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To get a closer look at the one of the most popular shows on network television, USA TODAY sent a reporter to “Dancing with the Stars” to train with pro Brandon Armstrong and perform a salsa.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n![](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/11\/07\/USAT\/87152618007-20251107-et-dwts-anna-4.jpg?crop=1919,1079,x0,y0\"\/)
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWatch USA TODAY reporter train with \u2018Dancing with the Stars\u2019 pros<\/p>\n
USA TODAY’s Anna Kaufman steps into the ballroom to train with \u2018Dancing with the Stars\u2019 pros.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
LOS ANGELES \u2013 In journalism, a reporter rarely dons the costume of their subjects. You are not the story, common dogma dictates.<\/p>\n
But, every once in a while, you throw that out for the chance to earn yourself some blisters and dance in bedazzled heels. At least that’s what I’m thinking when, sitting on the floor of the sun-soaked “Dancing with the Stars”<\/a> studios, I’m handed a plastic bag full of them in different sizes.<\/p>\nThe show, which pairs celebrity contestants with ballroom dancing pros, represents a white whale for network television<\/a> \u2013 a linear program, on air for two decades, riding a ratings wave<\/a>. What’s more? The wind propelling Season 34 is comprised increasingly of Gen Z and millennial viewers.<\/a><\/p>\nI’m here, in the show’s heavily mirrored rehearsal space, for a crash course.<\/p>\n
Days later, when I enter the ballroom to perform, I’ll find myself cursing the long car ride when this idea was born, after a vigorous debate amongst friends over which reality competition show we might fare well on.<\/p>\n
Clear eyes, blistered ankles, can’t lose<\/h2>\n
But before the fated ballroom entrance, I’m marveling at the height of the heels I’ve been tasked to dance in when Brandon Armstrong, my assigned pro, strides into the rehearsal space. If there’s an invisible Mr. Congeniality contest afoot on set, Armstrong certainly has a claim on the crown.<\/p>\n
He greets me like an old friend, instantly helping to fade the several nightmare scenarios from my fitful sleep the evening before.<\/p>\n
He assures me that our dance, a salsa, involves some lifts \u2013 a thought that doesn’t feel all that soothing \u2013 until he adds, “If things go south, I’ll just pick your little butt up and we’ll be spinning for Jesus.” When I tell him I’m not a dancer, he insists, “I’m going to make you look like one.” It’s his job, after all.<\/p>\n
That fact becomes abundantly clear as we crack into our eight-counts. Armstrong is the picture of encouragement, elongating the vowels in his “yeses” to signal awe, giving each move a quaint sound effect and joking easily between instructions.<\/p>\n
While my time on set was heavily scheduled, I was struck by how free people felt to speak with me, a stark contrast to the micro-managed press access to which I’ve grown accustomed.<\/p>\n
During rehearsal, Armstrong seemed free of any cellophane wrapping. He spoke candidly about the increased pressure of social media creation alongside traditional pro duties, his concern over the conflicts in Sudan<\/a> and Palestine<\/a>, and an 80-year-old contestant who obliterated his chances on night one.<\/p>\nThat same candor felt palpable in the hair and makeup trailer, where show veterans Zena Green and Kimi Messina told me mid-glamification that many of the male contestants opt for body makeup to contour their abs. They also revealed they can sometimes see “showmances” bubbling up between contestants and pros behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
The showmances, a point of particular intrigue for viewers, have been plentiful and varied.<\/p>\n
Longtime “Dancing with the Stars” casting director Deena Katz applies a similar honesty when discussing the tendency to fall for your partner. “I think it’s fantastic. You get really close,” she says, adding that sometimes she pairs people up precisely because she thinks there may be a spark.<\/p>\n
“You don’t plan it. Sometimes my gut kind of says it, but \u2026 I don’t know sometimes when it happens,” she says.<\/p>\n
What makes a good ‘DWTS’ contestant? Lack of ego<\/h2>\n
Back in the studio, Armstrong and I are halfway through the choreo when we land on a six-step turn that scrambles what little confidence I’ve built. As he counts me in for the umpteenth time, I’m beginning to understand the stakes.<\/p>\n
My twirls are sloppy, I’m adding extra steps, and all those grand investigative plans are quickly melting from “small town girl busts major move” to “how to lose your dignity in 10 days.”<\/p>\n
Armstrong keeps us level, molding his teaching style to my questions and disarming me with quips about my personal life. A dancer since he was 10, he’s been on the show for nearly a decade, but has yet to nab the coveted Mirrorball trophy<\/a> (He came in third last season with partner Chandler Kinney).<\/p>\nAt some point, Mark Ballas, half of one of the season’s leading couples, pops into our rehearsal. We met an hour earlier when I dropped into his practice session with “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives”<\/a> star Whitney Leavit. His advice, which Leavitt echoed, was “don’t hold back.”<\/p>\n“Throw yourself headfirst into it,” he says. Armstrong seconds that.<\/p>\n
“It’s a mentality. I think if [contestants] come in and they’re like ‘I got this,’ they’re going to struggle,” he says. “They have to be excited to learn.”<\/p>\n
I try to channel that sentiment in the last hour of my training, remembering I am there to report on the process, not to ensure I don’t embarrass myself. That thought does engender some real admiration, though, for the celebrities who put themselves through this.<\/p>\n
