Monday night on "Dancing With the Stars," the all-star cast will be taking on dances rarely seen on the ballroom bash -- including Bollywood, disco, the mambo and more -- and "General Hospital" star Kelly Monaco wasn't too excited about the challenge at first.
During last Tuesday's live results show, the contestants and their pros selected the dances for their competitors. Pro Cheryl Burke gave the soap star contemporary.
"I personally told her to (expletive) off for giving me (contemporary)," Kelly told The Clicker. "I'd never even heard of it! I don't watch 'So You Think You Can Dance.' ... I was like, 'This isn't the show I signed up for!' I didn't know I'd be doing this!"
And it seems her pro partner, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, wasn't expecting it either.
"We called in a choreographer because Val had no idea what to do, so we're both being taught," Kelly, who won the first season of "DWTS," explained. "It's an interesting dynamic having both of us sort of in the same position. I mean, clearly, he is a lot more trained in dance lingo so he can follow better than I could ever dream of."
The pair, who tied for first place last week with their powerful paso doble, aren't the only ones unfamiliar with their new dance. "I know every couple is in the same boat with their professional dancer (with this) not being their forte," Kelly said. "I think it's going to make for a great show. ... You're going to see the couples working together in a way we've never worked together before."
The contemporary dance is also proving to be a lot of work for the actress, who is thankful to have a few days off from "General Hospital" to master the moves.
"I've never physically worked this hard in my entire life," she said. "This contemporary dance is so physical. I woke up (Friday), I couldn't move! ... This is like a whole other level of dancing. For Val to challenge me through dance to ... not his level, but a level that is comparable to his level, is just super, super intense and physical. ... The level of difficulty is far beyond anything I've ever done before."
But as big a challenge as a contemporary dance may be, Kelly said she's now happy with her assignment. "I appreciate it now," the season one champ said. "Now that I'm learning it and feeling it and doing it, I'm so glad I have contemporary. Val and I are embracing it."
As for the dance itself, "It's intense," she teased. "It's a really beautiful, passionate intense dance" to a Coldplay tune. "If I can execute this dance to the way it's supposed to be told -- I know Val can -- if I can live up to a fraction of his standards, then I think we're going to have something really great on our hands."
"Dancing With the Stars" airs Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC. For a full list of the contestants' dances for the week, check out Tuesday's results recap. You can also chat with me and fellow "DWTS" fans as the stars perform their dances! Live chats begin at 8 p.m. ET. Sign up for a reminder!
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