Amanda Kloots, although she has retired from the glitzy world of ballroom dancing, remains a guiding light for fresh faces stepping onto the stage of Dancing With the Stars. Her experience and infectious enthusiasm make her a favorite confidante for newcomers.
“I know a few people who are jumping into season 35, mainly because it seems like folks reach out when they’re mulling over the decision: ‘Should I do this show?'” Kloots, 44, exclusively shared with Us during the promotion of her podcast, “Good Grief with Amanda Kloots.” She says, “I always tell them, ‘Absolutely, go for it. It will be the most challenging yet rewarding thing you ever undertake. Trust me, you won’t look back with any regrets.'”
Kloots kept a playful secret about who reached out to her for advice, although the show has already confirmed the participation of four contestants: the vibrant Love Island alum Maura Higgins, spirited Summer House star Ciara Miller, the energetic Savannah Bananas’ Jackson Olson, and Guillermo Rodriguez, the beloved sidekick from Jimmy Kimmel. As anticipation grows, ABC remains tight-lipped about additional celebrities or professional dancers slated for the series, set to kick off on September 15.
“Each year since my own stint on the show, at least one person reaches out to ask, ‘Did you genuinely enjoy it? Was it really worth it?’ My answer is always the same: ‘If you don’t sign up for this experience, you’re definitely missing out,’” she passionately explained.
The stage is eagerly being set for the 35th season of Dancing With the Stars. In a lively announcement coinciding with Hulu’s Get Real House event in April, it was confirmed that Summer House’s Ciara Miller and Love Island’s Maura Higgins would take on the exciting dance challenge. Shortly thereafter, Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson also donned his dancing shoes, as the roster of competitors continues to grow.
Kloots appeared on season 30 of the hit ABC competition show, where she was partnered with Alan Bersten. The pair ultimately placed fourth and lost to champions Iman Shumpert and pro Daniella Karagach. Kloots, however, would be game to try her hand at an all-star season.
“I would be there. I’m sure [casting director and executive producer] Deena Katz and ABC know that I would be there in a heartbeat,” she told Us. “I mean, it would be a dream come true. I’m so proud of that show.”
Kloots went on to gush about the series recently receiving an Emmy nomination, which she said was “so well deserved” given its “wonderful atmosphere.”
“Everybody’s rooting for each other,” she said. “There’s no jealousy or cattiness or fights or mean spirited. Everybody’s there to help each other. It’s such a wonderful experience. I would love to go back.”
While not quite an all-star season, Kloots did return to the ballroom for DWTS Con in Palm Springs earlier this month and performed a number alongside Bersten, 32, and former champ Hannah Brown.
“It was so fun, oh my gosh!” Kloots said. “I love that show so much and dancing has always been a part of my life. But then I packed my shoes away. When I got to do that show, it was such a part of my healing journey. I am forever grateful. So to be back with that family — and I say family because they are all those pros are incredible and they now have children. Everybody’s in the dressing room and playing with everybody, and they’re all so kind and so supportive and they work so hard. Then all the celebrities that came back are like me, they just love this show so much and have been so grateful to be a part of it. It’s just sort of like this big love fest amidst this crazy dancing.”
Days after appearing at the fan convention, Kloots launched the “Good Grief With Amanda Kloots” podcast with Dear Media. Kloots, whose husband Nick Cordero died in 2020 after facing COVID-19 complications, hopes to feature candid conversations about facing significant changes in life. (Kloots and Cordero shared son Elvis, whom they welcomed in 2019.)
“It’s been six years since I lost my husband. I do a lot of therapy, from science-backed therapy to very woo-woo — I live in Los Angeles, so I’ve done almost all of it,” she shared. “It was in this last year that I had this kind of turnaround in therapy with my relationship to grief.”
Kloots explained that she helps “a lot of widows” who she takes “under [her] wing and try to help because widows did that” for her when she was “newly grieving.”
“We all talk about how to survive grief in the beginning, but we don’t really talk about the beauty and the things that grief can teach us because we live with it,” she noted. “We live with it for the rest of our lives. It isn’t going anywhere, which was my misconception. I thought I could heal it, and I’d get my graduate certificate. And it isn’t that. It’s how you learn to live with it, and most importantly, how you can learn to love yourself again in this grief. So that’s hopefully the message of the podcast.”