm on one cent of your time.
You're literally sitting here in labor technically who he's talking to you right?
So but it's worth it.
It is.
When I heard you were doing this for Lin, I'm like, of course, like I I can't like of course, of course he was so special to me, to everybody. I mean, it means so much that you're doing this too, So I'm glad I could be a part of it.
Well, before I let you go have a baby, do you have a goodbye story before before we leave you that just kind of encapsulates Len. Something you remember, something that you'll always remember.
I'll never forget this because it was one of my worst moments on the show and also one of my best. This was season twenty two. My partner was yan Ye Morris. It was the semi finals, very important week. Me and wan Yer had like a really really great dance, like
probably one of his strongest dances. We were put last in the show, like everything was set up for us to be like good, and we had some props in this dance and I dropped my prop and wan Ye, my partner, slipped on the prop that I dropped, okay, and then messed up like the entire rest of the routine, and it was my fault. And I've never cried or lost it, but I lost it. I was just a mess.
And funny enough, that same night they did the they haven't done this in a while, but they paired the judges with a couple of couples and like had them to a dance together, and it was me and juan Ye Morris, and then it was Val and ginger Z. We did a dance and Len was our judge, and he actually danced with us, and we had to do that shortly after I had just had this full debacle, and I remember that I am like in tears, just
like feeling so miserable. Len walks out. He had like a ruffel shirt on, and part of the dance was we did like some shimmies with him, and we're backstage practicing, and I just had this like surreal moment that I'll literally never forget, looking at Len, looking at where we were, realizing that I'm dancing with this legend, this person that I grew up watching admiring, and now get to work alongside.
I'm shimmying with him on national television. Like there's literally nothing that could get me down in that moment, and it was so cool because I needed it and just his energy like that was also a really cool time for me because it went from that was I think my first experience with Len, where it went from like we're we have this kind of like student teacher situation
till we were working together. We quographed the dance together and then taught the celebrities together, and it was just such a special moment and I'll never forget because it was literally one of my worst nights on Dance with the Stars, and then he made it one of my most memorable things that I will literally never forget.
Clearly a man that left an impression on you, as he did millions of other people. Lindsay Arnold, thank you so much. Danced for a decade, ten years on Dancing with the Stars. Hard to believe, yes, and even harder to believe that she's sitting there in labor right now. And let me just say, God, bless you on a healthy, happy, beautiful baby.
Thank you so much.
That means so much to me.
Thanks for having me. We love you, Lenz. Could we see you back on the show where I actually haven't talked to you in a while, or are you like busy at home with babies now?
So I don't really know. I really like people ask all the time, and like I've not closed the door at all, Like I definitely have not. I've never said like, oh I'm done forever. And when I had the conversation with the show, it was really just like timing. It's just gonna have to be a timing thing.
So we'll see.
I'm sure that two kids is going to rock my world even more than one, so we will see how those things.
First.
Let's just let's take care of the baby this week out, then.
We'll assess how things are.
So many congrats and thank you for talking to us, and hopefully we'll see in person soon.
Thanks Linz, guys, Thank you guys, have a good day.
Joining us.
Now.
Another professional dancer, Emma Slater, who kind of came to the show maybe a little bit differently. She was part of the troupe, uh, you know, the ensemble that would dance in the show, and then out of that was picked to be one of the professional dancers and has gone on to have an amazing career on Dance with the Stars. So, Imma, just first of all, the sad news about lenn and what he meant to you.
Yeah, it was so heartbreaking to me. Len is like a grandfather and he's been in my life since I was about twelve or thirteen. We're both from England and I grew up in the competitive world and Len is actually a very very very well respected judge from England. He grew up he's like the legend of ballroom and so he would judge a lot of the competitions that I was at so overall, losing him, someone who has been a part of my life throughout many different facets
of it, was really shocking. I was not expecting that. I didn't know he was as sick as he was, and I hope he wasn't in pain, but yeah, it was a real shock yesterday.
