Hi guys,

I won’t lie, I’m pretty bummed about being voted off the show. So sad! Derek and I both had a feeling we’d be the unlucky pair because it’s tough to compete with the professional moves of Mya, and it’s hard to go against big names like Osbourne and Osmond, not to mention the big fan bases they brought to the competition. I guess that’s just the nature of this business; people want more of the big names.

Now I’m rooting for Kelly and Donny because I feel so close to them after this season, but not so much with Mya. I think it would be fantastic if Kelly won! She and I really bonded over being new to dancing and she’s worked so hard each week.

After performing the three dances on Monday’s show I got a second wind and got so pumped for the finals.  I never thought I’d make it this far, so after staying on each week the finals became more and more of a possibility – I wanted it so badly. Though, I’m glad I didn’t completely lose it when Derek and I performed our waltz after finding out we were finished – I was really trying to keep my emotions together.

Overall this show has been a great experience and has opened a lot of doors.  I was so proud when I made it on AOL’s Top TV Moments four times this season! Maybe Derek and I will get to dance again at future events. I don’t know, but that would be wonderful. For now I’m going to figure out my next steps: maybe another reality show or some TV hosting. Any suggestions?

Well, I’m off to NYC to chat with the ladies of The View tomorrow. Tune in next week to see me dance on the season finale! Watch to see where I pop up next, you never know!

Hi guys!

I made it to semifinals! To be honest, I never thought I’d make it this far. I’m nervous and excited, but trying to just enjoy here on out and not feel the pressure. All the other stars left in the competition are so talented. It’s time to really break out my a-game with only two more weeks left.

 

This week I learned a huge lesson the hard way: it’s important to eat enough before dancing. Mondays are so busy with rehearsal and pre-show prep like hair and makeup that I forgot to eat. Right before Derek and I performed our quickstep I was feeling so dizzy I was worried I might faint. I scarfed down any food I could find at the last minute, but it affected me. I had some slip ups in the dance. I’m so glad that quickstep is over – it was definitely not my favorite!

Coming up next week (for semifinals!) Derek and I are working on the cha-cha and viennese, but also get to perform our salsa knock out dance, which we thankfully didn’t have to use during double eliminations. My strategy is to focus on steps that show my strength so I can be 100% confident. I’d much rather know what I’m doing out there than have a dance full of fancy tricks. I just hope Derek is on board with that idea.

I’m off to rest up, eat food and make the most of rehearsals. Don’t forget to tune in on Monday and vote for your favorite couple!

Hi guys!

I can't tell you how excited I am to have made it through another double elimination and on to week nine of the show. I can't believe it!

This week Derek and I danced the rumba. Derek was concerned about my fiance’s reaction to the rehearsal video showing our attempts at getting into romantic character. Of course he had nothing to worry about – this is my job, after all – but I thought it was very classy of him to end the dance with the dip in front of my fiance and shake hands.

Everyone is so relieved that double eliminations are over, but really, every Tuesday is daunting. I was so nervous for Mark and Aaron when they did the dance off to stay in the competition. It's disappointing to be voted off, but it's a completely different when you have a 30-second make or break dance off. I'm glad Derek and I didn't need to dance the salsa we prepared for an elimination dance off. Even with a stressful elimination episode, I was excited to see Mark and Derek perform in their band Ballas Hough. They did a fantastic job! I bet you fans out there didn't know they can sing, too.

Kelly and I were talking about how surprised and honored we are to have made it this far. When the show first started I was hoping to at least make it to week three. Plus, there's seems to be a curse that causes models to always get booted first. Derek also thought there might not be any hope for me – he bet I'd be off the show by week two. I proved us wrong, and I'm glad because this whole experience has taught me that you can succeed at whatever you’re dedicated to.

Next week we're doing a quick step and a paso doble. Each couple got an era for their paso doble and ours is futuristic. I'm really interested to see what Derek comes up with. I bet it'll be very robotic, which is different than anything else we’ve done. What I'm really wondering is how the judges will score us on a futuristic dance when they can't see the future.

Well, now that there are only five couples left the pressure is really on! I want to do well and not disappoint the audience. Now it’s time for futuristic rehearsal with Derek. Wish me luck – I’ll need it!

Hi guys!

I am so excited about this week! Derek and I did the waltz and got first place. I was very surprised, but it was a great feeling. It was so wonderful to get positive feedback from Bruno when he told me I danced like a butterfly. Now I want to work even harder for next week.

I had a blast dancing in the mambo competition! Derek and I let our choreography go halfway through and just did our own thing. It’s so much less nerve-racking when everyone’s dancing at the same time. When Maya was tapped out of the dance-off the crowd cheered for us, which is so encouraging because she has a much bigger fan base. Winning the mambo and having the support of the crowd was one of the best moments of the show so far!

