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CNN Larry King Live
Interview with Dancing With the Stars Cast
Aired July 13, 2005 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, inside "Dancing with the Stars," the TV sensation that swept America off its feet. With the winner, "General Hospital" star Kelly Monaco -- I'm so excited -- the runner- up, actor John O'Hurley, another contestant, former New Kid on the Block, Joey McIntyre, the show's host, Tom Bergeron, plus judge and choreographer Carrie Ann Inaba, Kelly Monaco's professional dance partner, Alec Mazo, and John O'Hurley's partner, Charlotte Jorgensen.
They're all about to tell it all next. It's "Dancing with the Stars" on LARRY KING LIVE.
KING: Who knew that this show would take off? Kind of a summer replacement became the only major summer hit of the TV season. Tom Bergeron was the TV personality and host of this extravaganza.
How did you come on to this? What did you make of it?
TOM BERGERON, HOST, "DANCING WITH THE STARS": Well, my agent said to me -- and we've been together for a long time -- and she called me, and she said, "Now, ABC's going to offer you a summer show, and you're going to do it." And I said, "Oh, what is it?" And she said, "It's ballroom dancing." And I went, "Oh, come on, ball room dancing?"
And then they sent me a copy of the British show, which has been a hit for a couple years, called "Strictly Come Dancing." And I watched ten minutes of it, Larry, and I was in. I mean, I just -- I loved, number one, the retro feel of it and just that sense of live competition. I mean, I just thought it would be, if nothing else, a great way to spend six weeks.
KING: But didn't you think ballroom dancing would be a throwback to what is not popular with the younger set?
BERGERON: Well, you know, what I liked about it was -- I mean, I've done talk shows, game shows, news shows, you know, award shows. I had never done a variety show, sort of a retro-variety show.
There was nothing else like it on television, though that soon will change, I'm sure. But I just thought it was -- I didn't have any sense that it was going to be the massive hit that it's become, but I just felt that it was going to be a good time.
KING: And Carrie Ann Inaba, the choreographer and one of the judges, how did they get you?
CARRIE ANN INABA, "DANCING WITH THE STARS" JUDGE: Oh, actually the producers called me, and I had to interview like every other choreographer in town. And they showed me the tapes, and I fell in love with the show, too. It was such a great -- it was great seeing dancing done well on television again.
KING: And what did you see your role as?
INABA: I saw my role to come in and be honest about what I saw. You know, they think judging is easy, but it's actually very difficult to be, absolutely honest, in front of everybody in the world that's watching.
KING: Were some of them terrible?
INABA: No.
KING: I'm thinking of "American Idol."
INABA: Yes, I think some were terrible on "American Idol," but not on this show. We didn't have anybody terrible. We had six very talented celebrities with their six beautiful dance partners.
KING: Joey McIntyre, once with New Kids on the Block, why did you get involved?
JOEY MCINTYRE, SINGER: Actually, two days before I got the call to do the show, my wife and I were going to take tap dance lessons. And so I said -- so I've never had the courage to take class, and I love to dance, but to do it with the pros.
So I just thought it was an amazing opportunity to do it. And, you know, I've been asked to do a lot of shows. And, like Tom said, to me this was a variety show. It wasn't a reality show. It was a variety show, and you got to perform. And that was an exciting opportunity.
KING: Let's talk to our other professionals. First, the runner- up, John O'Hurley, who plays J. Peterman on "Seinfeld," where he's going to be seen forever. You get a cut of the residuals?
JOHN O'HURLEY, ACTOR: Yes, we're actually still filming the reruns.
KING: Do you get...
O'HURLEY: Oh, yes, do quite well. We do quite well.
KING: So you don't need this?
O'HURLEY: Thank you.
KING: Who knew you were a dancer?
O'HURLEY: I didn't know I couldn't. That was the problem. And that's the way I've approached my career anyway, Larry. I was the first one in on this. And ABC call me, and they contacted me, and they explained what it was. And I said, "Sure, I'll be glad to host it."
And they said, "No, we want you to do it." I said, "No, no, I'll host it."
(CROSSTALK)
BERGERON: No, you won't
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was the same thing.
KING: Did they know you could dance?
O'HURLEY: No. No, I truly -- and I came farther back than anybody else. But my wife was the one who said to me -- she said, "You should do this because, whatever happens, it will change your life." And she couldn't have been more prophetic, could not have been more prophetic.
No, I didn't know I could dance. Nobody started farther -- if I gave you the image of a beached whale, that's what they were...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Why did they even think of you, that you would be the -- you've got to be able to dance?
(CROSSTALK)
O'HURLEY: I think I represented certain demographic they probably were looking for, and they know I don't take myself too seriously. So they probably would get something fun out of me.
KING: Alec, how did they get you?
ALEC MAZO, PROFESSIONAL DANCER: That was easy for us. We're professional dancers, so we want to be out there. And this was a perfect opportunity to dance with someone who, you know, who is a celebrity. So for us, it was a perfect opportunity.
KING: So they wanted celebrities and non-celebrities?