Can you give a little more light on that, because we all know Lyn over here in the States is Dancing with the Stars and clearly he was strictly come dancing with the BBC also though very visible, but maybe talk about what a legend he was in dance. You've again, he's been judging your competition since you were a little girl. And he is the name, and he has a dance company, he has a dance school in England, so his name still carries on.
Oh yeah, it's still good.
I mean he is as ballroom, as tight laced as they come. He would turn up to these competitions which were held every Sunday in England and everybody came, and he would come and look so smart and dapper, always in a suit. I remember I saw him in jeans for the first time at Dancing with the Stars and he was just backstage and he had a white t shirt on and jeans, and I've never seen him outside of a shirt or in any of the pants other
than trowser pants like soup pounds. So from me, it was quite a shock, like I've never seen him so relaxed, and he was talking about golf.
Actually he loved golf. But way back in England.
When he adjudicating, he was the Lend that you saw on screen, only you didn't get to know how you know, playful and wise and grumpy he was because he would just be standing there with a pen and paper and God bless him, he always marked me really well. So I remember my parents would take me to every competition where they knew he was a judge because they knew, oh, Lens on the panel, he'll mark her into the finals.
So we would drive like sometimes four hours every Sunday just to go to a competition where he was and I might, honestly, I might even have got his autograph when I was maybe twelve or thirteen because he was such a legend. That was just the thing to do, is you looked up to the people that were extremely respected and wise in the field, and definitely Lend was one of them.
Emma, I feel like you have a unique story then, because most people say he critiques so harshly. What was that connection that you had that he would mark you?
Well, I know, and well you know when I came into the whole Dancing with the Stars realm and became judged on national TV by him, he was the judge that I absolutely generated the most I don't want to say the word fear, but I was the most anxious about Len's comment because he had judged me from such a young age, and and so I really hung onto his every word because he was an actual judge to me. He wasn't just a TV judge. He used to do
that throughout my whole childhood and my whole adolescence. So it was quite a shock to see him in this space. It was almost like, oh, I couldn't get away from like the actual judges of my childhood. But I actually I managed to tell him that. So last season, obviously he made this announcement or the show made the announcement that Len was retiring. Absolute shocked to me. I was, I'm very I'm such a sensitive person. I was balling
my eyes out. And then we went to it wasn't a commercial break, but the set was changing, so I had a few moments to go down to the judge's table and grab his hands and say, hey, I can't believe that you're retiring.
You've been part of my life for so long.
And I gave him a hug and I told him, you know, remember when you would judge me when I was a kid, and you were always the best to me and so sweet. And somebody called it on camera, and so I actually have that video last season of me having this moment. And then I walked off and I got all tiary and now I'm so grateful for that and that I had those few short minutes with him, because I mean, I guess time is precious, and I just didn't know that he wouldn't be here for me to say it to him anymore.
Good lesson, good lesson, And you talk to him.
And when was the last time he got an a talk to him? Emma?
It was last season.
It was around about maybe a week after that was the finals, and I congratulated and told him what an amazing legacy he has in the show, and just congratulated him for being a part of the show and.
Told him to told him to play golf.
He absolutely loved golf, so we would talk about that quite a bit. Actually, I have no interest in golf whatsoever, but I just knew that he would just talk about it at the time and he would love it and sort of like light up. So told him to do all that and that I would be seeing him soon, which course isn't going to happen, but he's always going to be with us.
I'm glad you have that moment.
Yeah, me too.
I really, looking back on it, it's made me think, God, I got to take more of those moments with more people.
Well, it sounds like he was I mean I even in covering the show, I was saying earlier he didn't always do the press line. I think he did. He keep a little bit of that private boundary even though you guys still felt quite close to him.
