Bruno Tonioli revealed that he thought James Van Der Beek was the “best” dancer out of the men who participated in a strip tease for the charity special Real Full Monty.
“They were all great,” Tonioli, 69, exclusively told Us Weekly. “James was the best, but he learned everything he knows from me. No, I’m joking.”
The Dancing With the Stars judge, along with Van Der Beek, 47, Anthony Anderson, Taye Diggs and Tyler Posey, participated in a striptease performance in the upcoming TV special Real Full Monty. The two-hour special, which airs on Fox on December 9, aims to raise awareness for prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing and research.
Tonioli, who has been a judge on DWTS since 2005, noted that he actually “learned the most” because it’s been a long time since he’s performed as part of a group.
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“It’s one thing, doing your own thing. And in this one, we really had to do exactly the same thing at the same time, giving the same performance,” he explained to Us. “It was very precise and I found that … it’s like relearning to be part of a team and that I actually learned a lot.”
Diggs, 53, who has previous Broadway experience, told Us that he was “surprised” at how he was still “kind of petrified” about doing the strip tease.
“I was more nervous with this than I was with a lot of the shows I’ve done, which proved that there was something on the line,” he shared. “And no matter what, there’s always something. You may feel like you have it all solved and figured out, but you don’t. And this was something new and exciting and it was great to kind of feel that again. You know what I mean? And add that to the cause, it was just right.”
While a lot of the men were nervous about joining at first, they overcome their fears to help raise awareness for a good cause.
“I think we all have been touched in a very personal way,” Diggs explained. “And once something like this happens to you because of how it affects you personally, I think it’s natural to want to help other people deal with similar circumstances. And then you add Anthony Anderson … and later in life I’m looking for things that kind of force me out of my comfort zone because I don’t like to be out of my comfort zone, even though it’s good for me.”
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Van Der Beek added that he thinks they “all said yes without thinking too much.”
Tonioli agreed with Van Der Beek, noting that he said “definitely immediately” because of the success the show had in the U.K.
“It helped a lot of people to break through that kind of fear and stigma, especially men, to get checked,” he told Us. “And it’s a great fun show at the same time. It delivers a very important message and hopefully — I’m sure it’ll inspire a lot of men to get out there and get checked basically. And we did it and we had great fun doing it.”
The group also revealed some things that they learned about themselves after doing the special.
“I learned just how much I really value a good group to not go through something on your own,” Van Der Beek shared. “I used to be pretty solitary and just not ask for help. And being a part of this group really made me realize just how important that is and how much I appreciated it.”
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Anderson, 54, added “fearlessness” and “bravery” to things he had learned while Bruno said “being part of a team” and Posey, 33, said he still has a “lot to learn.”
“I haven’t figured it out yet, man,” Posey explained. “But you guys taught me a lot and I really look up to all of you and your outlooks on everything and your bravery and I was like, ‘Wow, I still have a lot to learn and live up to and I got a lot of respect for everybody here.’”
Van Der Beek, who was just diagnosed with colorectal cancer, also urged the importance of getting tested.
“The importance of get out, get tested, have a conversation with your doctor,” he shared. “Whatever stigma that you might exist around it is nothing compared to what could happen if you don’t get tested. So get out and do it.”
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Van Der Beek and Anderson exclaimed that if they can “can stand on stage and do this in front of a live audience butt naked,” people can “go have a conversation with a loved one or a doctor.”
Watch the Real Full Monty two-hour special on Fox on December 9.
With reporting by Mariel Turner
