Hey guys, Baruch here in New York and Young Hollywood is going backstage with Derek Hough and Nastia Liukin as they prepare to samba on Dancing with the Stars. Let's go! This is deep. Has this turned out to be what you both expected?

Yeah, I mean it's definitely a challenge just working with our schedules. Um, obviously being partnered with Derek is um amazing and this whole experience for me has been really fun.

How about you, Derek? How have you been balancing Radio City Music Hall with the New York Spring Spectacular and Dancing with the Stars?

Um, I think just you just can't stop. You know, you stop moving you you know, you just fall apart. It's honestly just a lot of planning, eating the right stuff, stretching out. Also ice baths. Pretty much every night I have like an ice bath for 10 minutes. It's to the point where I can't feel my body and it's literally numb. And I literally get out and I just kind of drag myself across the floor. My legs are like limp. Actually, Don Driver was the one who told me. I was like, "Well, what was your secret?" He goes, "Ice baths." That was it. So, I was like, "Alright. I'm in."

Nastia, you're always eating healthily. Right now you're spending hours in the studio. How are you making sure to keep on eating that healthy diet?

Um, it's definitely hard, but I think as Derek said, you know, it's it's so important to stay really healthy and not just eating well, but making sure we drink enough water and taking vitamins and getting enough sleep and therapies and everything. So, it's really an entire process, not just, you know, the hours that we spend here. Like, yeah, that's important, but it's also just as important everything else that we're doing outside of it.

And you always have lived that healthy, active lifestyle. Has anything changed since you've started the show?

Not really. I mean, I haven't really done this type of training in the last three years. Um, you know, since I finished competing in gymnastics I kind of trained an hour a day, maybe. Um, so definitely just being more active.

Of course, the world of gymnastics really is voting for you. Who else are you relying on for votes?

Um, I don't know, our fans. I don't know.

Yeah, I mean, I think obviously the gymnastics world. We're heading out flyers in New York. We're going around, We're Whatever you gotta do. We go to Times Square and we dress up in like costumes. She's Cookie Monster, I'm Elmo.

Sounds effective.

Yeah, we're we're we're the fuzzies. We're like, "Hey. Open the nuts. Get it!"

Well, apparently it's been working, right?

It I mean, well, so far. It's only week two.

It's only week two. I guess we have to continue doing that then.

Yeah, we do. We do. We In our schedule we find time to do that though.

What's the reaction been among all the Rockettes?

It's funny, they always, you know, kind of come up to me and say, you know, "Good job. We saw you, we all watched you and Nastia's amazing." And So yeah, that's cool man. It's cool having their support. Our first dance we kinda did a little Rockette, you know, theme at the very end with our leg kicks. So I'm sure they like that chance.

That's right. And how about you at NYU? What's the reaction been?

You know, it's funny going into NYU and the whole school experience, you know, I kinda said, "I just wanna be normal. I just wanna go to school and be a student like everyone else." But that hasn't really been the case these last few weeks going in and, you know, my professor's email me saying they watched and, you know, I come in and he's like, "Okay, like I have some tips for you." And it's uh, it's really funny, but it's cool.

I'm curious to know what the professor's tips were. Just like, "You need to."

I was gonna ask.

He's like, "You said he said that I, you know, we were doing really good and that we were only gonna get better, but he said, you know, just just make sure you go out there and smile more. You know, you have to be don't be so serious like you were as a gymnast." And I was like, "That's actually probably a good tip." You know, I kinda get into like my gymnast mode.

Well, I told her, I was like, I was like, "Are you okay? Is everything alright?" She's like, she's like, "Yeah, I'm good."

What has been the key to developing that kind of chemistry between the two of you?

Um, you know, long dates. Long dates, we go for dinners. Massages. It's always found when you get a couples massage, something happens. And all of a sudden you have this instant connection.

Nastia, do you agree with this?

Um, sure. Green juices. No, you know, it's it's hard.

Great. Nothing says romance like kale.

Yeah, exactly. It's been a little hard because every time I perform it's always been by myself. So I'm not used to having someone like up in my face all the time.

All up in there.

But I'm getting used to it and I'm also getting to know Derek and I think we're getting to know each other well over these last few weeks. So

What's the answer to question? Couples massages. Nastia said, "Yeah." Bottom line. That's it.

Take me into an hour before the showtime. What is your ritual? What are you doing for good luck?

We have different rituals and so we're really trying to combine them and like have one ritual because I kinda go back Like I said, I go back to my gymnast ways and I'm like very focused. I like to like stand in the corner and just like take it all in and he just likes to like keep dancing. He'll grab me like, "Let's rehearse again. Let's rehearse again." And I'm like, "Okay."

For me, I like to keep going over it and over it so that by the time we go out there, we've done it like five times. By the fifth time, it's like it's just in your body.