O'HURLEY: They wanted celebrities matched up with professionals, celebrities that really had no basic dance background so that they could discover the process of learning to dance ballroom style and all of the difficulties that were then matched up with the perfect professional partners who would teach them the choreography and show them the ropes of what we were doing.
KING: Charlotte, what are you doing, and how did you get onto this show?
CHARLOTTE JORGENSEN, PROFESSIONAL DANCER: I was doing what I was always doing, teaching. And I got a call from the producers from London already that they had my name from people in London where they were doing the show and...
KING: You live in London?
JORGENSEN: I have lived in London for 12 years. I've lived in the U.S. now for four years. And I auditioned for the show. And we're all just, you know -- you get to do it and promote ballroom dancing.
KING: How did they hook you with John?
JORGENSEN: I think that's obvious, isn't it?
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Aha.
O'HURLEY: You know, I think it was because, I mean, I represent kind of an older demographic, I think. And also, my brand is always...
(CROSSTALK)
O'HURLEY: I mean, I lean towards a little bit more elegant style. And I think they look at her as kind -- she's always been known as the Grace Kelly of ballroom dancing. And so I think that was kind of a good match, the two of us.
KING: You well-known in London?
JORGENSEN: Oh, yes.
KING: Oh, yes, as a dancer.
And Kelly, the winner. Were you shocked?
KELLY MONACO, WINNER, "DANCING WITH THE STARS": Yes.
KING: You didn't expect to win?
MONACO: To say the least, no, not at all.
KING: Why not?
MONACO: Well, I came in with starting this competition out the loser. I came in with the lowest score during the first day of the competition. So it was quite a struggle for me to maintain...
KING: What changed?
MONACO: A lot. During the whole process of this, everything changed. It went from being a personal journey, to then not wanting it being a sympathetic journey from the viewers, to having someone now that's relying on me at that point.
KING: You think he was going to win, Charlotte?
JORGENSEN: You have to come in, going into something like this, thinking you want to win. But it's not for winning; it's for the dancing. And it was always what we made it about, John and I, every day, in the studio. It was about the dancing, putting good dancing out there. And then it's people's opinion of whether you're worthy of winning or not.
KING: Did you have fun hosting it, Tom?
BERGERON: Oh, I had a great time. I think they could all tell how much I enjoyed watching, because I had the easy gig. I would come in, you know, once a week and just watch the work that they had been putting into learning towards the latter three or four shows.
Two dances a week they had to be ready to go on live television and perform. And I just have no end of admiration for all of them and what they did.
And I was -- it was like a host/fan role that I had, because I always felt very protective towards the dancers, both the celebrities and the professional dancers. And at least in Charlotte's case, she saw me attempting to dance during one of our rehearsals and kindly offered to stop me from doing what I was doing.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: We're going to take a break. Are you in Manchester? Are you running for president?
BERGERON: I'm here early. I wanted to set up my tent early. I've been out kissing babies.
KING: We'll be right back with more from the hit show "Dancing with the Stars." Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERGERON: All right. I can now reveal the champions of "Dancing with the Stars": Kelly and Alec!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kelly, is there a death in the family? Your face, it's like somebody died.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was in the bottom two the first night. I was the loser.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was impressed by the way Kelly handled the criticism. It's a lesson for me, as well, because she comes in to the practice giving it her all no matter what.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had a bad game last night, team. Don't let it affect you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted to nail something, or at least give it everything I had.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We're back. All right now, Carrie, I guess, how was the judging role? How did the judges work with regard -- help me, with the judging, plus the audience at home?
INABA: Well, as far as the judging, our judgments counted for 50 percent of the score. And then the audience at home was 50 percent. And in the case of the tie, the audience vote wins.
So basically, it's the combination -- we add up our judge's score, the three of us, and then whoever wins that gets a score from that, one, two, three four, five, six. And then it's added with the audience score.
KING: How do you react, Kelly, to the complaints that, because you play Samantha on "General Hospital," that helped you with those blogging in?
MONACO: Well, soap fans are a hardcore fan base. I'm not going to deny that. And it's great.
But if you look at the viewership that the show was getting, which was 15 million to 22 million people, soaps get 3 million a day. So you really can't -- 3 million compared to 15 million, 20 million, it's not really relevant.
KING: Was it fair, John?
O'HURLEY: Oh, I just didn't have -- I didn't have the fan base. I mean, I've got like 13 nieces and nephews, and I had...
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
KING: "Seinfeld" wasn't a fan base?
O'HURLEY: Well...
KING: Well, would you say this was fair and square?
O'HURLEY: Oh, no, I think it was absolutely a fair competition. I think they have to tweak the show a little bit. I mean, it's a great -- this is an absolutely perfect template for a very successful show. It needs to be tweaked just a bit so that it works a little better.
They were under -- when they did the show in England, they work on one time zone. When they do this show here, they've got to work on three time zones, so you couldn't have the live voting at the end of the show, so they were kind of obstructed because they had to use votes from the last show that laid over into the final show.
This show will get tweaked out, and it'll be a great show again. It's a perfect template for a successful show.
KING: Joey, be around a long time, this show?
MCINTYRE: Probably. I mean, you've got a hell of a start.
