Bill Nye's pro dancing partner from DWTS Tyne Stecklein here. AMA!

Did you and Bill have great chemistry?

From day one, within the first hour of working together we had a ton of respect for each other and that translated into a really great partnership. We were open and honest throughout the process and trusted each other, which is a hugely important quality to have in a dance partner!

A bit far fetched, but has Bill's knowledge of science helped you two as a team during the show?

Oh my gosh, YES. He translated my direction into science terms that made sense to him….not so much sense to me but it helped in the partnership for sure. Inertia!

What has been the weirdest sciencey thing Bill has said to you?

Haha. The “sexual tension” moment which was FIVE MINUTES after meeting him has to be up there. Empenage (not really sure how to spell this) he referred to quite often. I learned it means ‘tail’. I also told him I would kick him in his empanage if he didn’t stop with the science talk during dance rehearsal…

Thanks for doing the AMA! :) What's Bill Nye like in person?

Happy to be here! Bill is amazing. Not only incredibly smart, but funny and sincerely sweet guy!

He IS the science guy that we all love even when the camera’s not rolling!

Is Bill Nye a natural dancer, or was it something that needed to be developed? Thanks for doing this AMA!

Bill had a knack for partnered dancing that stems from his social swing background. However…he had never done choreography. Retaining all the steps on the right counts was a challenge, but I couldn’t have asked for a harder working partner! He was obsessed with getting it right!

what was your favorite aspect of doing DWTS this season? any memorable moments?

My favorite aspect is getting to do what I love!
One of my favorite moments that I’ll never forget is the first time Bill and I met and he gave me that flasK with a flower in it from Nye Labs. ☺

Thanks for the response, Tyne. You've always been so great to me and your fans. I loved that moment too. That was your first science lesson from the Nye man.:)

Remember...a flasK has a necK :) https://twitter.com/TyneStecklein/status/389566483065344001/photo/1

Hi Tyne, was wandering how you got into dancing.

My mom was (and still is!) a dance teacher. She put me in classes at age 3 and I never looked back ☺

How were you selected to dance with Bill? Does the celebrity have any choice in the selection of the pro partner? You were great partner for Bill.

Neither of us knew who we were going to be paired with. Bill told me later that before the season started the producers asked if he had a preference of dance partner. He tells me he borrowed a line from Gene Kelly and said “You never say who your favorite dance partner is.”

What dances would you have done had you not been voted off?

We don’t get to choose our style, but Bill was really looking forward to doing the jive. He would have been great at that! I myself was really hoping for a contemporary number.

Hey Tyne, my parents own a bar with a guy named Matt, but most people call him Bams. He says that says he knows you and your boyfriend/husband. Is this true? Also, I think he said you've been to some celebrity weddings? How were they compared to the average person's wedding?

Hi! Yeah I know Bams. He’s a lot of fun! I’ve never been to a celebrity wedding, but I think my wedding was pretty kick-ass. Just my opinion ;)

Is this you dancing to the left of Christina Aguilera in the EXPRESS video for the movie Burlesque?

Yep! This was my favorite dance number in the movie ☺

Hi Tyne :) Michael Jackson is without any doubt in my mind the best singer by far ever, as well as the best dancer ever. My question to you is you got to work with Michael on This Is It, but what do you prefer the most and why - his singing or dancing?

Hi! ☺ Michael was an incredible performer. He had perfected his craft in both singing and dancing. I can’t pick just one!

Can you please share what were the standout moments personally for you whilst working on This Is It?

To be chosen for that job was every dancer’s dream. One of my favorite moments…Michael was on the stage singing Human Nature and on the line ‘see that girl, I know she’s watching’ he totally caught me watching from the side of the stage when I was supposed to be back stage getting ready for the next number and pointed to me. Called out by MJ! Checked that off the bucket list. ☺

You tweeted that you say Bill's lecture on fluid mechanics at Ithica, how much did you comprehend/can you remember from that??

The reason kids love his show is because he has such a fun way of explaining everything. It makes it much easier to understand. The lecture connected the dots for me because I heard bits and pieces of fluid mechanics talk during rehearsals leading up to his presentation.

