Fans keep saving Andy Richter on 'Dancing With the Stars' for the most wholesome reasons

“Shortest song possible.” That was comedian Andy Richter’s response to his then-fiancée when she asked him about their dance at their wedding. On the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast, Richter shared that story along with his history of aversion towards anything with choreography. Now, in spite of being 58 years old, having problem knees, and needing a hip replacement, Andy Richter went “out of his comfort zone” to compete on Dancing With the Stars. He took a risk and the audience has been cheering him on the entire way in spite of low scores on his performance.

Andy Richter is an actor and comedian who has starred in several TV comedy shows, but is best known for his association as a sidekick on Conan O’Brien’s various late night talk shows over the years. He’s known more for his quick-wit and comedy chops, and less for his physical attributes. He didn’t expect to last this long in the competition, but his attempt at dancing well and being able to smile about it all has had a sizable group of “Fandys” vote to keep him on Dancing With the Stars for eight weeks and counting.

Richter has been such a fan favorite that many of his Fandys went online to throw their own birthday parties to celebrate his 59th birthday on October 28th. With the Fandys in his corner, Richter survived another week on the show and was touched by all who supported him along with his dancing partner, Emma Slater. He’s getting even more love after having a minor procedure done on his knee.

Regarding the fan reaction and Slater’s help, Richter told The Today Show, “It just feels like I’m being held up and carried. It makes me want to do the steps. It makes me want to do this.”

Andy Richter didn’t need to be on Dancing With the Stars and initially didn’t want to be. He thought of all of the reasons (all of which are valid) not to do the show. There is a world in which Richter would have done the show and got eliminated in the first week to confirm all of his insecurities and fears.

But he took a risk anyway, and that resulted in a new crop of people cheering him on. They don’t cheer him on because Richter is a secret dancing virtuoso. They cheer him because they see him trying something that makes him uncomfortable and because he’s legitimately enjoying himself while doing the hard work.

Sometimes risks pay off. Experts have noted that taking calculated risks and putting yourself out there can be very good for a flourishing life, whether it’s regarding business or your personal happiness. The worst case scenario that we tend to put in our heads usually doesn’t occur, and if it does happen, we also tend to underestimate how we’ll bounce back from it. Heck, a 2020 Penn State University study found that 91% of worry predictions never came true. So, why not try the thing that scares you (within reason)?

Because Andy Richter took a risk at dancing, he did something he never thought he could do, made some new friends in the form of his dance partner and fans, and opened himself to other opportunities. And he didn’t have to be good at it. Maybe it can be time for you to try that one thing that you’ve been hesitating about. You might not be successful at it, but you have a chance to find out something more about yourself while having some fun times surrounded by fun people. That can be a success in itself.