“I’m very proud of how far I went.
I was well past the midway point.
Disney/Christopher Willard
Williams, 69, became the second oldest contestant to make it this far in the show.
Barry Williams and Peta Murgatroyd are eliminated on ‘Dancing With the Stars’.Disney/Christopher Willard
BARRY WILLIAMS:No, I wasn’t worried at all.
This is something you take one week at a time.
And that’s what I did.
Barry Williams and Peta Murgatroyd on ‘Dancing With the Stars’.Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty
I felt that I was certainly in contention.
Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty
That was so much fun.
Had you planned all of those bits ripping open your shirt and so forth?
Peta Murgatroyd and Barry Williams on ‘Dancing With the Stars’.Christopher Willard/Disney via Getty
And also the audience.
Well, there is a reset.
So, suddenly I got to sleep until 8 o’clock in the morning.
Barry Williams and Florence Henderson.Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic
Christopher Willard/Disney via Getty
You are thelongest-lastingBrady Bunchmemberon the show.
Is making it furthest an achievement you’ll wear with pride?
Florence was an inspiration and encouraged me to pursue being on the show.
Peta Murgatroyd and Barry Williams on ‘Dancing With the Stars’.Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty
She definitely wanted me to go further than she did.
And Maureen has been very supportive as well.
You are one of the oldest competitors to go this far.
Is that something you’re particularly proud of?
There’s a funny thing about the mind.
It has been a wonderful and amazing experience on just about every level.
Do you hope that your participation and success inspires other folks who are nearing their 70s?
Is there a message you want to give them?
You said from the beginningit was Florence who really inspired you and pushed youto do this.
What do you think she would say to you right now if she was still with us?
She would be so proud.
She’d be happy for me.
She’d say, “Congratulations, Barry.
You did it.”
I would feel her presence every week.
She was a huge part of theDancing With the Starsfamily.
It was a big part of her world and her life.
The production crew here, most have been here more than 10 years, and they all love her.
And they’ve shared it with me throughout these past two and a half months.
Yeah, the salsa.
It was such complete abandon.
Just putting it all out there.
I don’t want to.
Let’s just go out and take care of this.
And we did.”
I love that you knew you would never beat Jason in technique, so you opted for showmanship.
And that’s an important aspect of the whole contest is it’s about entertainment.
If there was anything on the show where you could have a do-over, what would it be?
We did jazz, and Peta had a cartwheel and I needed to help her with a cartwheel.
For whatever reason, I ended up stepping on the heel of her shoe and it almost came off.
So the cartwheel did not, well, let’s just say it didn’t go as planned.
So we put it in the salsa, and I said, “Okay, great.
So, we did our own do-over.
I wanted to do a classic waltz.
I wanted to glide all across the dance floor, all in frame, all just beautifully done.
Like the dance that was used for the tribute to Len Goodman.
I would’ve been lobbying for a waltz if I could have continued.
Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty
Next week isTaylor Swiftweek.
She has great values.
She’s a great example for kids, and she’s really someone to look up to and emulate.
I would want a song that was about a love story.
Will you come back for the finale?
You acquired a lot of new skills with this.