Yeah, even backstage, it's almost like you didn't know whether you could go up to him because he did like to take that line and sometimes you would. Sometimes he would absolutely drill you on the dance floor. You'd be standing there getting a comment. And I remember with James Van der Beeek he said, tooty fruity, what a booty and then and then afterwards you would want to go and approach him and be like, oh, thank you for your comments, or like that was that was such a
funny remark. Like you would always talk about tea or prune Drew's or something quite essentially British, but you would never know if you were able to come up to him and talk to him, because he did like to keep a separation. He loved being in his trailer, he loved having his teas, and you know you did okay, but sometimes he would sometimes he'd be like, love what you did, and then you felt it, you.
Know, Well, can I ask you, I'm having known him so long, what did you take from him about teaching? What? What has? What did you learn from him that you've brought into the way that you teach, the way that you teach your partners, the way that you convey what dances to somebody?
I think, I mean, Lenny's a person of fundamentals and he really knows the rule book. So whenever things would get a little bit crazy in the dances, he would tell you to keep it in line, and he would keep you in check and he would be like, don't be rolling around on the floor, don't be crazy. All these what wafty arm movements. He was a classic man who really liked the simple elements and really appreciated the
quintessential beauty of his craft. And so I knew if I wanted to please Len, I would choreograph it very traditionally, and I would put a lot of the recognizable steps in that I knew he loved and that I knew were part of the boring world. And if I wanted to, like, you know, make him grumpy, then just don't do any of that and just do.
Your own thing. But you would hear it. You would hear about it I get from him.
I really took the tradition is good, and I will keep I will honor that and keep that for him.
Oh I like that. That's a good line right there. Tradition is good, and you'll keep that.
There's definitely going to be something that I will do in the future that will be dedicated to him, for sure.
And I think even taking the time. What's funny is you're not too far from us. You're in Austin, but you're only here briefly, so we're still doing this on zoom. What are you doing down here? Are you meeting a cowboy. What's going on? Can we set you up with a nice Texas cowboy?
Oh, a Texas cowboy would be lovely.
I've not had the pleasure of meeting on the Texas Cowboys so far in Austin, but I'm going to see James van Derbeek and we were just talking about him on the season, and actually our Fonso is going to be here too, so we're actually having a mini reunion. It was planned before the tragic news of Land, but it will be actually quite nice to be amongst people that can kind of celebrate and honor him.
So I'm just here visiting my friends for a couple of days.
Well, Emma, thank you so much for the time. Truly appreciate it in your thoughts of Land and your perspective, because you have a perspective nobody has, which is knowing him virtually your entire life. So appreciate it.
Thank you so much, and thank you for honoring him. I love that you guys are great.
It was great talking to a couple of the professional dancers to get their perspective and their reverence of Len and what he meant. But I wanted to talk to a couple of the celebrities, and there are plenty that came out of the Bachelor Bachelorette world, and one of them joins me now from his home in Iowa. I believe he's in Iowa right now. Chris Soles was our bachelor and then he was, of course on Dancing with the Stars. His dancing partner was Whitney Carson. I believe
it was season twenty of Dancing with the Stars. You were on how you doing, Bud.
I'm well, Chris, how are you doing? Great?
Man?
I appreciate you spending some time to talk about a man that meant so much to everybody. And I wanted to get a couple of celebrity perspectives on this. What did Lynn mean to you guys as celebrity dancers? What was his imp act?
You know?
The first time I met Lynn was outside a hotel I think it's Orlando and in West Hollywood, and that was when I just got He asked me the bachelor.
He had no idea who.
I was, and I knew who he was, and I sat down next to him and I just told him what I was going through. And I said, yeah, they just asked me to be a bachelor, and whatever and.
He said, well, you know what that means.
I means you're probably gonna be in I'm Dancing with the Stars like no now a chance in hell. And uh, yeah, that was that was my first time meeting Lynn. And then you know his impact on me. It was incredible just to have a ton of respect for him. And he brought a presence to that show that was you know, brought a legitimacy to that show, which was remarkable, and and uh and uh, just just a brilliant guy.
Obviously, the professional dancers talked about the reverence they had and trying to get a good score and a good word from Lend. But you're saying that the celebrities felt that as well, even though that wasn't your world.