So, yes, Melissa lost this week – I felt so bad. I really thought she would stay another week. Then because of the double elimination Louis and Chelsie lost, too. I was so nervous for them during the last dance.



Right after the elimination we went directly into group rehearsal. Next week we’re divided into teams – my group is doing a tango that is three minutes long. That’s one of the longest routines we’ve done! The tango will be tough because all the couples need to be in sync. Derek and I are also doing a rumba, which is all about sexy, slow moves and keeping your legs straight. It’s hard to learn. Poor Derek is so tired from trying to teach me the choreography that he’s been getting a little cranky. But I understand—he’s under a lot of pressure. It just takes me longer to memorize the steps because I’m not a professional like Donny or Maya. Also exciting: I get to design Derek’s costume for next week! What do you think I’ll come up with?

Everyone is definitely starting to feel the pressure as more celebs are getting eliminated. It seems like Maya is my top competitor, so I’m trying hard and focusing on one dance at a time. My nerves are still getting the better of me. If I could just get them under control I’d do much better.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing the outcome of the group tango. Wish me luck! And don’t forget to vote for your favorite stars!

Hey guys,

I am writing this and OD-ing on vitamin C at the same time! If you watched this week, you know my partner Derek caught the flu. I have avoided it, but I’m a little under the weather—congested, runny nose, scratchy throat. But this show is so intense, there is no time to rest. Gotta keep moving.

So here’s how it went last week. On Thursday, Derek tweeted that he had the sweats. When I read that, I thought, Oh, boy…Then when I got to rehearsal, they told me he was in the hospital with a 104 fever!

The producers scrambled and found me a substitute partner, Max. Max is great, but I must admit that it was tough to dance with a new guy. Derek and I have such great chemistry and he really knows my strengths and weaknesses. Things were so rushed with Max that I felt at times like I was a rag doll being tossed around, but we got it together in the end.

The dress rehearsal went great. We nailed the dance—it was totally smooth. Then, of course, when the cameras went live, we stumbled. I was so upset. But Max was great, he held me up, we kept the beat and, amazingly, finished the dance on time.

I thought I had moved with the wrong foot, but watching the close up, my freaking heel caught on his pant leg! I couldn’t believe it. But the judges still gave us good marks, and I am so glad we didn’t get eliminated this week. It would have been horrible to end without my partner. I know Derek would have felt horrible.

It just goes to show how important the votes are. Natalie was eliminated, which was a really big shock. I won’t name any names, but there are definitely other people I would have guessed would have been kicked off before her! That is why it is so important that viewers vote if they like the dances we’re doing.

Next week, Derek will be back—at least I hope so. My stress levels are going through the roof! We have three dances to learn, so I’d better get back to it. Please watch and vote!

Bye, guys!

Hey guys!

Well, I am exhausted. We just finished a group rehearsal for next week. We’re doing the Hustle. Seven hours and we got nowhere. Ten couples trying to be coordinated and do similar stuff at the same time—it was pretty rough. When we left it didn’t look much better than when we started!

So this week, yes, Derek danced shirtless. He decided to do it on the spot after we saw Aaron’s dance. The Lambada is the Forbidden Dance—all about sex. Derek thought we needed to ramp it up, so the shirt came off at the last minute. I was a little worried I’d lose my grip on his bare arms, but it worked out. Len seemed to like it!

I was laughing so much when he was talking about how we were so good at “thrusting!” I’m just glad it worked out. You never know how things will go. Poor Chuck Liddell lost this week. I was very surprised—he was so determined. Derek saw him rehearsing next week’s dance backstage. I think it distracts you to think too far ahead. There is so little time to get the one dance right. I want to win, but I’m focusing on one at a time.

I still get super nervous. It is getting harder, not easier! I have this little patch my mom made that is supposed to push away negative energy. I carry that with me 24/7. I just try to take deep breaths and remember my moves and get out there and have fun.

Okay, time to get some sleep. Watch next week, and if you like our dance, please vote!

 

(All photos ©2009 ABC Studios)

Hey guys!

We made it through another week. I was a little upset with myself because I made a few mistakes. I don’t think it was too obvious to the audience, but I was just upset because we work so hard during rehearsals and then when you get to the live show anything can happen. Your adrenaline is rushing, your nerves set in, sometimes your body does the total opposite of what you wanted it to do. But I was relieved that the judges enjoyed the performance and gave us good scores. I have to work on my foot strength and not letting my nerves get the best of me.

