Guillermo Rodriguez expected his Dancing With the Stars training to change his body in one particular way, but his experience turned out very differently. After weeks of rehearsing for Season 35, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick revealed that the intense schedule had actually been accompanied by a surprising increase in weight.
Rodriguez has been training alongside professional dancer Witney Carson, putting in roughly three hours of practice each weekday. He described the experience as demanding, saying his body was hurting from the rehearsals but that he was enjoying the challenge as he prepared to enter the ballroom.
During a September 8 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, host Jimmy Kimmel asked Rodriguez whether all the dancing had helped him lose weight. Given the amount of exercise involved, Kimmel expected the answer to follow the usual pattern associated with DWTS contestants.
Instead, Rodriguez admitted that he had not lost weight at all. In fact, he revealed that he had gained about 10 pounds since beginning his rehearsals, turning what might normally have been an expected result of dance training into an amusing surprise for both Kimmel and the studio audience.
Rodriguez explained that his appetite after rehearsals was a major reason behind the unexpected change. After spending hours dancing, he said he would immediately go eat because he was extremely hungry, providing a straightforward explanation for why the increased activity had not translated into weight loss.
The story became even more entertaining when Kimmel decided to turn the situation into an on-air experiment. A scale was brought out so Rodriguez could see exactly where he stood after weeks of training, turning the conversation into one of the more memorable DWTS-related moments on the late-night show.
Rodriguez stepped onto the scale and discovered that the increase was actually larger than the 10 pounds he had initially mentioned. Reports said the televised weigh-in showed him at about 223 pounds after removing some clothing, with the comparison indicating a 13-pound increase from his earlier weight.
Rather than treating the number too seriously, Rodriguez responded with his trademark humor. When Kimmel questioned how the increase was possible after so much dancing, Rodriguez joked that the additional weight was “pure muscle” and even flexed for the cameras.
The reveal also highlighted the unusual reality of preparing for a television dance competition. Rodriguez has been putting in long hours with Carson, who won the previous season with Robert Irwin, but the physical demands of rehearsals have also left him hungry and adjusting to a completely different routine.
For Rodriguez, however, the number on the scale appeared to matter less than the experience itself. He told Kimmel that he was having fun, suggesting that his DWTS journey is about more than simply changing his appearance. As he prepares to compete in the ballroom, his unexpected weigh-in has already given viewers another reason to follow his unusual journey.
Compiled with information from various sources.