I think everyone respected that. I mean, when you go into that world, you ark shut. He wanted to be professional and and I don't know, I guess that's where my heart was.
And and and you.
Couldn't you couldn't really argue with his his presence and his background. He was the real deal, you know, and and there was he wasn't in it to say say things that were anything but the truth.
And when he seemed to, he seemed to appreciate. Uh, and I remember you you you know, you and I talked about this, if you're going to do it. He appreciated when celebrities put their heart and soul into it and actually went for it. He knew you weren't professional, he knew you guys weren't great, but he really seemed to appreciate your effort and your love of dance and your love of all of that was dancing with the stars. That seemed to be what resonated with me towards the
celebrities and and you in particular, because you did. You were kind of the country guy. It's like, oh, he's not really going to do this, but you did, like you really sold out for that and you went for it with all your heart as you typically do with everything you do. Was that something that you felt from Lend.
Yeah, I know hund percent.
I respect any person in any profession that that really, as you know, has their heart in it, and he had his heart in that profession. There was no question, as do I with you know, whether it's farming or what our experience together on the show on the batch, are you're there, enter or you're out? Not those kind of things resonate. You know, when you see somebody that you just can't deny, that doesn't matter what you say.
Words are words are just options. When you when you see somebody.
That has you just know, you just know, no, no fool fool bullshit, you just know. And that was Len and he was a good man. You just could tell. And it's a loss to see him go.
Yeah, well, hey, Bud, I appreciate it. It's good to see you again. And uh, I appreciate you pulling off on the side of the road to share a few words and thoughts and memories of uh Lynn goodman. I appreciate it. And uh, you're good in life. Life treating you well.
In Iowa, we are planting corn and uh just doing God's work over here and one day at a time.
Man, Yeah, doing well. How are you?
I'm doing wonderful.
Thank you.
Family is good, everybody's healthy and and uh that's that's all right. And uh so I appreciate it. Was it was good to see you at Well's wedding and I miss seeing you and hopefully our pasti across again soon.
Likewise, like thanks for having me on.
Good to see you, man, Hi brother, take care. He was our Bachelor, and then he appeared on season ten of Dancing with the Stars joining me. Now, Jake, Pavelka, Jake, it has been a while, my friend, How are you doing it?
Sure? Has Chris doing really well? I missed you.
How's everything going really good?
I'm sorry, we're uh, you know, reconvening under these circumstances. But I wanted to get, you know, your perspective on a guy that we all loved and adored, Lynn Goodman, who passed away, and hearing the perspective of the celebrities, I think is interesting because he was so revered as this godfather and this you know, huge, huge all star of dancing. So the professionals loved and adored him and
admired him. But I'm wondering, what did you think of Lynn when you met him or heard of him as a judge on Dancing?
Well, you know my takeaway from dancing as far as you know, it's been been many, many years, but he you know, Bruno Tagnoli is really funny carry in and Abba is just a huge character with a huge personality, brings a lot of the show. Lynn. Lynn was the you know, the the cutting edge professional and he cared about everybody. Uh, you know, he genuinely, no matter what your skill level, gave you advice at your current level
to because he wanted to see you succeed. And I think he was always disappointed, you know, when when somebody just wasn't quite going to get it, or when somebody had a breakthrough, and that's you know, that's that's the most memorable takeaway. Something funny though, when when we were shooting the show in twenty ten, they keep everybody at the you know, at the same apartment complex there in
Los Angeles, real close to maybe s Television City. And I don't know how old Linn was at the time, but yeah, he wore a bright speedo by the pool. You'd see him down there frequently getting some son.
A side of Lynn you didn't necessarily need to see or or want to.
But you know what, that's okay because he was just as happy as a lark by the pool, didn't care what anybody thought. Such a great guy. I'm so sad to learn that he's passed away.
