PENN COSTS TELLER $350,000 BUT HE WILL CONTINUE DANCING
Rebel magician Penn Jillette was the first male contestant to be kicked off ABC-TV’s new sixth season of Dancing with the Stars—and even before he returned to the stage where he headlines at Rio with silent partner Teller he chatted with Luxe Life for an exclusive Q&A session:
Robin Leach: Even though you were first to go I still say “congratulations.”
Penn Jillette: Well you should.
RL: It was an admirable undertaking. In retrospect what do you think you gained from the experience?
PJ: Well I think it was good to lose 50 pounds. It was nice to work with Kym and work on something new.
RL: You’d never really danced besides a tiny bit from clown days, right?
PJ: Yeah and nothing you would count. I was in the same boat as Steve Guttenberg and Adam Carolla, I believe.
RL: In terms of the voodoo doll, are you glad you hexed the judges, or do you wish you hadn’t or it doesn’t matter?
PJ: It doesn’t matter! This is the funny thing, my daughter’s middle name is Crime Fighter and when they ask me how I came up with that and why I did that… It was my wife’s idea and everybody asks about the voodoo doll and that was Kym’s idea. I told her if this is a good idea, I will be sure to give you credit, if it is a bad idea, I’ll take the heat. When you are there, you get credit for everything but the thing that happens around you. But, I guess the one perplexing thing about Dancing with the Stars is that some people don’t know it is a TV show. I thought the voodoo doll was a great gag. I don’t think much of the judges, they are trying to come up with a gag and get through it so, it seemed like the right joke to do and Kym had the idea.
RL: It was great. I loved the flowers in week one and the rising tie in week two. It was all good. It was interesting to read all the blogs following your eviction. They all said “bad on them” that you went so fast because you were the most entertaining person to be on all six seasons.
PJ: I had a good time. I don’t think anybody could take it more seriously than I did in terms of the practice, working out and working hard with Kym. I also don’t think anyone could have taken it less seriously in terms of the show and what it meant. That is a combination of the way I live. It wasn’t going to be fun if I didn’t work hard, and it wasn’t going to be fun if I took it seriously. It is really remarkable to be backstage with the other dancers: it is better not to say which ones, but they were talking to their parents on the phone and they were screaming and crying about what the judges said about them. I said my mom and dad are dead. My sister I called her and she mentioned everything but what the judges said, it would never cross her mind. We get back in the confessional and they asked what I thought about what the judges said and I said I don’t remember. I don’t know which judge said what and I don’t know what score we got. I learned that I don’t play games, I have never done sports and I guess I am not that kind of guy. I guess you are supposed to make a game feel like life and death when you are doing it, and I never felt I was competing against Adam Carolla.
RL: You were just having a good time, and it showed.
PJ: I also tried to do the best I could with what I had. I am the heaviest, tallest, and knocking on the oldest to ever be on the show. Priscilla is a little older, but I am the oldest of the men. I was competing in a physical activity with a 33-year-old professional football player, so I don’t know how you take that. I was talking to him backstage and I said if they switch to the MVP it is nailed. I had this great feeling. Yesterday—being free for the first time from the show was like that first day in the fall when you are no longer going to school. I spent the whole day with my child, Moxie driving around. I hung out with friends. I have been working for five weeks, while doing the show and writing the new Bullshit cable TV series. I was having 12-18 hour days, 7 days a week. But it was a good feeling.
RL: Do you go back to appear on the final show?
PJ: I believe I am supposed to.
RL: Are you going to pay Teller back the five grand that he blew on you?
PJ: I told him, what are you doing? He said to me it is really important to me. I said you are pissing five grand away, and he said it is the best use of the money. He said it is very important that he use it that way, it is a personal thing to him to try to win $350,000 to see me right through to the end. Ah, Teller, of course you couldn’t be more supportive of Teller.
RL: Do you keep the weight off and continue dancing.
PJ: Yes and no. I am going to try hard to keep the weight off, as we get older we put on a few pounds and everyone fantasizes if I could just get where I should be then I could keep it there. Since I have been handed my last chance at that I think I should give it a try especially since I hung out with Michael Goodeau (Lance Burton’s juggler at the Monte Carlo) on a two hour heavy trike ride. I am going to keep up the energy. As far as the dancing is concerned it is probably too social of an activity for me. I like to read. I just enjoy every moment of it and it was very clear that they dealt me a solid in the partner choice, Kym was just a joy to be around and everybody talks about what hard work it is, and it is if all you have ever done is showbiz, if you have ever had a real proper job, being in an air conditioned room with a beautiful partner learning to dance is not work.
RL: Will you watch the show now? Will you see it through to the end?
PJ: I have never watched it before. I work nights and I don’t tend to watch broadcast TV. I watch DVD’s. It is not the kind of show I watch. I imagine someone will tell me what is happening. They did the closing thing and they asked me how do you feel about not seeing Adam Carolla, and I said I have been seeing Carolla every six months for the past ten years, they asked me about Steve and I said Steve Guttenberg I can’t seem to avoid. I am sure they will tell me how people are doing.
RL: Do you want to make a prediction?
PJ: I would say to mortgage your house and put all your money on Adam Carolla.
RL: He was dangerously near the bottom. I think Kristi will take it through to at least the last show.
PJ: Yeah how bad can you feel about losing a dance competition to a gold medalist?
Last night (MON) our remaining Vegas favorites Priscilla Presley and professional Julianne Hough dancing with Adam Carolla had to tackle the tango. Adam, in ruffled orange shirt, and Julianne wound up with 21—one of four dance duos scoring the same vote count—and Priscilla placed second highest with a 26 as the judges raved about her sensual stretches. Once again, for the third consecutive week Kristi Yamaguchi scored all nines for a 27 out of 30 win with the judges.
Tonight (TUES) the viewer results will be known with the next star being booted and Luxe Life will follow their fortunes and failures right here tomorrow (WED).