As Dancing With the Stars heads into its highly anticipated Season 34 finale, eliminated contestant Andy Richter is opening up about the grueling training that pushed his body to the brink. The comedian, who quickly became a fan-favorite this season, revealed that the physical demands of the show left him icing his knees “every hour” and receiving injections just to continue performing.
Richter shared the candid details in a new interview with People, offering a rare look at the physical toll the competition takes on contestants behind the scenes.
“It Was Borderline Abuse”: Richter Details Intense Pain During Training
Richter didn’t mince words when describing what he endured while rehearsing with professional partner Emma Slater.
“I was always having to ice my knees every hour. We’d dance a while and then I’d have to ice my knee. There was a lot of pain and getting injections just to be able to keep going.”
He added:
“It wasn’t just exercise, it was borderline abuse that I was doing to myself.”
The 58-year-old star admitted he is now focused on healing, noting that his legs are “finally recovering” since stepping away from the dance floor.
Fans Had ‘No Idea’ What Richter Was Pushing Through
Many viewers knew Richter for his light-hearted social media clips throughout the season. What they didn’t know is that behind the jokes, he was pushing through significant physical pain.
He reflected on how the difficulties impacted his routines and public perception:
“All those comments about me being stiff… it hits different after everything I went through to get to performance night.”
Despite the hardships, Richter said he has no regrets about staying in the competition as long as he did — driven largely by his enthusiasm for the experience and the audience support that kept him moving forward week after week.
Richter Misses the DWTS Experience — But Not the Pain
Now that he’s no longer rehearsing daily with Slater, Richter says he misses the adrenaline of dance training more than anything offered at a normal gym.
“Going to the gym and doing the elliptical is not the same thing as rehearsing a new dance with Emma. It’s just not.”
And fans will get to see him once more: Richter is set to return for the finale, likely participating in one of the group numbers featuring previously eliminated contestants.
Finale Predictions: Who Could Take Home the Mirrorball Trophy?
With the three-hour special airing tonight, tension is high. While Robert Irwin remains the fan-favorite to win the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, Alix Earle has surged late in the competition and is viewed as a possible upset.
Meanwhile, Dylan Efron, Elaine Hendrix, and Jordan Chiles are all fighting hard but appear positioned for a battle over the season’s third and fourth-place standings.
As Richter’s experience proved this season, anything can happen on finale night.