KING: Has it been renewed for the...
MCINTYRE: I think so. I think they're doing another show. Yes, I mean they're planning. They haven't announced it.
But it's great. I think it's fun for the whole family. Everyone could get around, and it's good, solid fun. And you see people really working hard. And I think everyone lived vicariously through us, you know, and saw us going through all that stuff. And it was cool to be a part of it.
KING: What do the winners get, Alec?
MAZO: The worst trophy in the world. That's what they have to tweak, is the trophy.
BERGERON: Hey, Kelly, where did you put it?
MAZO: A big disco ball. That's what we get.
MONACO: It's going to be on a Lazy Susan on the dining room table for card games.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Hold it. You get paid, don't you?
O'HURLEY: Oh, yes. They were very nice. They took great care of us very nicely through the 13 weeks of our time.
KING: What about the winners, you get money?
MONACO: No. It's pride.
KING: Come on.
MAZO: We got a big disco ball. That's all we get.
(CROSSTALK)
MAZO: We get paid on a weekly basis.
O'HURLEY: But it was never about that. It was about, you know, the fact that all of us came into this -- and you know, there's one person that's missing here who really sold the show, and that was Evander Holyfield. I've got to tell you...
KING: How did he sell it?
O'HURLEY: Well, because nobody would have sat and said, "Hey, let's depend -- or let's put the entire success of the ABC summer season on the fact that O'Hurley may be able to dance or not." That was not what this was about. Evander Holyfield came in, and everybody wanted to see, can he possibly put the steps on the floor?
KING: How good was he?
O'HURLEY: He was a big huggy bear, and everybody loved him.
KING: He's a great guy.
O'HURLEY: But he put his heart on the line for this. I mean, he even had in the "Midnight Train to Georgia" pull, his song with the swim. There wasn't a bigger heart than his.
KING: Hey Tom, how about ABC get these people to do this for nothing, for a lousy trophy?
BERGERON: What did I say, John, when we looked at the trophy the first time? I said, "Shop class is an important part of everybody's education"?
(LAUGHTER)
That is a tweakable part of the show, definitely. But I think John's point is right, Evander Holyfield. When I was telling people why I was jetting off to California for part of the summer, I would say, "I'm going to host a show where Evander Holyfield is going to ballroom dance." And they went, what time is it on?
I mean, he was a hook. I mean, he was the initial hook. And I think, you know, I can't speak for Kelly, and John, and Joey, but I would imagine -- and I think they've alluded to it already -- it was the challenge.
I know, Kelly, you had said to me you'd never done anything like this before. And I had often said to you during the run of the competition how much I admired the way you took the hits from people like Carrie Ann, and just kept coming back.
And I think there was that -- like for John, the pride of doing it, and Joey, as well. It just was an amazing, as John said, testimony to the human spirit to watch them do this.
KING: Charlotte, how different is it in Great Britain?
JORGENSEN: Well, ballroom dancing is not based on a pro-am circuit so much in England, but the show made it that. It was sort of a sequence of the "Come Dancing" that was popular for 50 years. In America, there's a huge pro-am community where there's lots of so- called amateurs, normal people, that enjoy ballroom dancing and professionals.
KING: And there are professionals, too.
JORGENSEN: Oh, yes, yes, yes. Lots of people here.
KING: Do you teach dancing? JORGENSEN: Yes. All levels, beginners, professionals, championship level.
MAZO: O'Hurleys.
JORGENSEN: My favorite.
O'HURLEY: Nondiscriminate. I just (INAUDIBLE) clinging to the wreckage here. That's all I did.
KING: Wait a minute, she taught you?
O'HURLEY: Well, she was my partner.
KING: But doesn't the male lead?
O'HURLEY: Yes. And that what she has to do.
JORGENSEN: I taught him how to lead.
O'HURLEY: Larry, at one point, she has to break away and allow me to lead her. So it's a very difficult thing for a professional to have to do, working with an amateur. And one say, at one point, you've got to lead me.
KING: Now, did you rap her a lot? Did you rap the winner a lot?
INABA: Yes. At the beginning, Kelly had a rough start. I mean, you guys just spoke about your chemistry that you didn't have it. That makes a lot of sense, because that waltz was like -- you were stiff as a board, and there wasn't a lot of trust between you, and that's not enjoyable to watch. Dancing is all about there's a kinetic energy that you enjoy watching, you can feel it. I couldn't feel it from you. They had a rough start.
MONACO: And having those kind of comments, though, what Carrie Ann said, like, the honesty is the biggest factor here, because you have to be able to take the insults, and work with it, and make it better, and not cower, and...
KING: All the judges insulted you?
MONACO: ... stick your tail under your legs, and walk away, because that's how you're going to fail.
MCINTYRE: Carrie Ann was the nicest. She still didn't score high enough for me, but it was frustrating. It was frustrating, I mean, at times. But you saw through it.
I mean, you come into this competition. And you know, the way I carried myself -- and kids these days, you know, it's like hip-hop is down here. It's all like, "Hey," you know what I mean? And ballroom dancing is open, and you know, proud of yourself, and how you carry yourself.
