Suzanne Somers' 'Dancing with the Stars' Blog: The Judges' Scores Were Discouraging

"Wearing the ponytails put me back in that space and time," writes Somers of her Three's Company-themed tribute to late costar John Ritter

By Suzanne Somers

Published on April 7, 2015 05:00 PM

Actor and best-selling author Suzanne Somers, best known for her role as Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company, has been paired with pro Tony Dovolani for season 20 of Dancing with the Stars. She’ll be blogging for PEOPLE about her experience on the hit ABC show.

The show asked what was my most memorable year. Relative to my career, it had to be the year I was cast as Chrissy Snow in Three’s Company. There’s no getting around people (only remembering her for) the character. She’s iconic. I realized that last year when I turned on Saturday Night Live and I saw Lady Gaga playing me as Chrissy Snow and Justin Timberlake as Jack Tripper. Very few actors get the opportunity to play such a complete and full character that it is remembered for decades. It was a wonderful moment in my career.

In order to make sense of Chrissy Snow dancing, we almost had to do the skit at the beginning to establish the character and the times. It was a lot of fun.

Wearing the ponytails put me back in that space and time. I found it interesting that the moment the ponytails went in, I morphed back into that character. My body language changed and allowed me to enter a fantasy that Chrissy Snow must’ve taken dancing lessons and she thought she was Cyd Charisse!

I thought I danced great. I wanted it to be joyous, that Chrissy Snow was dancing and having the time of her life. It was the combination of the character and fulfilling the intricate steps of the foxtrot. It took a lot of thought, but I didn’t find the dance to be very hard. Each week the steps get easier for me, which is encouraging.

I think the judges’ comments and scores [adding up to 28 out of 40] were not allowing for the fact that I am improving each week. I am not a dancer, and I am starting at ground zero every Tuesday and giving it my all. So I found their scores somewhat discouraging.

Next week is Disney week, and I am looking forward to dancing to “He’s a Tramp” from The Lady and the Tramp. I am hoping this week that I can wear a beautiful gown and morph into Marilyn Monroe.

Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.

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