Parade.com got a big laugh out of Cody when we asked him if now that he had started rehearsals, he had muscle soreness like ordinary folks get. “I don’t want to admit it, but yes,” he shared. “My back is already sore. It’s like, ‘Shoulders back, here we go. Head this way.’ It’s like holding 9,000 different muscles all at once and I haven’t even walked the first step. So, yes, I’m sore and that means a lot since I work out almost every day of my life.” Cody admits that he came into his first rehearsal—with his as of yet unrevealed professional partner—a little cocky, thinking, “I’ve got this.” But as his partner began teaching him technique and framing, he felt like an absolute beginner. “It humbled me very quickly, but I’m one that loves a challenge,” he said. “I love to get uncomfortable because that means we’re moving in the right direction. We’re moving into our best selves. I’m going to put in the work. I thought I was going to go on a little holiday this weekend. I’ve already canceled that, so we’re going to do the work. We’re going to get it done and we’re going to get ready for dance No. 1. ” That isn’t to say that his Peloton workouts haven’t helped. They have. They have helped him to build his endurance and strength, and, let’s not forget, his sense of humor! “I get to get on that bike each and every day and perform and act a fool and act a clown,” he said. “So, I definitely will be bringing the clownery and the foolishness to Dancing with the Stars, but I’m ready to work hard as well.” Cody built up a big fan base during the pandemic, and this morning, the love he got from his Peloton family and his Instagram followers congratulating him, made him a little teary-eyed. “I felt so loved and so supported,” he said. “So many people’s comments are like, ‘I never watch Dancing with the Stars, so I’m definitely going to tune in.’ Or, ‘I’m tuning in every week. We’re having watch parties,’ so I think that the Blue Crew, the Peloton Fam, is going to come through and we are going to snatch that Mirror Ball trophy.” Here’s more of the conversation with Cody, who talked to us from Disneyland the morning after the announcement was made for season 30’s Dancing with the Stars celebrity cast. We all know how big of a Britney Spears fan you are. Will you be dancing to any of her songs? I cannot confirm that, but please know that I have put in the request on day one. I think one of my first meetings I was like, “When are we dancing to Britney because that needs to happen immediately?” Also, #FreeBritney. So, I’m excited. I hope that happens soon. But you’re just going to have to wait to see when. Do you have a dance background? Yes, so before I went into in fitness, I worked for about five years as a professional dancer in New York City. I worked in TV, film, backup for artists, mostly doing like hip hop, jazz or jazz-funk style of dancing. So, it’s definitely given me skills. I know how to count to 5, 6, 7, 8. I have rhythm most of the time, but there’s a lot of new techniques and things that I need to learn, work on, and hone in so that I can really be competitive in this show. Do you think the fact that you already have a huge fanbase provides an advantage going into this? Were you surprised by how, during the pandemic, the Peloton gang all became big stars? It was incredible to see everyone’s star rocket into the sky at Peloton and see all of my fellow colleagues find success, including myself. I do feel at a little bit of an advantage because the Peloton family, they go hard, they’re committed, and they bring that call to action. So, I think there is a little advantage. I’ve also got a great support system in New York City that’s ready to man the phone lines. They’re standing by. It’s been an amazing journey. I hope that that gives me the support that we can really bring this home. Have you been starstruck at all when meeting the other cast members? Very starstruck. There’s an Olympian here. There’s JoJo Siwa, who I absolutely adore. I’m the biggest Spice Girls fan in the world, so seeing Mel C shook me to my core. It was really funny. I went to my first day of rehearsal and I was brushing my teeth before my first rehearsal because I don’t want to have stale breath in other people’s faces. Someone knocked on the door because the sign outside says “Knock Before Enter,” and I was like “One minute, please,” and I opened the door and there was this silhouette of a person. I saw the tattoo on the arm and I walked out, and five to 10 seconds after we passed, it totally hit me, “Oh, my God. That’s Mel C. That’s a Spice Girl. I can’t believe that I’m on the same season with Mel C, a Spice Girl. My 8-year-old heart just jumped out of my chest." Will you still be teaching live classes simultaneously? How will that work? The answer is yes, I will be teaching my classes. Peloton and Dancing with the Stars collaborated to make the perfect schedule for me. As it stands right now, I fly back on Tuesdays. I have a Tuesday night class, then we’ve got a Thursday or Wednesday class, and a Friday class, and I’ll come back here Friday or Saturday, do rehearsals, and do camera blocking while I am here. But, also, in New York, I’ll be rehearsing with my partner. So, it’s going to be a fully packed schedule. Hopefully, it’ll last two and a half months, 10 weeks, and we’ll make it to the finale. This is the first season DWTS is doing a same-sex couple with two women; do you think we could someday see a same-sex male couple perform on the show? Absolutely, you know when I got the call for Dancing with the Stars, I didn’t even think of having that conversation, and then we get to the show, and see that JoJo Siwa is doing this groundbreaking moment. I’m so proud of her. I’m such a big fan of JoJo Siwa. I think what she’s doing is amazing. For her to really be setting the tone, moving forward in Dancing with the Stars or anything that there’s casting, that there is space for same-sex partners to dance with each other. I’m hoping they go far and show America something new and fresh. I think a male partner is definitely in the future soon. Dancing with the Stars premieres its 30th season on Monday, Sept. 20 on ABC. Next, Dancing with the Stars Reveals Groundbreaking Changes for Season 30, Including a Same-Sex Dance Couple