INABA: So true. MCINTYRE: And it's a whole another world. And to go into that, and feel comfortable with that, I mean, that's the biggest lesson I learned doing it.
KING: More in a minute, as we discuss "Dancing with the Stars." Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back. Kelly, you had a wardrobe malfunction?
MONACO: I did, yes.
KING: A Janet Jackson kind of thing?
MONACO: Almost, sure. It could have been that. It could have been a lot worse, yes.
KING: What happened?
MONACO: Countdown to live, 5, 4, 3, my strap went. I kind of looked at Alec. I looked at the producers and the execs. And I kind of like, "Oh, yes, we didn't talk about this, did we?" And it was...
KING: And, Alec, what did you look at?
MONACO: You go where you're going, you know?
MAZO: I looked at her eyes. I saw the eyes widen open. And I don't know. I was freaking out for a minute. And after that, "OK, we've got to calm down. I'm the professional here. We've got to make it work."
(CROSSTALK)
MONACO: And I thought, if I had to walk the thing, and hold myself the whole time, that's what I was going to do. I wasn't going to, you know, walk off the stage and give up.
But ten seconds into it, went together, two straps. So then I had nothing and literally was holding myself the entire routine.
KING: And it won it for you?
(CROSSTALK)
MAZO: Well, it was like the fourth episode. And maybe it was like this -- it was almost like a godsend.
MONACO: It was. It was.
MAZO: But you handled it like with such grace and fun. And it was like all of a sudden, you really came alive in that sense, and really...
MONACO: Well, it taught me something, something that Carrie Ann had been telling me the whole time, was feel the music. Because the whole time, I'm counting and dancing in eight counts. I'm going, "One, two, three," in my head.
And for the first time, I relied on the muscle memory, and felt the music, and held my top, and thought about that and not the actual footsteps.
KING: Tom, frankly, did you think this would work?
BERGERON: Well, first of all, I want to publicly apologize to Kelly for sneaking into wardrobe and messing with the thread count.
(LAUGHTER)
But, you know, I didn't think it would work on this level, to this extent. I thought it would be fun. I thought, if people gave it a chance, like I gave a chance to the tape of the British show after scoffing at the idea, that it just kind of draws you in.
And watching the sheer effort, the sincere, joyous effort that is on display here, I thought it would be engaging to enough of an audience to make it viable. But I had no idea it would be a big hit like this.
KING: Charlotte, this for all of you, why does it work?
JORGENSEN: It works because it celebrates the most beautiful thing you can do between two people without there being anything naughty involved, basically. Music, touch, beauty.
KING: A bit old-fashioned, isn't it?
MCINTYRE: No, it's not.
JORGENSEN: I don't know what's old-fashioned about two people dancing together? I mean, we don't do enough of it in my opinion.
KING: Modern dance, people don't touch.
JORGENSEN: No, but maybe that's what's wrong.
KING: Why do you think it works?
O'HURLEY: Well, it works, I think, because -- and I will tease your brain to think of a show in modern television history where grandparents, parents, and children, and I mean high school and small children, were all glued to the edge of their seat, watching a show together in the same room. You name one show that was like that. I can't think of one on television.
KING: You have to go back.
O'HURLEY: Yes, I can't think of one in television memory that actually attracted every single demographic. Kids, little kids...
KING: Why do the kids watch? O'HURLEY: Because they were standing up and watching something, and they were watching dance, and they had their favorites, and they were part of the competition, too. I know parents that allowed their kids to stay up between the 9 and 10 o'clock hour to watch this show, and it was great television.
KING: Why do you think, Joey?
MCINTYRE: Pretty much the same thing. I think people saw we took it really seriously. You know what I mean? And we weren't, like, you know, quote, unquote, "dancing through this." We were, you know, working hard every week.
And I think everybody -- it's sort of like the quintessential thing. You go out to a party. And what's more, you know, scary than getting out on the dance floor, or asking somebody to dance, you know? You want to, you know, stay on the wall. And you've got to get your back up off the wall and get out and dance.
And this like sort of personified that whole feeling of getting out there and doing it. And they saw six people, like, throw their heart and soul out on the floor, you know? And I think they really took to them.
KING: Alec?
O'HURLEY: I don't think people realized how much work we actually did, because it kind of looks like we got together and did a minute-and-a-half dance every week. Because I have not had a day off -- I have not had a day off, Larry, in seven weeks. We went seven days a week. We did not have a day off.
KING: Really?
O'HURLEY: And it was six to seven hours a day. I would take three t-shirts and wring them out wet, all day long.
MCINTYRE: You knocked the buzzards off a donkey?
(CROSSTALK)
MAZO: He had a few real, big lines.
KING: Where was it taped?
O'HURLEY: We taped it right here at Television City at CBS Television City here in Hollywood.
KING: How many in the audience?
O'HURLEY: Three hundred. And it was the best-looking audience on television. They came in dark suits and...
(CROSSTALK)
MCINTYRE: And a live band, and an amazing live orchestra that you never hear on TV.
KING: They didn't come in, in Vegas jeans?
O'HURLEY: Nobody was allowed in. It was the most elegant audience on television.
