Comedian Andy Richter is stepping outside of his element on Dancing With the Stars.
“[This is] a whole new world,” Richter, 58, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 3. “This is, like, not even close to being [inside] my comfort zone. This is really different for me, and, you know, makes me feel insecure because I’m used to just being … judged on talking, not on moving. So, it’s new.”
ABC announced earlier on Wednesday that Richter would be competing for the mirrorball trophy alongside pro dancer Emma Slater.
While Richter is grateful to learn from 36-year-old Slater, he remains fearful about the potential of getting hurt on the dance floor.
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“It would just really suck to have [an injury] be the end of [my experience],” he told Us. “Or injuring Emma, that would be bad.”
Richter and Slater have already had a “few days” of rehearsal, and the former DWTS champ is pleased with their progress.
“I was so happy [when I met Andy],” Slater, who last won the mirrorball in 2017 with Rashad Jennings, gushed to Us. “We have the same kind of energy, like, we love to chat, love to talk and I love to hear about all that [he has] done. It was really, really nice for me to get to know [him].”
According to Slater, her and Richter’s introductory lessons have “been really great” so far.
“We’ve been doing the Cha Cha, so it’s really just about introducing dance to Andy,” Slater hinted. “He’s got [a] great beat. [I told him,] ‘Did you know that you’ve got really good points and really good legs?’ He was, like, ‘What I didn’t know.’ It’s fun for me to tell him [that].”
Richter, meanwhile, thinks he’s still “a lump of clay” with a long way to go before his skills are worthy of a perfect score.
“She’s still forming me into a beautiful statue,” he quipped.
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Richter and Slater will go head-to-head against stars including Jen Affleck, Dylan Efron, Corey Feldman, Alix Earle and Elaine Hendrix, the latter who is partnered with Slater’s boyfriend, Alan Bersten.
“I’m so ready to support him and Elaine. I’m excited for their partnership,” she told Us on Wednesday. “And he’s the same for me and Andy. [He’s] very supportive.”
As for Richter, it’s a bit too soon to think about his biggest competition.
“We don’t really know yet. Honestly, we haven’t seen each other,” he said. “We’ve obviously rehearsed for a few days, but a lot of people here haven’t rehearsed [together yet].”
Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC and Disney+ Tuesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
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