Cheryl Burke Reveals What She Tells 'Nervous' Ryan Lochte Before Each Dance

Dancing with the Stars' Cheryl Burke has returned to the reality dance competition she first joined in 2006, and is blogging about season 23 exclusively for PEOPLE. Follow Burke and her partner Ryan Lochte, both 32, on Twitter!

It's week three!

Looking back on Monday's dance, I really think that Ryan did an amazing job considering all of the drama that's been happening. Being in the bottom two will hopefully have people vote for us more. I've been in jeopardy a lot and I think that it kind of helps. It makes people realize they need to start voting! I think Ryan was very affected by it. He was shaking and said to me, "My legs are shaking. I don't know what's going to happen." All day I felt his energy because I knew that he thought that he was going to be the one going home, so I think he's thankful and grateful for everyone who voted. He really isn't ready to go home yet – he's put in a lot of time and heart into the show, and he really deserves people giving him a chance.

And because of the love and support that we've gotten from the dancers, celebrities and crew, I really think he has now moved past it. He's here doing what all of the other celebrities are doing, which is learning how to dance. He's a great guy who has a great personality and is really dedicated to working hard. I think that people really need to move past what happened and I know that he's trying to as well.



I came back to this show because I want to perform, but I always love it when I influence people in a bigger way — it's not just about teaching them how to dance. I feel like this is the reason why Ryan and I were paired up together. I always tell him to keep his head up. This guy not only had all of this happen to him, but he's so used to be under water. He's not used to seeing people or performing in front of people eye-to-eye. He gets really nervous. Before we dance, I tell him "you're only dancing with me. We're dancing for each other. Focus on what you have to do and keep your head up. And have fun with it! This is a once in a lifetime chance that you get. This is not just about learning how to dance and doing the best that you can; it's about showing America who you truly are as a person."

I love to have an influence and be able to help somebody who's down and bring them up. With both Jack Osbourne, who was dealing with MS, and Rob Kardashian, I felt purpose in teaching them, getting people to see them in a different light and having people believe in them.

Reflecting on what the judges said to Ryan and me on Monday, it's definitely something we needed to take back and work on. The quickstep is such a hard dance and has so many steps in it, and on top of that Ryan had to keep his posture right, but he was able to really pull it off. I've been working countless hours on Ryan's posture. As a swimmer, he has a natural hump on the upper part of his back and he has really long arms. But I think that he was really able to go out there and have fun with the dance. At the end of the day, even though I keep drilling him with a million things that he has to think about, he has to have fun and make it look like it's effortless!

This week we're doing the cha-cha, so it's very different than the last two dances. So far it's been traditional ballroom, but this next one is more of a sexy side and we're doing Latin dancing. Two couples go against each other – we're competing against James and Sharna – and whoever wins with the judges' scores gets immunity from elimination. Ryan is kind of nervous about it because first of all, he's never done a Latin dance – he definitely has to loosen up his hips and show a whole different side of what everyone has been seeing him do – and on top of that, he's against James who has been on top of the leader board. Ryan definitely feels the challenge, but he's willing to work hard. We are putting in six or seven hours a day in rehearsals. He really wants to prove to himself, his family, his fans, to the judges and me that he can do this. If anything, he never wants to be in jeopardy again so he’s putting in the work!

Season 23 of Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.