KING: We'll take a break, and we'll be right back. I'll reintroduce the panel as we discuss this extraordinary television hit. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: The finale of this show averaged 21.8 million viewers. Almost as high as FOX's "American Idol's" first season finale three summers ago. And this promises to be as extraordinary a hit as that.
Our guests are Kelly Monaco, the winner of "Dancing With the Stars" competition. She plays, by the way, Samantha McCall on General Hospital. John O'Hurley runner up on the show, the actor to played J. Peterman on "Seinfeld." Joey McIntyre, celebrity dancer, he came in third. The actor and singer and a former member of "New Kids on the Block."
In Manchester, New Hampshire, entering the presidential race, Tom Bergeron, the TV personality and host of "Dancing With the Stars." Here back in Los Angeles, Carrie Ann Inaba, the choreographer, and one of the judges on the show. Alec Mazo, Kelly Monaco's professional dance partner. And Charlotte Jorgensen, John O'Hurley's Professional dance partner.
Charlotte, are you well recognized now?
JORGENSEN: Well, I have blue eyes and blonde hair. And if I put a pair of sunglasses on I seem to mix in the lot.
KING: Are people noticing you now?
JORGENSEN: Yes, they are. They are, absolutely. And it's, you know, you get nice comments. And it's really wonderful to see people have gotten so interested in the show. And they're dancing.
KING: Carrie, were you judging them on what -- were you judging them as this is an amateur dancing? Or this is a professional -- what were your barometers?
INABA: OK. There's a whole...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inquiring minds would like to know.
INABA: Sure. And answer the big question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go.
INABA: There's a whole list of things that we judge on: technicality, the musicality, how they interact with their partner, the chemistry, the way they look when they perform. And then there's that intangible. And that, you know, in that last final performance I think that's what we were looking for. The last performance they did on the show was a freestyle performance. And the intangibles I think is what set people apart.
KING: What was the hardest part for you, John?
O'HURLEY: The most difficult part for me was the -- it would be too easy to say it was the most physically draining thing I did. But the appropriate answer was the most mentally draining thing I did.
Because Larry, the rite to passage every Wednesday night that we would get as we -- one couple was eliminated and others went on, the rite to passage meant that 9:00 in the morning you got to go back to the studio. And I started working on steps, and on to styles of dance that I had never heard of before. And I got the right to trip over my feet for four days.
And it was a little bit like somebody dropping a violin in your lap on Thursday morning and saying could you possibly have a concerto ready for the entire country to listen to on Wednesday night?
KING: Kelly, what was the hardest for you?
MONACO: I think maybe John can relate to this. Being an actor, you know, we're vicariously living through characters. And this was the first time I've ever made myself vulnerable to be critiqued and judged.
KING: You were you?
MONACO: I was me, yes. I wasn't hiding behind something else -- behind something else. And that is really scary. It's really scary. Especially when you now see that 22 million people are watching it. They're looking at you.
O'HURLEY: I echo what she says. Because really, the nakedness, I think, was something that there's a process that you kind of learned. I mean, I've been lucky enough to live behind the mask of J. Peterman for years and years and years.
KING: Weren't you afraid, though, of making a fool of yourself?
O'HURLEY: I -- Larry, I have killed every show I've ever been on with the exception of "Seinfeld." I really was. But you have to go out there and jump and the net will appear. That's the way you had to look at it.
KING: And Evander had guts.
MCINTYRE: Oh, yes. They filmed every rehearsal.
MONACO: I think everybody had guts to do this. I mean, it was almost laughable at first. I mean, you know, I'm at work and I'm going on "Dancing With the Stars." They're like, what? I'm doing dancing a show. Yes. MCINTYRE: Just that, they filmed every rehearsal. And you know, if they filmed rehearsals for Broadway productions, no one would ever see the shows, because the drama that goes on behind the scenes.
So that was tough for me. You know what I Mean? because when you're learning the step. You're frustrated. You're not always going to get along with your partner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: That's insane. It is so fast.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is. And I kind of made it a challenge.
MCINTYRE: Thanks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
He's just being a baby today.
OK do you want to do it again?
MCINTYRE: I guess so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: And there it is captured on film for everybody to see. All your little shortcomings, you know. And that was tough. You know, that was part of the chemistry.
And by the way my partner was Ashley Delgrosso. And she's amazing. And I think she really brought me to another level as a dancer. So I just want to say hi to Ashley.
KING: What dance was the hardest for you?
MCINTYRE: Quickstep. Quickstep, quick. It was quick. Got the right name. Quickstep.
O'HURLEY: For me it was anything that was Latin. Because, I'm, you know, I'm O'Hurley and not Hurley-o. And so anything -- these hips don't move that well, I'll tell you.
I acclimated more to the more -- the smooth style, the ballroom style much easier.
KING: Kelly?
MONACO: They were all extremely difficult. But, definitely say the standard dancing.
KING: Standard?
MONACO: Yeah. Which is the waltzing type of dances. You really have to hold your head high. And you know, like they had said before, like be proud, here I am. And take it or leave it. And that was difficult for me.
KING: Same band for all the dances? You rehearsed with that band?
