Okay, so let’s be honest. When you saw that Andy Richter was joining “Dancing With the Stars”, did you really expect him to last more than three episodes? Yeah, neither did he.
But here we are, halfway through the season, and this longtime comedian and Conan O’Brien’s iconic sidekick is still kicking it in the competition. And somehow… we’re obsessed.
If you know Richter, you’d probably picture him sitting nice and comfortable, tossing out quick-witted jokes while O’Brien does the talking. Not exactly the guy you’d imagine doing a Viennese waltz and dressed in sequins.
But season 34 of “DWTS” has been full of surprises, and Richter might be the biggest one yet.
Even Richter himself joked in interviews that his main goal was to make it past the second week. But the fans love him too much to let him go.
Richter is paired up with pro dancer Emma Slater, and the fans are loving it. Between his iconic knee pads and their hilarious TikTok videos together, Slater and Richter are at the top of the leaderboard in the hearts of fans everywhere.
But, they haven’t been at the top of the leaderboard in dancing just yet…
Richter has been at the bottom of the leaderboard almost every week. While other celebrities are obtaining near-perfect scores, Richter has trouble getting above a 7/10 from each judge.
But what he lacks in technique, he has always made up for with his charm, humor and total vulnerability.
Week after week, Richter has shown up, learned new choreography, and laughed through the awkwardness, and clearly America noticed.
There’s something super refreshing about watching someone who isn’t polished or perfect. He’s not competing to prove he’s the best dancer; he’s just showing up to see how far he can push himself.
He listens to feedback. He learns, and he’s thriving because of it.
Recently, Slater posted a video on her social media of Richter putting her license plates on her car. In the video, she started to get teary-eyed. You could just feel the emotion through the screen.
It’s the little things that Richter does that make us love him so much, and that is why he is still in the competition, because of his hard work, perseverance and overall good heart.
What makes Richter’s story even better is that you can just tell that he is genuinely having fun. Every week, you are able to witness the shift in his dances, showing that he’s getting more comfortable and confident in what he is doing.
He may not always outdance the young reality star or athlete, but there’s heart behind every move. And in a show that is sometimes all about perfection and performance, that’s what people are connecting to.
He started as the funny guy who couldn’t dance, but he has definitely become the heart of the show.
His underdog story is strong, and it proves that being good at something isn’t a prerequisite for loving it.
How far do you think Andy Richter will make it?