Despite having no dance training or experience, Days of our Lives alum Chrishell Stause gamely took to the Dancing with the Stars ballroom floor on night one of Season 29 of the hit ABC competition show, dancing the tango to Pink’s Raise Your Glass with her professional partner Gleb Savchenko.
Chrishell got knocked off her feet early on and never got her footing back, so she received one of the lower scores of the night: 13 out of a possible 30 points from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
“Oh, my goodness, it feels good to have one under our belt and get the nerves out of the way,” Stause said. “I feel like we did an amazing job. It is one of my favorite experiences I have ever had. Obviously, we wish that the judging part went a little better than it did. That being said, I feel like getting that first one out of the way is huge. I personally am proud of what we did.”
Before she returns for night two, dancing the Rumba to This is Me by Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble, Monsters & Critics had a chance to speak to the Selling Sunset reality star.
Monsters & Critics: You were the second dancer on night one, so you didn’t have to wait till the very end of the show to dance and watch everybody else. Would that be more nerve-wracking?
Chrishell Stause: The vibe in the room built up over the course of the night, so I think going second was a little bit of a disadvantage, because by the end of the night, we were screaming, yelling, and everybody felt comfortable, encouraging each other, and at the beginning, it was a little quiet.
We’re going to work really, really hard and, hopefully, we’re going to stick around for a bit. Hopefully, America will keep us around because, listen, nobody wants to do better. Every hour of the day that is all I want to do, is make this better. So, I really hope that I get to stay just so I can see what I can do.
M&C: Who is your competition now that you have seen everyone perform?
Chrishell: Johnny Weir, Kaitlin Bristowe, AJ McLean. I feel like they killed it. Johnny really is the one to watch out for the most to me. I think that he is someone that is a competitor by nature. He’s got this grace; he’s got this connection to music. I just… I don’t know how you beat somebody like that, and I’m rooting for him.
M&C: You got some good advice from the judges. What will you take to heart?
Chrishell: I have to say Derek really nailed it. I am pigeon-toed and that is just something that I feel is an obstacle that some people just don’t have from the start. I have to turn my feet out the opposite way, so he’s right. I need to start from the ground up. I have a lot of work to do. I’ve never had any dance experience, so I appreciated the criticism. I’m going to take it and really try and learn from it and come back even better next week, fingers crossed.
Pic credit: ABC/Laretta Houston
M&C: We went home with you on Selling Sunset and met your family. Have you talked to them yet to get their reaction?
Chrishell: Oh, my gosh, my phone is blowing up. I haven’t been able to communicate with my sister properly, but I have gotten lots of texts. They are my biggest fans. They’re like, “You killed it.” We haven’t had a chance to talk yet, but, honestly, if I fell on my face, she would have thought I killed it. So, it’s nice to have that support.
M&C: You are constantly in killer heels on Selling Sunset. Is there an advantage to being comfortable in heels for the dance floor?
Chrishell: 1000 percent. Gleb keeps asking me, “Chrishell, do you want to take your shoes off?” He is so attentive about the shoe thing. I’m actually fine. The shoes are like this tall (holds up her fingers to show a short heel). I’m used to shoes this tall (holds up her fingers to show a really high heel). Although, maybe I shouldn’t admit that, so that I can blame some of my technical difficulties on the shoes! I just let the cat out of the bag.
M&C: Personal story night and all the video packages that take place prior to the dance, are you up for a break from all those emotional video packages, or is this just part of TV now?
Chrishell: I don’t think I am an overly emotional person. I really don’t go around crying. However, I find myself in these situations on television where they ask me about the most traumatic or deep thing you’ve ever gone through and that makes you cry. So, I feel like America gets the wrong idea of who I am, because in those small instances, speaking about the most important things about me, it makes me emotional, so I have embraced it.
I understand that some people might get the wrong impression that I’m just an overly emotional person, which I am not, but when I talk about these things that are very close to my heart, that both of these shows – Dancing with the Stars and Selling Sunset — have pushed me to talk about, it makes me emotional.
So, at this point, I have embraced it. I feel like it’s helped me in a therapeutic way to share and connect with people that deal with the same thing and so, in doing that, I have accepted the criticism that I am a crazy crybaby.
M&C: Daytime stars have done well on this show. Will soap fans help you through this journey?
Chrishell: Daytime fans are my jam! They have followed me and they are the most loyal people of all time, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate them so much.
For every single project that I have ever done, they have shown up, and so I really don’t think that this would be any different. I know that every single soap actor would say the same thing. This is just one of those things that I am so grateful to be part of and I do feel like they’ll show up
. Listen, the judges’ scores didn’t go great, but I’m hoping that because of those people that have my back, I’ll be able to stay and grow.
Dancing with the Stars airs Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC.