Former ‘DWTS’ Champ Reveals Everyone Told Her Not to Do the Show

When “Dancing With the Stars” first debuted in 2005, it was a completely new idea for reality TV. It wasn’t a dating show, nor were people competing against each other to survive in the wilderness. So it’s unsurprising that Kelly Monaco, Season 1’s winner, alongside pro dancer Alec Mazo, wasn’t sure she wanted to participate.

So, she asked people she trusted for advice. “I remember bringing it home and getting feedback from family, friends, and so forth, and they were like, ‘You can’t do a reality show. Actors don’t do a reality show,” she told Entertainment Weekly.

Luckily for her and all the fans who watched that first season, she decided to take a chance.

“I had never heard of ballroom dancing before. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But I was just like, ‘[Expletive] it. I’ll try anything once.’ That’s how I’ve always rolled in life. If an opportunity comes, I’ll try it.”

Kelly Monaco Admits She Hoped to Be ‘Voted off First’

Because she was uncertain whether it would harm her career, she made little effort.

“The first season was only six episodes. It was a test run, and I was like, ‘I’m not going to tell anyone I’m doing it and hopefully I get voted off first and no one will ever see it,’” Monaco said.

But after their first dance, the judges tore into Monaco. Carrie Ann Inaba told her that she didn’t enjoy her dancing. Bruno Tonioli asked her if she’d had a death in her family. Finally, Len Goodman said to them that it was “too much, too busy.”

“After the first episode, I was horrified by the comments from the judges, and I got the lowest score, I think, ever in the history of ‘Dancing With the Stars,'” Monaco said. “So, I was like, ‘OK, it’s on. We’re going in and we’re doing this.’ Then I took it seriously, and I was all in at that point.”

Dancing Through Her Wardrobe Mishap Increased Her Confidence

“I didn’t think I was a good dancer at all,” the former ‘General Hospital’ star confessed. “I improved weekly. I think people related to me in that I went from duck feet to being able to spin. I have ruptured eardrums, equilibrium problems, and for me to even be able to do that without falling flat on my face was a journey in itself. I was so proud every week that I made it a week further.”

During Week 4, she and Mazo performed the samba. Despite a wardrobe mishap, she continued dancing — and it helped her win votes from the audience.

“But I remember looking at the judges, looking at whoever like, ‘Is there a stop button?'” she remembered. “Okay, there’s nothing. I just have to go through it.’ So, I’m like, ‘OK, well, I’ll just hold my dress up while I dance.’ Alec supported me every step of the way. I don’t think I felt more confident in any dance.”

“After that, the audience related to me because I was on soap operas for so long, I had only been known as this villain and was only called by my soap name in public,” she continued. “This gave the audience a chance to see the real me in a circumstance where you can either fall flat or rise above.”