DwtS Extra: Scenes from a Show Taping (Part Two)

Imee DuBose, a friend of Cheryl Burke and webmaster of Cheryl's official website, StrictlyCheryl.com, was in the audience for a recent Performance Show. Imee graciously agreed to write a couple articles about the experience.

In Part One, Imee told us what happens before and during the show. In this article, she covers the after-show happenings.

The wild applause, which peaked during Tom and Samantha’s sign-off, starts to settle down. The celebrities and professional dancers disperse across the dance floor and suddenly look relaxed, as their adrenalin subsides to normal levels.

The cameras' work is done for the night, and their red on-the-air lights have switched off. Studio lights turn on to bring us back from Reality TV to reality.

Ushers direct most of the audience toward the studio exit doors. Some attendees stay behind to provide the commentary that is included in Wednesday’s Results Show. The families and friends of the dancers converge on the dance floor, expressing congratulations on a job well done.

Soon, an army of television news reporters (with their cameras) and print media reporters (with their notepads) enter the studio. Shanna Moakler is among them. She's gone from DwtS contestant to correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.

Like they do each week, the media take their assigned spaces on the dance floor behind a white, chain-linked rope. The dancing couples take their place on the opposite side and are interviewed by one reporter after another, moving down the line until they arrive back at the reporter with whom they started.

In all, there are about twenty reporters and cameras snapping away, and I can't imagine answering the same questions 20 times. “How do you think you did out there?” Take note: mono-syllabic answers are not allowed!

I can't help but feel for the female dancers, who must stand for all that time in their dancing heels. It reminds me of the old adage: "Beauty before pain." More power to them, as they smile and interview for what probably seems like forever.

As she waits to speak with the next reporter, I have a chance to tell Kym Johnson -- who is very nice and has a beautiful smile -- what great choreography she did for her Samba with Jerry Springer.

VIPs with green bracelets are allowed access to The Green Room (hence the color of the bracelet). Many start heading there while the interviews are going on. It's on the third floor of the studio, and even though it's called The Green Room, it’s not actually green.

Tonight, I call it the "Green Salad Room," because it is a toss up of who is in here. Typically, the celebs and professional dancers show up later, while their invited guests, the DwtS crew, and those lucky enough to sneak past the security without a green bracelet, get to eat and drink something. (Our audience participation started at 3 p.m. -- four hours ago. Feed us!)

It's Mario’s birthday tonight, which influenced the food being served: taquitos, chips, guacamole, and other south-of-the-border finger foods. The victuals go quickly. By the time he gets back here, I’ll be surprised if there's any left for Mario.

The bar is well stocked with everything but hard liquor, and the servers are kind and attentive. There are barstools and tall, round tables, but all of them are occupied. There are some big, comfortable looking couches, but those are taken, too.

One of the great things about the Green Room is an opportunity to watch the "six degrees of separation" theory at play. Everyone is very friendly with one another -- because we all know someone (or know someone who knows someone) on the show, or we wouldn’t be in the room. We’re all part of the extended DwtS family.

Cheryl and Emmitt make their way into the room, alongside Carrie Ann Inaba. It's 8 o'clock: the beginning of prime time on the West Coast. The three television sets in the Green Salad Room switch on, and we turn their heads to watch the familiar DwtS opening. It’s the studio audience's turn to be the television audience!