Drew Scott is famous for being one-half of the dynamic renovating duo on HGTV’s Property Brothers but the real estate guru has traded in his construction boots for dancing shoes on ABC’s latest season of Dancing with the Stars.
Scott, who’s partnered with last season’s ballroom champion Emma Slater (the pair have dubbed themselves #TeamHotProperty), danced the fox trot last week when the show premiered and received some tough criticism from the judges but he’s determined to improve in order to not only win the mirror ball but also because he’s got a wedding to go to.
Guideposts.org chatted with Scott about his “dude moves,” the strangest places he’s been caught dancing, and why now was the perfect time for him to compete on the show.
GUIDEPOSTS: You just wrapped up a book tour with your brother Jonathan, you’re filming Property Brothers now, and you’re competing on Dancing with the Stars. How are you functioning right now?
Drew Scott: On fumes (laughing). It’s definitely tough. Our schedule’s always busy but then with the book tour and Dancing with the Stars on top of it, it’s just taken it to a whole new level. The book tour just finished and it paid off. The tour put us up on the New York Times‘ best-seller list. We’re ecstatic about that. I think the book is really a fun read for people to learn where we came from, the trials and tribulations, and all the ups and downs. It’s sort of just showing that hard work pays off. Dancing with the Stars is a whole other side of something that’s been inspiring for me. The fact that I’m getting married in a matter of months – I’m marrying my fiancée Linda in the New Year. To be able to actually have a professional give me a crash course in dancing right before the wedding, that’s what motivated me.
GUIDEPOSTS: Have you been taking dance lessons while on your book tour?
DS: It’s so funny. I feel bad for Emma because most of the dancers, they’re pros … the stars and the dance pros, they’re all just in LA. Everybody’s there and it’s just kind of a nice, easy schedule for them. Emma has to be with me so for the last two weeks, we’ve been in a different city every day. We’ve been running on about three hours of sleep a night because I’m doing media and filming Property Brothers and live stage show for the book tour all day, then we have to do four hours of rehearsal.
It’s been tough but she’s a trooper. The best part is she is hilarious. You see from our shows, Jonathan and I both, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We love helping families but we like to goof off and we like to laugh while we work. Emma’s the exact same way. We’re getting some great dance sessions in but we’re also having a lot of fun.
GUIDEPOSTS: What’s the strangest place you’ve had to squeeze in a dance session?
DS: Oh gosh. We were dancing at the airport. Part of the tour, we were on a tour bus. We had to stop at truck stops for gas and we’re dancing in the side lane of the fuel up station at a truck stop. The funny thing is, anywhere we are, everyone recognizes us because I think Dancing with the Stars is so popular and HGTV is so popular. At the truck stop, we have these big, burly truckers come over and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I love you guys. Dancing with the Stars is amazing.’ Then we have little kids that walk by that are seven years old that are getting all excited. HGTV and Dancing with the Stars is that safe programming that an entire family can watch.
GUIDEPOSTS: Talking about Dancing with the Stars, it’s a huge departure for you from renovating houses. What’s the experience been like so far? Is it nice to just go solo and have your own thing?
DS: Yeah, saying “departure” is an understatement. This is so far from anything I’ve ever done. I’ve never done dance training before. When I was 20 years-old, I did two hip hop drop-in classes. It’s such a new thing. I’m always up for a challenge and probably the most competitive person you know. Jonathan and I, we do a lot of stuff together. We’ve got our companies together, we host shows. Growing up, we did everything together. Is it scary to go off on your own? Well no, we have our own passions and our own things we like to do. He’s a magician and illusionist. I’m an actor and director. We have our own things. I’ve always been [into] sports. But this is one sport that I’ve never done. That’s a little nerve wracking and then to be on national television, hopefully I’m not embarrassing myself too much.
GUIDEPOSTS: How do you get over those nerves?
DS: Dancing with the Stars, it’s literally a big family. Everyone’s really supportive. We tease each other on social media so I’ve been sending teases out to Jordan (Fisher) and Lindsay (Arnold), Frankie Muniz, and Nick and Vanessa Lachey. It’s fun to sort of create these little rivalries, but in reality, we’re only here supporting each other.
GUIDEPOSTS: Usually you guys are the ones judging houses and picking out what can be made better; now you’re on the receiving end of that in a way, with three very tough people to impress. What’s that been like?
DS: This is the thing; anyone who knows me knows I am a perfectionist. When you look at how easy the dancers make it, it is frustrating for me that I’m not performing at that same level. I just have to remind myself that they’ve been doing this their entire lives. Len (Goodman) was the one giving me feedback this week and he said I’m definitely a ‘fixer-upper.’ It makes me laugh but I understand. Obviously, I’m not going to be coming out of the gate perfect. There’s going to be a journey for me. People on social media were dogging Len for being mean. I don’t see it as being mean. He’s there to be a judge. He’s there to give feedback. He had an eloquent way of putting it. I’m going to take that feedback and next week, I’m going to come back and try and show him that I can have clean feet. I can have that tall posture that he wants to see.
GUIDEPOSTS: Talking about the journey, so many people on DWTS talk about the kind of physical transformation that dancing can bring. Are you noticing some muscles you didn’t know you had before?
DS: Yes. I signed on seven and half weeks ago and I’ve lost 30 pounds. I was an athlete all through my college days and high school. I’ve never had cardio like I’m getting in these dance routines. I’m seeing abs on me that I haven’t seen since I was 20. It’s great. I’m hurting in places that I didn’t even know I had muscles.
GUIDEPOSTS: Who’s the better dancer at this point, you or your brother Jonathan?
DS: I think now, working with Emma for a few weeks, I’ve definitely taken that award. We were never the guys with moves but by the end of this show, I’m telling you, one way or another, I’m going to be the best dancing guy at my wedding.
Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Fans can vote for Drew and Emma at www.TeamHotProperty.com.
