- OUR NEXT GUESTS ARE COMPETING AGAINST EACH OTHER
ON THE NEW SEASON OF "DANCING WITH THE STARS,"
BUT LAST MONTH THEY MADE HISTORY
BY WINNING THE UNITED STATES' FIRST EVER GOLD MEDAL
IN OLYMPIC ICE DANCING.
TAKE A LOOK.
[cheers and applause]
PLEASE WELCOME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTS
MERYL DAVIS AND CHARLIE WHITE.
WELL, HELLO, YOU TWO. - HELLO.
- HOW'S IT FEEL-- HAS IT SUNK IN YET
THAT YOU'RE OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTS?
- YOU KNOW, NOT REALLY.
IT'S BEEN A CRAZY COUPLE OF WEEKS SINCE WE WON,
AND WE GOT HOME AND--
YOU KNOW, WE WENT TO THE RINK--
WE'RE GONNA BE TRAINING FOR A TOUR, "STARS ON ICE," COMING UP,
AND WE NEEDED TO COME UP WITH OUR PROGRAMS.
AND I'M DRIVING TO THE RINK, AND IT'S JUST, LIKE,
HITTING ME THAT THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE
I WAS SO NERVOUS, GETTING PREPARED FOR THE OLYMPICS,
AND READY TO MAKE IT COUNT,
AND NOW I ACHIEVED THAT GOAL, AND IT'S JUST--
IT'S CRAZY. IT REALLY IS.
- YOU'RE DRIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT NOW
WITH A GOLD MEDAL.
- THAT'S RIGHT, YEAH.
- AND NOT ONLY DID YOU MEDAL, YOU GOLD MEDALED.
- THAT'S RIGHT. - THAT'S INCREDIBLE.
AND SO YOU'VE BEEN SKATING TOGETHER FOR 17 YEARS.
- YEAH. - NOBODY ELSE?
IT'S JUST BEEN YOU TWO FOR 17 YEARS.
- JUST THE TWO OF US. - HOW DID Y'ALL FIND EACH OTHER,
AND HOW DID YOU START DOING THIS?
- WELL, WE ACTUALLY GREW UP DOWN THE STREET FROM ONE ANOTHER,
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AND WE'RE JUST--
- I DO. - WELL, GOOD.
BUT, YEAH, AND SO WE STARTED SKATING TOGETHER
WHEN WE WERE EIGHT AND NINE, AND WE FIT REALLY WELL,
AND OUR PERSONALITIES WENT REALLY WELL TOGETHER,
AND 17 YEARS LATER--
- LOOK AT THAT. HOW CUTE.
- OH. - ADORABLE.
- AND WE LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME.
- WE'RE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME, EXACTLY, YEAH.
- THAT'S REALLY AMAZING, TO LOOK AT THAT AND SEE THAT
FROM THAT, THIS IS WHERE YOU END UP,
TOGETHER 17 YEARS LATER WINNING A GOLD MEDAL.
- YEAH. - IT'S INCREDIBLE.
- IT'S CRAZY FOR US TO THINK TOO, BUT EXCITING.
- AND SO I UNDERSTAND YOU WENT TO SOME OSCAR PARTIES.
IT'S--THERE'S SOME PERKS WHEN YOU HAVE GOLD MEDALS, HUH?
- YEAH, YOU KNOW, WE WERE AT THE VANITY FAIR PARTY,
AND WE HAD HEARD RUMORS THAT YOU WERE THERE,
BUT WE DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO SEE YOU.
- I WAS THERE. I'M SORRY I MISSED YOU.
- YEAH, WE HAD FUN. WE HAD A LOT OF FUN.
- YEAH, WE--I MEAN, THERE WAS SO MANY FAMOUS PEOPLE,
AS YOU KNOW, I MEAN,
JUST ALL OF THE MOST FAMOUS PEOPLE YOU CAN IMAGINE,
AND SO WE WERE TRYING TO PLAY IT COOL, YOU KNOW?
WE'RE LIKE, WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE ANY--
THEN I SAW BILL MURRAY, AND I WAS LIKE,
"YEAH, I GOT TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH BILL MURRAY."
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HOLDING OUR MEDALS AND, YOU KNOW,
TRYING TO, LIKE, FEEL-- MAKE OURSELVES FEEL IMPORTANT,
AND HE'S LIKE, "OH, I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD BE HOLDING SOMETHING,"
SO HE GRABS MERYL'S CLUTCH, AND WAS LIKE--
[laughter]
AND IT'S JUST LIKE, OF COURSE, BILL MURRAY, YOU KNOW?
- YEAH. - HE'S A GENIUS.
AND IT WAS AWESOME TO MEET HIM.
- THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I MET HIM TOO, THAT NIGHT.
I HAD NEVER MET HIM BEFORE. HE'S SUCH A COOL GUY.
- SO FRIENDLY. - SO DOWN TO EARTH, YEAH.
- WHO ELSE DID YOU TALK TO THAT NIGHT?
- YOU KNOW, I WAS IN--I WAS WASHING MY HANDS IN THE BATHROOM
AND I LOOKED UP AND SELENA GOMEZ WAS STANDING ON MY RIGHT
AND ZOOEY DESCHANEL WAS STANDING ON MY LEFT,
AND THEY'RE JUST HAVING A CONVERSATION, AND I WAS LIKE,
"HM, YEAH, THAT'S COOL."