We'll be right back with more. I'll ask them about how many imitators are coming along. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONACO: I hope America will come to know me as Trista the dancer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a dancer.
O'HURLEY: I'm the oldest one in this group. And I've got the most spandex on.
MCINTYRE: Ballroom dancing is like being on Mars compared to what I've done throughout my life.
MONACO: I don't know how to dance. What am I thinking?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't try this at home. You're going to hurt yourself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Tom Bergeron, first, have this show been signed up for another season?
BERGERON: It's sort of a foregone conclusion, but there hasn't -- as Joey mentioned, there hasn't been a formal announcement yet. But there's certainly the expectation that it'll be coming back.
If I could, Larry, I just -- one thing that I think all of the dancers are too modest to admit to -- one of the reasons I think the show has been so successful, is that these dances and the way they have been performed, they were just really sexy.
I mean, they were sensual and sexy and in a way that the whole family could enjoy. You didn't have to shield the kids from it. And I think that's a real part of the appeal. As someone outside of the world of dance, that's what I just thought was incredible. So much so, that it actually has gotten me interested in learning. But...
KING: Really?
BERGERON: Yes. I think that's...
MCINTYRE: Really.
BERGERON: Yes. Why are you so surprised, Joey?
(LAUGHTER) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was the only one verbalizing it. Everyone else is sitting here with their jaw open.
BERGERON: Well, John and I were talking. We both have mind training and I've always loved comedic movement going back to Keaton and Chaplin and in modern ways, Dick Van Dyke and Steve Martin, but I've never danced. And so, I've always loved movement, but I've never actually gotten to this discipline. And boy, what a great ad for it this has been.
KING: The dances were the cha-cha, the fox trot, the jive, paso doble, what is that?
(CROSS TALK)
KING: The quick step, the rumba, the samba. Now, the tango, that's a sexy dance.
O'HURLEY: The tango is a sexy dance. It is.
KING: Viennese waltz.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oy.
KING: Waltz. All right. Do we expect, John, an imitative show?
O'HURLEY: I have one in the works. It's called "Dancing Near A Star." For six weeks, I'm going to stalk Kevin Kline with my paso doble.
KING: You think someone's going to try...
O'HURLEY: Yes. They're going to try, but you can't -- I mean, I'm sorry. That was rude.
No. I think everybody's going to try to imitate this, but this is, as I said before, I'll say it again, is the perfect template for a successful show. It combines everything you need: The celebrity curiosity; the drama backstage of anticipation growing for six weeks; great music; great dance. It's something that everybody can watch.
KING: Tom, are you going to be imitated?
BERGERON: Well, I think John actually had a better idea for a show than even that one. Remember your...
O'HURLEY: Yes. Celebrity surgery.
BERGERON: Yes.
O'HURLEY: We're going to take an unwilling patient, capable of springing into an O.R. and introduce Ray Romano as doing...
(LAUGHTER)
KING: What do you make of this whole -- the whole? This whole --
MCINTYRE: Well, that's -- I think that's the special thing about this show: That it's not reality. I mean, definitely file it under reality, there was a good chunk of that and you know, you've got the elimination, so there's the suspense.
But that's what was special about this song -- show that we got to perform every week. And this is -- this kind of takes the edge off the reality thing. I think, you know, for a while we're like: Good, do we want to see, you know, another bug eaten on TV?
O'HURLEY: That's a very good -- that's a really good point. This is a testament to ABC taking a real chance on something, because this -- every other show on reality television is mean-spirited, it's denigrating to the human spirit and this was a show that actually worked in the other direction. And I, for one, hope that this raises the bar on reality television.
KING: Even though judges could be rough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's important.
O'HURLEY: Yes. Well....
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm glad you said it, Larry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That allows them to go somewhere. That gives them something to fight against.
O'HURLEY: Right.
MCINTYRE: If it's constructive.
(CROSS TALK)
O'HURLEY: We ate -- we ate a lot of crow, but we didn't eat any worms.
MCINTYRE: Yes, exactly.
KING: Did you fall in the final round?
MONACO: I bumped my -- I came down on my knee, yes. I don't think it was a fall. I was supposed to slide into it, but --
KING: Because some of his pro-bloggers say that, that should of...
MONACO: They're going to say what they're going say, all around. You know I'll bet Joey fans are going to say Joey things.
MCINTYRE: No, my fans wouldn't say that.
MONACO: You know?
MCINTYRE: You know what, it -- and it doesn't matter. Like -- it was like the work that we all put into this, like --
O'HURLEY: This was never about that.
MCINTYRE: Kelly deserved to win it and a lot of us did, but Kelly won and I'm thrilled for her. And my fans would not say that.
(LAUGHTER)
MONACO: You know, people are going to stick up for who they want to stick up for.
KING: Charlotte is not nodding.
JURGENSEN: I'm listening.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Do you get, frankly, competitive? By that I mean: You want to win. Come on, you want to win.
JURGENSEN: I get competitive not so much for the trophy, but I get competitive with myself. I want to, and have always wanted to, be the very best and that's what I pushed John to be, as well.
