Barry Williams is determined to make it further than “Brady Bunch ”sister Maureen McCormick on “Dancing With the Stars”
The Brady sibling rivalry never dies!
Barry Williams, who played eldest son Greg Brady on the classic sitcom, is currently competing on Dancing With the Stars alongside pro partner Peta Murgatroyd. He follows in the dance steps of eldest Brady girl, Maureen McCormick, a.k.a. Marcia Marcia Marcia, and he is determined to leave her in his dust.
On season 23, McCormick and her partner Artem Chigvintsev went home in week seven. Williams is about to embark on week five, dancing a Paso Doble to "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf for "Most Memorable Year" night. And though he has his eye on the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, at the very least, he wants to make it further than his television sister.
Jerod Harris/FilmMagic Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams
"I have to do that," he tells EW. "I lost that egg on the cone driving contest and she never let me live it down." Without naming the show or episode (in respect to SAG-AFTRA strike rules), Williams is referencing the 15th episode of season 5 of The Brady Bunch, "The Driver's Seat," in which Greg challenges Marcia to a chauvinistic bet that men are better drivers than women — and the deciding factor is who can get closest to the last traffic cone without breaking the egg sitting atop it. Marcia wins.
But in all seriousness, the former Brady siblings have nothing but love for each other. Williams says McCormick texts him before every show. Last week, Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) was in the ballroom cheering him on and Christopher Knight (Peter Brady) will be in attendance for Williams' Paso Doble.
"We've all been supportive of each other in various projects," Williams notes. "Eve Plumb has done plays and I've been in attendance, and there are projects that Maureen has done that I've also supported. Christopher Knight and I do a podcast together called The Real Brady Bros. This experience is what life is always like with the Bradys, and that is like a family. This is what we do for our sisters, our brothers, for our family — and it's very gratifying."
CBS via Getty Images Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams on 'The Brady Bunch'
We talked to Williams more at length about his time on DWTS, why he chose 1968 as his most memorable year, what style of dance he is most excited for (and which one he's dreading), and the special alter ego that Murgatroyd has helped him bring to the dance floor.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There's been such a wonderful outpouring of fan support for you on this show. Is that reaching you and what has been your reaction to it?
BARRY WILLIAMS: Yes, it has. I can feel it. I can feel it inside the ballroom. I've been seeing it on social networking, and it truly warms my heart. I've been in the game a long time and things come and go. I've always been with the "Bunch." And this feels singular for me. It's very heartwarming, and it's such a great time of life to have this type of an opportunity. Imagine at 69, I'm competing with 17-year-olds on this amazing show, this "competition" and a live band and singers and talented, world-class dancers and learning a new song every week and actually moving forward. I'm having the time of my life.
You said the late Florence Henderson really encouraged you to go for this. Can you explain more?
She made no bones about it. She wanted me to pursue being on the show and to win it.
You've now done both The Masked Singer and Dancing With the Stars. Which was more fun and why?
Well, gee, more fun would make one better than the other. They're different. Being on The Masked Singer was very freeing to perform and have the safety net of a big mask around you. But I'm going to have to pick Dancing With the Stars because I've lasted a lot longer.
You're doing a Paso Doble this week. How challenging is it?
It's challenging unless you grew up with a herd of bulls. I used to have a bullfighting poster hanging in my bedroom with my surfing pictures. It is a challenging dance. Peta has done a wonderful job with telling the story. She's playing different roles in the dance, both as my cape, the bull, and as a love interest. There are lots of layers to it. I get involved in the interpretation of the dance as much as the dance itself. These are new postures. It's very grand. It's very masculine. It's very strong. It is a challenge to take on, but gosh, we've got a whole five days to learn it.
Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Barry Williams and Peta Murgatroyd on 'Dancing With the Stars'
Why did you select 1968 as your most memorable year?
I describe it as the year before everything changed. We're doing these shows without references. I sometimes talk about being a part of a television series, but it is generic. But when they asked about my most memorable year, I picked the thing that has impacted my life the most. Winning the role on a series, there was no way to prepare for that because who ever would know that once it went on the air, it would stay on the air for six decades without ever going off.
Do you have a dance style you're most looking forward to doing?
The waltz. I want to glide across the dance floor. I want it to be broad and big and on ice skates and have the music swell and be like all the movies I've ever seen and all the Disney animated shows I've ever watched. That's the dream.
Is there a style you really don't want to be assigned?
There are dances that are physically more challenging and not necessarily in a good way, on the joints and things. Jive is particularly difficult. Jive is hard on the knees, which ordinarily would not be so much an issue, and I would do it if they gave it to me. But with the amount of dancing that we're doing and the redundancy of it, that might create some challenges.
You recorded a parody song about your most famous character.
Yes, it rhymes with Slim Shady.
If the strike is resolved before the season ends, would you ever consider dancing to that?
I will run it up the flagpole. We'd have to remove some of the language. [Laughs] Peta calls me "Big Bad Baz." We did Motown, so we could do rap night maybe. I have run up the flagpole the idea of singing something while we're there. The band and the singers they have are so amazing. I'd love to maybe start a song.
Maybe you could combine the two for the waltz.
That would be just awesome.
Paramount Barry Williams on 'The Brady Bunch'
Your most famous character had an alter ego, Johnny Bravo. Do you have an alter ego on the dance floor? Maybe Big Bad Baz?
I'll go with that. I like it. Triple B. You'll certainly be seeing [an alter ego] for the Pasa Doble, which has elements of the aforementioned character, in that there was an episode that involved fitting a suit [Editor's note: Brady Bunch episode 501: "Adios, Johnny Bravo"] and that was actually a matador coat. And I will be playing a matador in this dance.
Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
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