Speaking of foot strength, Tom Delay had to drop out, poor guy.  He was a trouper. He definitely did not want to leave—he really enjoyed doing the show. He did the dance with two fractured feet! I must give it to him. He was definitely a surprise in that the voters kept him in and he bowed out on his own. He really left as a winner.

Debi Mazar was voted out. We were in the trailer getting our makeup done before the show, and she said, “Oh, I have my Jimmy Kimmel dress with me.” You do a live Kimmel appearance the night you get voted off, so she was prepared for the worst. It’s funny, because I brought my Kimmel dress in the first week and just left it in my trailer. That way it’ll be there in case I forget it.


Chelsie and Louie…everyone is asking if they are together. They’re kind of laughing it off and denying it. I wouldn’t be surprised. They make an adorable couple and should be dating! But you never know. Maybe he’s more into her than she is into him or vice versa. Who knows? Even backstage they are very cozy together. Maybe they just don’t want to talk about it. They definitely have a special bond, that’s for sure.

The women celebrities are getting a lot of attention this year. And I hope that we keep kicking butt. It is a lot harder for the women on the show. We have to do so much more in the dances, more turns, more kicks—we really have to shine. And I am really proud that the women have been at the top of the scores. It’s just much harder work for the women celebs—not saying that I think there should be male and female divisions!

So far, everyone is still being really supportive -- no one is trying to mess with each other. Actually, Derek and I were rehearsing in Natalie and Alec’s studio when they were taking a break, and I guess one of Derek’s bracelets broke and one of the balls from his bracelet was on the floor. Natalie and Alec found it when they came back, and so we were like, “We were trying to sabotage you!” So nothing intentional…yet.

I was so glad to have Len back this week. I think he puts a great balance into the show, and he’s such a pro. I really like the way he judges. He’s tough and he makes you worry, but so far he’s enjoyed our dances. So of course I’ll be a big fan of his!



A lot of people have been talking about my hair this season. For the jive dance, yes, it was a little overboard. I had that one piece that looked like an animal died in my hair. I think it went well with the rock’n’roll vibe, so it was fun. It was nothing I would ever wear out to a party or something, but it was fun.

So next week we’re doing the lambada, the forbidden dance. That will be quite interesting. We’ve been doing these sexy Latin dances, and I think this will be the extreme of it all. I have my first rehearsal tonight. I’m actually a little worried because Derrick has never danced the lambada before. He had a class yesterday. We’ll see what he comes up with!

Okay, I’m off. I hope you’re all enjoying the show, and if you are, please vote!

 

(All photos courtesy of ABC Studios © 2009)

Hey, guys!

Well, I am relieved from last night. The elimination is quite nerve-racking, I must say. The judges gave us great scores and we were at the top of the scoreboard, but you never know. Half the votes come from the viewers. America decides, so anything can happen. My stomach was in millions of knots.

For me, doing this show is a little girl’s dream. I did ballet when I was 5. When my mom, my sister and I immigrated from Poland, we didn’t have much money, and I had to give that up. So in a way it is a little bit of reliving that dream. I am having such a blast doing it, but this is definitely harder than I expected. I like to go dancing at nightclubs, so I figured, how much harder could it be? But it is!


In the beginning, we had 4 1/2 weeks to prepare for the first show, but now it’s every week we have 4 to 5 days. I have a great partner, Derrick. The most we can rehearse is 5 hours a day because of all the injuries last season. I haven’t been so sore in my life, from head to toe. I am sore in places that I never knew could be sore! By the time I am done with the rehearsals, I am exhausted. I come home and I am a zombie. I just do nothing.

One of my biggest problems at first was posture. In my business, it is all about arching your back and sticking out your bum. And here, Derrick keeps telling me to stand straight, and I’m like, “I am standing straight!” When I am standing straight the way he wants, I feel kinda like I am bending over. So that was challenging the first couple of rehearsals, and I know he was like, “Oh boy, can I get this girl to stand straight?” So he’s been proud of how far we’ve come.


People ask me a lot about my costumes. Every week we have a consultation with the wardrobe department. I can agree or disagree a little with their guidance, but overall I trust them. I have noticed that my outfits are getting smaller and smaller, so if we get to the fourth week, it might be like, okay, this is a little much!

You would think there’d be a lot of drama backstage, but so far everyone is getting along. But get back to me at week 7! All of the competitors have potential—anything can happen. Obviously, I think Mya and Aaron Carter might have some advantage because they’ve been performing their whole lives. It’d really hard to remember your steps, so anyone who has that experience, it’s an advantage.

Okay, well I’m on my way to rehearse our samba, which Derrick says is one of the hardest dances. We have a few long, hard days ahead of us, so wish me luck!