Danielle Fishel Explains Why Being on DWTS Makes Her Feel ‘Like It's 1994 Again’ Filming Boy Meets World tram
Danielle Fishel is getting a blast from the past while competing on Dancing with the Stars.
Following her second week on the ABC series, the 44-year-old actress tells PEOPLE she is used to the pressure of performing in front of a live audience — especially since she used to do it all the time on Boy Meets World.
“I'm good under pressure and I'm a performer,” Fishel explains.
“I haven't been in front of the camera performing for a very long time. I didn't know if I was going to feel rusty or if I was going to know what to do anymore," she continues. "But literally the minute the audience loads in, and I get that feeling like it's 1994 again and there's an audience of 250 people on the set of Boy Meets World."
Fishel adds that, when "it's live show night, I just come alive from the inside."
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Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, Ben Savage and William Daniels in 'Boy Meets World.'.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Her dance partner, Pasha Pashkov, quickly caught on to how the crowd impacts the actress.
Pashkov, 39, tells PEOPLE that while Fishel often goes “full out during our runs,” she surpasses his expectations when the live filming for the show begins.
“When the audience is there, she from somewhere — she pulls another extra 50% and I'm like, ‘Who is this?’” Pashkov jokes. “And I mean, it's amazing."
The mother of two admits that her energy switch from practice to taping drives her dance partner “a little nuts,” but she’s slowly getting accustomed to the new atmosphere.
“I feel like I have the hang of the show a little bit more now,” she says. “I still really need to work on giving a full, really good performance before the live show, but as an actor for my entire life, I come alive when I know it counts.”
The Pod Meets World podcaster knows that the show must go on, even with injuries. She shared on the Sept. 23 episode that she recently sustained a hamstring tear while getting a deep tissue massage that "broke every blood vessel" in the back of her leg.
"I snapped a tendon in my hamstring," she explained. "I had a meeting with a surgeon, and I don't need surgery, so it's just a matter of rehabbing it and taking care of it.” As it heals, she noted that Pashkov was "going to choreograph around that right leg for a week to give me a little bit of a rest."
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"I was only going to leave here because of an injury if they brought me out on a stretcher," she added.
Despite the injury, Fishel and Pashkov earned a 19/30 on their Cha Cha, making it to the next round: TikTok night.
Bachelor Nation’s Molly Mesnick Laughs Off Pregnancy Rumor: ‘News Even I Didn’t Know’ tram
Bachelor Nation’s Molly Mesnick is shutting down unsubstantiated rumors she is expecting another baby with husband Jason Mesnick.
“You guys… I was doom-scrolling and came across an article that [Jason] and I are expecting! What glorious news!” Molly, 41, wrote in an Instagram Story on Sunday, September 28, alongside a screenshot of a Facebook post featuring an ultrasound scan.
Molly quipped, “News I didn’t even know!”
Molly and Jason, 49, met on the 13th season of The Bachelor, which aired on ABC in 2009. While Jason initially proposed to winner Melissa Rycroft, during the After the Final Rose special, Jason broke up with Melissa and said he was still in love with runner-up Molly.
“Melissa is a great girl, but there wasn’t any chemistry,” Jason told Us Weekly at the time. “So I broke up with her after Christmas, about a month after we wrapped. Obviously, I didn’t want it all on TV, but I had to take the chance if it meant getting [Molly] back. I’d rather have picked up the phone, trust me!”
Despite the dramatic start to their relationship, Molly and Jason have been going strong ever since. The couple wed in 2010 and welcomed their daughter, Riley, 12, in 2013. Jason also shares a son, Ty, with his first wife, Hilary Buckholz.
Molly and Jason recently celebrated Riley starting 7th grade with a sweet Instagram post shared on September 2.
“Getting to the halfway point of Middle School 🤯… time needs to slow down! But, I have a good feeling this is going to be a GREAT year for Riley! 🥹,” the couple wrote alongside a photo of Riley holding a blackboard reading, “First day of 7th grade.”
In February, the Bachelor Nation couple celebrated their milestone 15th anniversary.
“We are ships, passing in the night, these days … at 6am we didn’t think it would even be possible for us to have dinner together tonight (that’s 15 years of marriage for ya 😂) BUT … we made it happen and I’m so glad because I love EVERY minute with this man,” Molly shared in a tribute to Jason on Instagram. “@jasonmesnick is the real hero for putting up with my crazy day in and day out. He is my calm, my voice of reason and my safe place. On top of that, there is no question he is the most amazing dad.”
She added, “Thank you for being you, Jason Mesnick. There is not a single person I would rather do life with! I love you!”