O'HURLEY: And that really was the competition and I don't mean to make this a cliche -- I mean this very seriously. It was never about who beating who, because frankly, none of us here are that good -- are good enough to know how to be competitive. We are at best, ranked amateurs that looked good because, as I said, we were clinging to the wreckage for most of the time.
KING: But Alec and Charlotte are -- right?
MAZO: Yes.
KING: You wanted to win, didn't you?
MAZO: I'm with Charlotte on this one. I'm competing with myself and we want to try to do our best every week.
KING: What were you saying there? You said...
O'HURLEY: Well, you put the best steps on the floor, Larry. It's a -- you've got to try -- I don't know how to win.
KING: So, weren't disappointed when you didn't win?
O'HURLEY: I'm heartbroken we didn't win, but that's OK. You know, I've gotten roles that -- I've had roles that I've wanted in Hollywood that I didn't get, too. You know what? You shake it off in 24 hours and you go on with your life. But...
KING: More with our delightful group right after this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) O'HURLEY: I think when the lights come down and the dust settles on the stage, we'll be holding the trophy this week. I've got to win this.
(SINGING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Kelly Monaco.
ANNOUNCER: Evander Holyfield.
ANNOUNCER: Rachel Hunter.
ANNOUNCER: Joey McIntyre.
ANNOUNCER: Trista Sutter.
ANNOUNCER: And John O'Hurley.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We're back.
Let's talk about the outfits you wore. Did you select them, Charlotte?
JURGENSEN: We worked with -- there was a ballroom dancing costume designer and then, there was a -- sort of a show designer and we sort of found out the best designs between us.
KING: Did they tell you what to wear?
JURGENSEN: They wanted a lot of color on us, so we sort of had to change colors from every week. I guess if it was me I would have been all white and all black, all the time.
KING: Were they a little racy?
JURGENSEN: I think they were as racy as you wanted them to be. We definitely could say "no," and we could definitely also say, "no, I want it like that." So, we were -- you know, I sort of felt we were totally in control over what we wanted.
KING: Kelly? You have control over what you wore?
MONACO: To an extent, yes. To an extent.
KING: What does that mean: To an extent?
MONACO: Did I get to pick all the colors in all the dresses? Absolutely not. Did I want to be covered up in some and did they cover it up? Yes. Did I want to go shorter on others? Sure.
KING: Did you think they were racy?
MONACO: Comparable to what I've seen in ballroom dancing, absolutely not? It's very comparable to what I've seen.
KING: The men were fine.
O'HURLEY: No. This was my big complaint: I think I was too racy. I had -- I wore a little too much spandex.
KING: Alec, were you happy with what they had you wear?
MCINTYRE: He didn't wear anything.
MAZO: Most of the time, except for that green costume. But the rest of it was OK. Except for that green costume when Kelly had that wardrobe malfunction.
(SINGING)
KING: I mean you were wearing green when she had -- you're like the Green Goblin and Spiderman....
MAZO: I felt like a superhero or...
O'HURLEY: Everything on Alec was pretty much spray painted. Because he's got the body for it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those costumes, they're tight. And it took awhile for me to get into those costumes. I was like whoa, that scared me a little bit.
KING: Tom, what did you think of them?
BERGERON: I thought, I got to just watch and enjoy the dances. I thought that most of them were incredible. I know what -- I know what you mean, Alec about the green one. You did look like sort of a really sexy Keebler elf. But, yes, some of them were more extreme than others. And you know, I just got to wear my suit and enjoy it.
KING: Carrie, did your winner win?
INABA: Did my winner win? A difficult question. You know what? The winner won.
KING: No, no, no. Did the one you vote for win?
INABA: Yes. The one that I vote for one.
KING: That's what I mean.
INABA: Absolutely.
KING: Because you could have had, the other two judges could have gone the other way.
INABA: Yeah. That's the thing. We never know how each other are going to judge. And so -- I was surprised that we got a three 10 performance in that show in the first season. I was.
KING: Was it close?
INABA: It was absolutely close. It was close from the fourth episode. You know, it was very difficult.
KING: So you wouldn't have been shocked if John and Charlotte had won?
INABA: No.
In fact, when we were sitting there, even with the three 10s and the three 9s I was sitting there going, I have no idea who's going to win this. And it's up to the public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERGERON: Kelly and Alec!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Were you bugged, Joey, that you finished third?
MCINTYRE: I wasn't bugged. I thought -- I thought the judges were, were, you know, from the get-go, I think they would consistently held us to a different level. I think they...
KING: Because of your partner?
MCINTYRE: No. I don't know exactly why. But, it was -- and at first it was constructive. You know, and I appreciated it. But after awhile it got a little if you looked at my face, if looks could kill. You know, I couldn't say anything. But I had these steam coming out of my eyes. But, it wasn't constructive.
KING: You were ticked?
MCINTYRE: Oh, yes, absolutely. Because I thought towards the end, what not so much Carrie Ann, but what the other judges, I won't even mention their names, what they said, it wasn't -- I think it was just wasn't true. And I think they need to watch those tapes and maybe tighten up their screws a little bit.
KING: Were they a little off on him, Carrie.