What's your very best life advice?

I heard Alfred Milano speak this past week and he said “Don’t take anyone else’s advice”

;)

Tyne, can you reveal what projects we can look forward to seeing you in?

I’ll still be dancing on DWTS every week this season.

But I’m also an actor and have been very excited to get back to that!!!

Tyne,

What is your favorite TV show right now?

It WAS Breaking Bad and I’m terribly sad that it’s over.

Now I’m really into Scandal. I love the drama!

Do you have any interesting Tom Cruise stories from Rock of Ages?

Most memorable scene with Tom was when the other groupies and I were laying in bed with him. He stands up and we realized he was in assless chaps for his costume. We had no idea.

He had personalized nike’s made for everyone in the cast and crew sent to our homes. Pretty cool to get something in the mail from Tom Cruise!

Hey Tyne! First off I want to start by saying that you are absolutely adorable. It was such a breath of fresh air having you as a pro on the show - you seemed like you were just happy to be there and just wanted to have fun as opposed to the other pros who seemed like they were only in it to win it.

I have a few questions for you. My first question for you is – DWTS is a latin/ballroom dancing competition, and you’re classically trained as a contemporary dancer, correct? Did you have any prior training in latin/ballroom or was it a learning experience for you as much as it was for Bill?

Second, the show usually recruits troop members as new pros, but you weren't in the troop. How did you manage to sneak your way in to being a pro without being on the troop? Did you approach the show or did they approach you??

And the last and most relatable question, did you grow up with Bill Nye the Science guy in your science class? What was your reaction upon finding out you were partnered with him?

It’s a shame you were sent home so early, but I really hope we see you again on Season 18 : ) And thanks for doing this AMA, and for retweeting me!

Thank you so much, I really appreciate that!

I’m very thankful to be on the show.

Yes, I’m classically trained in ballet and jazz but have also trained in ballroom and latin. I’ve been on DWTS for the past 5 years now dancing for artists and in the macy’s sponsored numbers. I developed a great relationship with the show and was thrilled when they approached me about being a pro!

I am ashamed to say I did not watch much Bill Nye growing up. But even so, science was my strongest subject!

Have to say, Bill got lucky on his partner. Just three questions

• What was it like working with Bill?
  
• Would you dance with Bill again?
  
• Did you learn anything from him?

Thank you! I loved working with Bill, he was a great student and made me laugh every day.

I would love to dance with Bill again, we’re hoping to get to dance together on the finale episode of DWTS.

Well I TRIED to learn many things from him. Some of the science stuff went straight over my head…but in all seriousness I learned even a very successful celebrity can be an extremely down-to-earth wonderful person.

What did you learn from Bill Nye while working with him?

You'll learn something new from every person you meet in life. No matter who they are or what they do.

What was it like being on the set with amazing talents such as Cher and Christina? Was it intimidating?

Holy cow, was it intimidating! It was my first acting role in a film and my first scene was with Cher and Stanley Tucci. I accidentally said ‘Stanley’ in the line instead of his character name and thankfully everyone thought it was funny and broke the ice for my first take!

Acting is such a huge passion of mine and I was honored to be able to share some screen space with Christina and Cher!

As a 90's kid I loved Bill Nye and was so excited to see him on DWTS. I thoroughly enjoyed your performances.

What is the first step in teaching someone who has no dancing experience (like Bill Nye) how to dance? What were you trying to focus on the most that would keep you on the show?

Posture. Posture. Posture.

Hey! Did Bill Nye (the science guy!) try to base his dancing on science? Or is he not that nerdy?

He’s totally that nerdy, and I love him for that!

Hi:

I first became aware of you after watching Jon Huertas' music video, which you did good in. You're very pretty.

Great question! ;) Haha thank you I loved getting to work with Jon.

You have a beautiful name Tyne Elise Stecklein :) What are the origins of your surname (I believe it is a German surname)?

Yep! German!

Who is your most favourite singer ever?

Maxwell!

What is your favorite movie? Apart from the ones you're in.

I like lots of different types of films. Minority Report is a favorite, but then again so is Wedding Crashers…