Danielle Fishel Doesn’t Overthink Dancing With the Stars Judges’ Notes

Danielle Fishel embraces constructive feedback from the Dancing With the Stars judges, expressing her gratitude for their insights.

“We are committed to applying the judges’ feedback as they provide us with specific and valuable notes,” Fishel, 44, shared exclusively with Us Weekly after the live show on Tuesday, October 7. “Last week, Carrie Ann [Inaba] pointed out our body contact, and this week, she recognized significant improvement.”

“I’m planning to review the footage and analyze where I can enhance my performance, especially in the sections where we stumbled during the lindy hop,” she continued. “I aim to improve every week, so I’m totally open to whatever it takes to do that.”

Fishel and her dance partner Pasha Pashkov performed a quickstep to the tune of “I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)” from The Jungle Book during the Disney Night this Tuesday. The panel, including Inaba, 57, alongside judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, scored them 21 out of 30 points while providing suggestions for their upcoming performance.

“My schedule is packed, leaving no room for self-doubt,” Fishel remarked to Us regarding the feedback she received. “I’m eager to absorb every bit of knowledge and experience from this journey; only my own overthinking could hinder that. The best gift I can give myself is to practice self-compassion and acknowledge that each week is a new opportunity to improve.”

Regardless of the judges’ scores, Fishel relished every moment of her Disney-themed performance.

“Each week, Pasha has a knack for revealing different aspects of my personality,” Fishel noted on Tuesday night. “This week felt particularly playful. In previous routines, there were moments where I held back my smile, but this time, it was all about enjoying myself and letting that shine through.”

Fishel and Pashkov, 39, managed to avoid elimination after finding themselves in the bottom three with Andy Richter and Emma Slater and Hilaria Baldwin alongside Gleb Savchenko, who were ultimately eliminated.

Looking ahead, Fishel and Pashkov are preparing for Dedication Night next week, where she will pay tribute to her former Boy Meets World co-star William Daniels.

“Mr. Feeny will be joining us on the dance floor,” Fishel revealed during the October 8 episode of her “Danielle With the Stars” podcast, referring to Daniels’ iconic character. “He’s actually going to participate in the dance too, which feels surreal as I say it. We’ll be dancing to the Boy Meets World theme song.”

Fishel further emphasized that the upcoming routine will honor Daniels, 98, and “the influence he has had in [her] life.”

Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

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