INABA: I thought that last episode, the last one you performed, my two partners were a little rough. They scored lower than I did. I felt a little bit differently. But that's why they have three of us. They want three different opinions to come from three different backgrounds. And we do our best to give our best...
KING: You're not supposed to get personal, just because if you don't like his eyes you don't vote against him.
INABA: Not at all. You can't be personal. No. No. That doesn't do a service for dancing at all. And we're all about promoting dance, I think, on this show.
KING: When we come back, we'll find out what each of them will do from now on. Where they did go -- in other words the old axiom, where do we go from here?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your footwork was incredible, you were light, you were lovely. You've just got to concentrate now on your posture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe I expect a lot from you, because I know that you can be amazing on stage. And I still feel you're slightly underperformed. Your posture first thing.
INABA: You didn't miss a step at all. And I thought that what you lacked in posture, you had in presence. I thought that was wonderful and fun.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERGERON: Before I even ask a rhetorical question of how you feel about this, it has been such a joy to watch you come out here these past three weeks, and put your heart and soul into it. It really has.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now, Tom Bergeron, there were sports bars that put this on, right?
BERGERON: Yes. Oh, yes.
KING: There were closet male viewers, right?
BERGERON: Oh, I think, you know, again going back to what I said earlier, Larry, I think that any red-blooded male had to enjoy watching, you know, Ashley and Kelly and Charlotte, and everybody just getting out there -- and Trista, and getting out there and shaking their groove thing every week.
I mean, it really was a very sexy show. But also Evander helped in that regard. Evander brought the sports fans in, because he was willing to put a lot on the line in those early weeks.
KING: John, you have a new CD of instrumental music out that you've written?
O'HURLEY: Yes. It's just released two weeks ago called "Piece of Our Minds." It's a compilation of everything I've composed over the last 25 years.
KING: What kind of music do you write?
O'HURLEY: Well, it's large sweeping film score type of piano that I do. I've layered in the top electronic cellist in the business, Marston Smith (ph) and it's just real pretty music. And it's one of the things I'm the most proud of in my entire career.
KING: And Joey you were a regular on "Boston Public", right?
MCINTYRE: "Boston Public." And I'm always doing theater. I just did six months on Broadway in "Wicked." And I got a CD coming out.
KING: You were in "Wicked?" Who did you play?
MCINTYRE: Fiero. Fiero.
KING: I love "Wicked."
MCINTYRE: And I made my Broadway debut with the Tony winner Dina Manzell (ph), and it was a thrill. I love the theater.
KING: Are you back teaching, Alec, in San Francisco?
MAZO: No. We're going to open a school in L.A. hopefully. And we're going to try to make it a franchise.
KING: And where do you teach Charlotte?
JERGENSEN: Teach around the country. And I'm in the process of writing a book about ballroom dancing. And hopefully John and I will get to do something in the future together.
O'HURLEY: We're in talks about going back to Broadway.
KING: The two of you on Broadway. Are you kidding or you are not?
JERGENSEN: No, no.
O'HURLEY: No, sir. It's very serious. It's very serious.
KING: Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's wonderful.
KING: And Carrie, what are you going to do?
INABA: I'm going to keep on choreographing. I'm developing some shows for Las Vegas. And just keep learning about dance.
KING: Kelly how long are you on "General Hospital?"
MONACO: I've got another year there.
KING: And then what?
MONACO: We'll see.
KING: If they ask you to stay would you say? Or do they kill you off? How do they do it?
MONACO: No. Not killed off material right now.
MCINTYRE: That a girl.
O'HURLEY: She's got a trophy and some pepper spray.
MCINTYRE: She's going to have a twin, triplet. There's going to be three of her on that show.
KING: Would you come back as a judge on this show?
INABA: I hope so. If they ask us to.
KING: Now you can't come back?
BERGERON: Who knows.
O'HURLEY: I don't think so.
BERGERON: I don't know. We might.
O'HURLEY: No, because again, it's the process of finding new faces. And I don't think there's any spot for me.
KING: Do you think I might be asked?
BERGERON: Yeah. You should do it.
KING: Oh, that would be great.
O'HURLEY: I'll tell you, Larry, tonight on "Dancing With the Stars," Larry King gets jiggy with it.
KING: Oh, man. I don't think so. I don't think it would work.
O'HURLEY: Yes it would.
MCINTYRE: It's going to be nice to sit back, though, and watch, you know, six or ten other people like go at it. You know what I mean? Get some popcorn and just relax.
MONACO: That's something that I actually enjoyed with this show, that there wasn't a money incentive in the end. I think with all the reality shows, it's so greedy and malicious. And that's when you get stabbing in the back, and like really harsh things. And I liked the fact, and was proud that it was about pride.
KING: Thank you all very much. It was a delightful hour. And continued success -- Broadway.
"Dancing With the Stars." Tom Bergeron in New Hampshire, Kelly Monaco, John O'Hurley, Joey McIntyre, Carrie Ann Inaba, Alec Mazo and Charlotte Jergensen.
And we thank you very much for joining us on this special edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Aaron Brown and "NEWSNIGHT" next. Good night.
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