DWTS Week 8 – Kym Johnson On The Challenge About To Get Greater

The Pittsburgh Gazette caught up with Kym and Hines to see how they were coming along this week with their dancing. This team have been working 10 hours a day relentlessly. But, the two somehow managed to take a little time out to see “Burn The Floor” (instead of the new premiere of “Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”) which Kym said might be more beneficial and inspiring (smart move on her part, as always). They talk about their dances tonight and some of the challenges coming. More below and at the link as well which includes a video I can’t embed. Be sure to see it. Special thanks to Pure DWTS reader Jenny for bringing this news to our attention.

The challenge is about to get greater. On tonight’s program, he and Ms. Johnson will perform a foxtrot that she said includes some fun but “super-cheesy” elements.

“Hines is pretty much skipping around the floor, giddy.”

Giddy might work for Mr. Ward, whose last two dances demanded keeping a straight face. “This week, Hines can go back to being himself; he has that great smile,” his partner said.

Not so fun is the return of the “instant dance,” where teams prepare a routine but are only told 20 minutes ahead of time what music — which could vary in length — they’ll dance to. Theirs will be the jive.

“It’s kind of adjusting on the run. … But it’s going to be hard on everybody,” said Mr. Ward.

“I’ve been playing different music for Hines so he’s not getting used to any one track,” said Ms. Johnson, who carries around video of their performances and rehearsals on her iPad. “I think it’ll be good because he won’t have too much time to think — he’ll just have to feel it and dance it.”

They’ve been putting in 10-hour days. It didn’t help when, early last Thursday, Mr. Ward and an acquaintance giving him a ride home were pulled over by Los Angeles police.

The driver had reported her car stolen but failed to contact police when she discovered it had not been. Gossip site TMZ “just ran with the story,” said Mr. Ward, adding that he did not consider the incident a distraction to this week’s training.

At this point, the team is beyond Latrobe-training-camp levels of practice.

“He’s like a machine,” Ms. Johnson said. “Now is when you kick the work up another level.”