Samantha Hayes and Zac Franich talk about tackling the latest series of Dancing With The Stars.
A dozen celebrities are preparing to kick up their heels, show off their spray tans and don sequins and sparkles for the latest season of Dancing With The Stars. Contestants Samantha Hayes and Zac Franich, along with host Dai Henwood, talk to Sarah Nealon about their previous dancing experience and their reasons for taking part in the show.
Ever since a new local season of Dancing With The Stars was announced, we at TV Guide have been dying to know the full list of participating celebrities.
Who would be game enough to foxtrot on national telly while wearing figure-hugging attire and thick make-up? Would there be any ex-Shortland Street stars, former All Blacks or even a politician in the mix?
Now that it has been revealed who will be competing on the show (see full list page 8) we are taking guesses on who will win or be voted off early.
The 12 celebrities who have signed on for Dancing With The Stars are a diverse bunch. Included in the line-up are an MP, a former children’s TV presenter, a former Black Cap and radio DJs.
However, we still don’t know the names of the dancers the celebrities will be paired with. They will be revealed on the show which is being hosted by Dai Henwood (7 Days, Family Feud) and radio DJ Sharyn Casey, who also co-hosted two years ago with Dominic Bowden. Henwood, who took dance lessons for his wedding where he channelled his inner Patrick Swayze, says there are good reasons for watching the show. “Every male, I believe, wishes they could dance, in some way,” he says. “They are wallflowers because they are nervous about being embarrassed and so forth. “Watching the show proves that anyone, whether it be a politician or a sports star, can learn to dance. When you put the effort in, you can actually bust some amazing moves.” Henwood says all the contestants are being pushed out of their comfort zones.
“You’ve seen the promos. I’m pretty sure David Seymour doesn’t wear that outfit to Parliament.”
Henwood also reveals it is possible he will dance on the show.
“I’ve had a chat with one of the dance coaches to say, ‘Hey can I bust a move here or there?’,” he says.
“I’ve stuck my head in the studio and seen a couple of people training and they were working really hard. To be honest, it’s a bit harder than I can work. I might be doing a bit more of the freestyle style of dance.”
Zac Franich
Someone who is definitely not afraid of hard work is The Bachelor’s Zac Franich.
Although he jokes about having “minimal rhythm”, the surf lifesaving coach hopes his sporting background will give him an advantage.
“Obviously in the past I was an athlete trying to qualify for the Olympics so the idea of training a lot or training six days a week and doing lots of hours is something I’m really familiar with,” he says.
But as any dancer will tell you, there is so much more to the discipline than fitness.
“Trying to move my feet fast is not something which comes naturally to me,” says Franich, 29.
“I think that’s going to be the biggest challenge. I’m not sure if you know but men aren’t great multi-taskers and dancing is all about multi-tasking so it’s been a struggle. I’ve got to listen, I’ve got to count, I’ve got to smile, I’ve got to count. It’s hard.” Franich is not fussed about the possibility of negative attention from being on another reality show. “In terms of being in the public arena, I think the main thing is you know who has your back,” he says. “They are the ones who matter so as long as those people support you it doesn’t really matter too much what Joe Bloggs says.” For the show, each celebrity dancer is aligned with a specific charity. Franich is supporting Live More Awesome, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness around mental health. “For me, it’s something which hits quite close to home. I guess it’s the whole mental health and mental wellness conversation,” he says. “I’ve had a number of people that I know who have committed suicide who are no longer with us.
“I’ve seen how much pain and anguish it brings to the people who are left behind. Also being a young male in New Zealand, I know that our bracket of people is really susceptible to falling into that category where we’re not in the greatest mind space.”
When asked about his previous battles with depression, Franich says: “They’ve been really tough times for me, but I have come through them. I was quite vocal amongst my friends about how I was feeling. I went and saw a therapist. I tried to eat well, tried not to drink too much and tried to stay active.”
Last time TV Guide spoke with Franich, he had just finished filming The Bachelor and was in the early stages of a romance with Viarni Bright whom he met on the show.
They split up late last year and now Franich is with television personality Erin Simpson, 35.
“We first met at a restaurant opening at Sky City in the middle of last year,” Franich says of his relationship with Simpson.
“We’d see each other at events and nothing untoward happened until after Viarni and I broke up and Erin and her partner broke up. Erin and I had a chance encounter and reconnected and went from there.”
The couple have now moved in together and Franich could not be happier.
“Things are really good,” he says. “I’m very fortunate to have met a lovely girl like Erin and we just complement each other so well. It’s exciting when you find yourself with that person.”
Simpson will no doubt be cheering on Franich when he takes to the dance floor hoping to impress the judges and the viewers while fending off competition from people such as Newshub Live At 6pm presenter Samantha Hayes.
Samantha Hayes
Like Franich, Samantha Hayes keeps fit in her own life and has a competitive streak. Hayes’ dance experience, not counting social events, is limited to a brief stint at primary school and a tango lesson while on holiday in Buenos Aires. Although she is used to being on live TV, she is apprehensive about competing on Dancing With The Stars. “It’s sort of like hopping on a roller coaster and going for a ride and you just never know what’s around the corner,” she says. “It’s equal parts exciting and terrifying and it took me quite a while to come around to the idea of actually doing it.” It also took her a while to
come to terms with the outfits she will be wearing.
“I’ve put on a couple of dresses and thought, ‘I don’t know if I can do this’. There has been a couple of times where I’ve thought, not so much the dancing but the outfits, ‘Oh no, this was not a great idea. What was I thinking?’
“But I’ve been reassured by lots of different people who have been involved in the show that by the end of it I’ll be saying, ‘I’m not sure if my tan is dark enough’ and ‘I think this dress needs to be a bit shorter’ or ‘Can we add more sequins to this outfit?’ ”
Besides learning some new moves on the dance floor, Hayes is hoping to raise money for Riding For The Disabled, an organisation which assists people via horse-riding and horse-related activities.
When asked if she’s had a chance to size up the competition, Hayes says radio host Robert Rakete could be one to watch.
“I saw Robert Rakete doing a bit of practice the other day and he could be the dark horse,” she says.
“He’s very good. He’s definitely got a little something. I saw him doing a few moves and he’s using the lingo. He’s talking like a dancer so that’s worrying me a little bit.”