Witney Carson reveals the moment Danny Amendola became a ‘Dancing With The Stars’ fan favorite

Before this season of “Dancing With the Stars,” ballroom pro Witney Carson didn’t know who Danny Amendola was.

“I remember calling my brother and saying, ‘Yeah, I’ve got a footballer, his name is Danny Amen-something?’ And he was just like, ‘Are you serious, Witney?'” she told HuffPost in a recent interview. “They were all losing their minds.”

One thing she knew about being paired with the onetime New England Patriots wide receiver on the reality dance competition show: It helps to have an athlete.

“They have a great track record on the show,” Carson said of the athletes who have competed for the mirrorball trophy. “Their commitment and work ethic is so great. And that’s true for Danny. He is very, very committed, he works extremely hard.”

Amendola, a two-time Super Bowl champion, isn’t the only athlete to go far this season. Reaching the semifinals with him are gymnast Steven Nedoroscik and rugby player Ilona Maher, along with actor Chandler Kinney and former “Bachelor” Joey Graziadei.

The soccer player and Carson had a strong enough showing out of the gate this season, scoring 20 out of 30 with a tango to “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey and landing in the middle of the rankings.

Carson said it took some time to figure out Amendola’s dancing strengths.

“I really wanted to push how athletic he was” in the third week, she said, when the couple danced a lively jive to “Danger Zone” in a “Top Gun” tribute, and Amendola emerged as a serious contender.

The buzz surrounding the pair only got louder the following week when they delivered a move contemporary performance to “Unsteady” by X Ambassadors. The dance featured a lift where Amendola pulled Carson off the ground with one leg, which went viral fans on social media tried to recreate it.

Carson pointed to both dances as a turning point in the season where “people were actually able to be really impressed by (Amendola), with his strength and his storytelling.”

Now in her 14th season with a mirror ball under her belt, Carson is ready to tackle any challenge on the show – but she admitted “instant dances” last week, where each couple worked out the song and dance style to do live, did her “so nervous.”

For Carson, the hardest part was not knowing the music beforehand.

“I didn’t know when it was going to end, where it started, all the musical cues that I’m so used to … I had a very stressful week, and I think all the professionals could agree on that. , ” she said, adding that she was “very proud” of all the celebrity contestants for making it through the dances.

Amendola, Carson said, is “always very positive” when it comes to preparing for new elements of the show.

“It’s like, accept the challenge, love the challenge, and tear it up and go for it,” she said. “And that’s how he approaches every situation.”

And the challenges will keep coming: Heading into semifinal week, Carson and Amendola are preparing a Viennese waltz and a salsa in hopes of a chance to compete for the mirror ball trophy.

“Going into the semi-finals, it’s a bit more pressure for me as a choreographer, just to keep delivering wow factors to everyone,” she said. “I’m taking on the challenge that Danny has instilled in my brain at this point and I’m really going for it because we really have no other option. It’s really come down to the wire. Everyone is very, very good. Anyone could go to the final, anyone could win it, I think, at this point.”