[laughter]
- OH, AND THEN THE-- WE WALK INTO WHERE--
WHERE THEY HAVE THE VANITY FAIR PHOTO SHOOT GOING ON,
- RIGHT. - AND WE WANT TO GO IN--
- YEAH, AND SO THE PEOPLE KIND OF ORGANIZING IT SAID,
"OH, HOLD ON, HEIDI'S JUST FINISHING UP."
I WENT, "OKAY."
SO THEY SAID, "COME ON IN. SHE'S FINISHING UP."
AND SO WE WALK IN AND HEIDI KLUM IS FINISHING UP HER PHOTO SHOOT
AND THEY SAID, "OKAY, YOU GUYS ARE NEXT,"
AND I'M LIKE, THE ONLY THING MORE TERRIFYING
THAN THE OLYMPIC GAMES IS HAVING A PHOTO SHOOT
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING HEIDI KLUM.
- YEAH, I COULDN'T EVEN LIKE-- I DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO--
I DIDN'T LOOK AT HER FACE. I WAS, LIKE, INTIMIDATED.
AND I REGRET THAT NOW. - YEAH.
- WELL, I'M SURE YOU'LL SEE EVERYBODY AGAIN.
LET'S TALK ABOUT "DANCING WITH THE STARS."
SO YOU'RE NOW COMPETITORS. - YEAH.
- NOW WHO IS GONNA--ARE YOU-- ARE YOU SCARED OF HIM?
ARE YOU SCARED OF HER? WHO'S GONNA BE THE TOUGHEST?
- I THINK--I THINK WE'RE BOTH SCARED OF EACH OTHER,
IF YOU WILL, BUT IN A VERY, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGING WAY.
I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO PUT THAT.
I MEAN, WE KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL.
WE KNOW HOW HARD THE OTHER PERSON WORKS.
WE KNOW THAT--YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT SHE'S A GREAT DANCER,
AND SHE HAS A GREAT PARTNER IN MAX, AND, YOU KNOW,
I'M VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE SHARNA.
AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF FUN WITH IT.
IT'S A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE THAN THE OLYMPICS.
- BECAUSE, I MEAN, ICE DANCING IS DIFFERENT THAN DANCING.
I MEAN, IT'S GRACEFUL AND ATHLETIC AND ALL THAT,
BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME THING.
ARE YOU BOTH DANCERS? ARE YOU GOOD DANCERS?
- NO. - NOT REALLY.
- YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T REALIZE QUITE HOW DIFFERENT
UNTIL WE STARTED DOING THE LATIN MOVEMENT ON THE FLOOR.
- YEAH.
- AND WE COULD TELL BY THE LOOK ON OUR PARTNERS' FACES HOW--
HOW DIFFERENT IT REALLY WAS.
- YEAH, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF THIS...
- I FEEL LIKE THEY HAD REALLY HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR US,
AND THEN WE TOOK A STEP AND THEY WERE JUST LIKE...
- OH. - OH, I SEE.
- NOPE!
- BUT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE TECHNIQUE IS DIFFERENT
FOR SKATING TO BALLROOM... - SURE.
AND WE'RE FINDING WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO KIND OF
UNLEARN SOME STUFF BEFORE--BUT, I MEAN, LIKE, WITH PERFORMANCE,
WE FEEL COMFORTABLE, YOU KNOW, AND SO THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
- THAT PART, YOU HAVE DOWN.
NOW, WILL YOU GO TO THE 2018 OLYMPICS?
- YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T DECIDED YET.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, CHARLIE AND I HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT,
FOR 17 YEARS, KIND OF REGARDLESS OF THE SUCCESSES WE'VE HAD,
WE'VE REALLY KIND OF IMMEDIATELY MOVED ON TO OUR NEXT GOAL
AND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE COULD GROW
AND HOW WE COULD MOVE KIND OF UP THE LADDER,
AND SO FOR THE FIRST TIME,
I THINK WE'RE REALLY ALLOWING OURSELVES
TO JUST BE IN THE MOMENT, AND WE'LL--WE'LL DECIDE LATER ON.
- ALL RIGHT. WELL, I HOPE YOU DO.
AND FOR "DANCING WITH THE STARS,"
I THINK THE HARDEST THING IS IT'S--
LIKE, IT'S NOTHING FOR YOU TO BE ON SKATES.
IT'S GONNA BE DIFFICULT TO BE IN SHOES AND DO THAT,
SO WE HAD SOMETHING MADE FOR YOU SPECIALLY THAT'LL HELP YOU OUT.
- OH!
THAT'S AMAZING. - OH, OH, WOW!
- OH, MY GOSH, THANK YOU.
[cheers and applause]
- I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S ILLEGAL.
- I THINK I COULD GIVE THESE A WHIRL.
- IT MIGHT BE ILLEGAL. I'M NOT SURE.
- THAT'S AWESOME.
- WELL, FIRST OF ALL, IT'S MY COLOR, SO, YOU KNOW.
- MATCHES YOUR EYES. - YES.
- YOU'RE WELCOME. ALL RIGHT. - THANK YOU.
- GOOD LUCK, AND HAVE FUN. - THAT IS BEAUTIFUL.
- "DANCING WITH THE STARS" PREMIERS TONIGHT AT 8:00 ON ABC.
I WANT TO THANK HOWIE MANDEL, BRANDON MCMILLAN,
MERYL DAVIS, CHARLIE WHITE, AND TWITCH.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY, EVERYBODY.
BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER. BYE-BYE.