Sure, it’s an invaluable PR move, and yes, it’s a relatively toothless environment for stars who hope to share their story \u2013 but to sideline months of your life, train for hours a day, most days of the week, and on the other end still contend with the risk of live-on-candid-camera failure, is also an act of bravery.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWatch USA TODAY reporter train with \u2018Dancing with the Stars\u2019 pros<\/p>\n
USA TODAY’s Anna Kaufman steps into the ballroom to train with \u2018Dancing with the Stars\u2019 pros.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
LOS ANGELES \u2013 In journalism, a reporter rarely dons the costume of their subjects. You are not the story, common dogma dictates.<\/p>\n
But, every once in a while, you throw that out for the chance to earn yourself some blisters and dance in bedazzled heels. At least that’s what I’m thinking when, sitting on the floor of the sun-soaked “Dancing with the Stars”<\/a> studios, I’m handed a plastic bag full of them in different sizes.<\/p>\n The show, which pairs celebrity contestants with ballroom dancing pros, represents a white whale for network television<\/a> \u2013 a linear program, on air for two decades, riding a ratings wave<\/a>. What’s more? The wind propelling Season 34 is comprised increasingly of Gen Z and millennial viewers.<\/a><\/p>\n I’m here, in the show’s heavily mirrored rehearsal space, for a crash course.<\/p>\n Days later, when I enter the ballroom to perform, I’ll find myself cursing the long car ride when this idea was born, after a vigorous debate amongst friends over which reality competition show we might fare well on.<\/p>\n But before the fated ballroom entrance, I’m marveling at the height of the heels I’ve been tasked to dance in when Brandon Armstrong, my assigned pro, strides into the rehearsal space. If there’s an invisible Mr. Congeniality contest afoot on set, Armstrong certainly has a claim on the crown.<\/p>\n He greets me like an old friend, instantly helping to fade the several nightmare scenarios from my fitful sleep the evening before.<\/p>\n He assures me that our dance, a salsa, involves some lifts \u2013 a thought that doesn’t feel all that soothing \u2013 until he adds, “If things go south, I’ll just pick your little butt up and we’ll be spinning for Jesus.” When I tell him I’m not a dancer, he insists, “I’m going to make you look like one.” It’s his job, after all.<\/p>\n That fact becomes abundantly clear as we crack into our eight-counts. Armstrong is the picture of encouragement, elongating the vowels in his “yeses” to signal awe, giving each move a quaint sound effect and joking easily between instructions.<\/p>\n While my time on set was heavily scheduled, I was struck by how free people felt to speak with me, a stark contrast to the micro-managed press access to which I’ve grown accustomed.<\/p>\n During rehearsal, Armstrong seemed free of any cellophane wrapping. He spoke candidly about the increased pressure of social media creation alongside traditional pro duties, his concern over the conflicts in Sudan<\/a> and Palestine<\/a>, and an 80-year-old contestant who obliterated his chances on night one.<\/p>\n That same candor felt palpable in the hair and makeup trailer, where show veterans Zena Green and Kimi Messina told me mid-glamification that many of the male contestants opt for body makeup to contour their abs. They also revealed they can sometimes see “showmances” bubbling up between contestants and pros behind the scenes.<\/p>\n The showmances, a point of particular intrigue for viewers, have been plentiful and varied.<\/p>\n Longtime “Dancing with the Stars” casting director Deena Katz applies a similar honesty when discussing the tendency to fall for your partner. “I think it’s fantastic. You get really close,” she says, adding that sometimes she pairs people up precisely because she thinks there may be a spark.<\/p>\n “You don’t plan it. Sometimes my gut kind of says it, but \u2026 I don’t know sometimes when it happens,” she says.<\/p>\n Back in the studio, Armstrong and I are halfway through the choreo when we land on a six-step turn that scrambles what little confidence I’ve built. As he counts me in for the umpteenth time, I’m beginning to understand the stakes.<\/p>\n My twirls are sloppy, I’m adding extra steps, and all those grand investigative plans are quickly melting from “small town girl busts major move” to “how to lose your dignity in 10 days.”<\/p>\n Armstrong keeps us level, molding his teaching style to my questions and disarming me with quips about my personal life. A dancer since he was 10, he’s been on the show for nearly a decade, but has yet to nab the coveted Mirrorball trophy<\/a> (He came in third last season with partner Chandler Kinney).<\/p>\n At some point, Mark Ballas, half of one of the season’s leading couples, pops into our rehearsal. We met an hour earlier when I dropped into his practice session with “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives”<\/a> star Whitney Leavit. His advice, which Leavitt echoed, was “don’t hold back.”<\/p>\n “Throw yourself headfirst into it,” he says. Armstrong seconds that.<\/p>\n “It’s a mentality. I think if [contestants] come in and they’re like ‘I got this,’ they’re going to struggle,” he says. “They have to be excited to learn.”<\/p>\n I try to channel that sentiment in the last hour of my training, remembering I am there to report on the process, not to ensure I don’t embarrass myself. That thought does engender some real admiration, though, for the celebrities who put themselves through this.<\/p>\n Sure, it’s an invaluable PR move, and yes, it’s a relatively toothless environment for stars who hope to share their story \u2013 but to sideline months of your life, train for hours a day, most days of the week, and on the other end still contend with the risk of live-on-candid-camera failure, is also an act of bravery.<\/p>\nClear eyes, blistered ankles, can’t lose<\/h2>\n
What makes a good ‘DWTS’ contestant? Lack of ego<\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/11\/07\/USAT\/87151777007-et-dwts-anna-1.jpg?crop=1919,1079,x0,y0\"\/)
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