Yeah, you know, I think everybody's sentiment is the same of you know, one of the dancers we talked to earlier just kind of summed it up as he was the heart of the show, kind of this father's figure and earning his respect, earning his words meant a lot to you.
Guys, It really did, because Lynn was you know, I mean, most of the people that are on Dancing with the Stars, including the professionals, you know, they're they're entertainers. Lynn Lynn is a dancer and a teacher, instructor, a very effective instructor, because you know, one of the big things on that show.
One of the things that I kind of struggled with a little bit is just because you were a crazy dancer and just do some incredible things with your body on a dance floor does not mean that you can
explain that to somebody. You know, how to do what you're doing and when, and Lynn just had that muscle that he could flex in that he could he could see what you're doing, you see what you're doing wrong, and give you very technical details in a very short amount of time while you're standing there, and not make you feel judged. You know you were being judged, but he just had a very delicate way of putting it. And that's so appreciated because everybody on there, most people
can't dance right unless you're Nicole Scherzinger. But most people go on there that can't dance and got two lefts to trying to learn it. They're doing it in front of America, and it can be it's nerve wracking, and he just really understood that.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think it goes back to he was a very well renowned a judic cater over in Europe and England, and so he was used to dealing with kids and talking to people that are just learning and so uh he he it's good to hear he had this way about him and just an amazing man, and it's it's good to hear the perspective of people that were going through the process of what what he meant to, even the celebrities on the show. It's very cool.
Yes, yeah, absolutely that that's very very well well uh well stated.
Before I let you go, just your your lasting impression of Len what you will remember about him forever, you know what.
Uh So they didn't capture this on camera, but Chelsea Iwer my partner and I and it was it was towards the semifinals. I mean he was episode six or
seven out of the ten. We had a wardrobe malfunction and nobody saw it except Lynn, And then afterwards he said, Chris, what happened was, uh, it was a It was a move where I was, you know, on my knees and I was spinning Chelsea real fast twice and she moves her, you know, spins around twice in my arms, and somehow my hand got mixed up with her wardrobe and went right into the front of her fold, and I got it. Bless her heart, you know, it is what it is.
Nobody saw it. America didn't say anything when it aired. She Chelsea and I thought we were the only two that actually knew that that happened. Lynn came up after the show and said, what did you think about that? He said, I saw what exactly what happened. You guys gonna start dating right.
That's a great guy, a great guy, and I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective. It's been a while and hopefully we won't wait so long before we catch up again.
My friend, Yes, sir, I'd love that, all.
Right, Jake Pavelka appreciate.
It, you bet, Take care, Chris, thank you, My.
Thanks to the professional dancers. Lindsay Arnold Imma Slater and celebrity dancers Chris Sols Jake Pavelka for their perspective and their words for Lynn Goodman, who we lost this week.
We remember him through their words as this adjudicator, this judge, this celebrity, and he was a celebrity in the world of dance and was huge and the BBC was huge on ABC with Dancing with the Stars and did an amazing job and touched millions and millions of lives, as Lendsay Arnold said, shaped her life and Emma Slater from the age of twelve shaped her life. But I think if he were here, he would agree that the greatest job he ever held was that of husband, father and grandfather.
And I said this earlier, but to repeat it because it is such a Lynn Goodman thing to say. The obituary that he had written for himself was he was a dance teacher from Dartford who got lucky. Because that's just about the truth of it. Well, Len, with all due respect, I know those are your words, but you were so much more than that. You made such a
bigger impact than that. And people often say at a funeral and at times like this, what is legacy legacy is that lasting impression the lives you change when you were long gone, and that Lynn Goodman was not luck. That was all you. So thank you for a life well lived and for all that you gave us for this many years. And I appreciate you the listener indulging Lauren and I for doing this special episode today for
Lynn Goodman. Truly appreciate it. And we will talk to you next time because we have a lot more to talk about. Thanks for listening. Follow us on Instagram at the most dramatic pod ever and make sure to write us a review and leave us five stars. I'll talk to you next time.