Danielle Fishel is rounding up — almost — all of her Boy Meets World costars for Dancing With the Stars Dedication Night.
Fishel, 44, took to Instagram on Monday, October 13, to reveal that eight of her former castmates will be in the ballroom for the special evening, which will feature her performing a special dance with partner Pasha Pashkov and Bill Daniels a.k.a Mr. Feeny from the hit ‘90s sitcom. Will Friedle (Eric Matthews), Matthew Lawrence (Jack Hunter), Betsy Randle (Amy Matthews), William Russ (Alan Matthews), Trina McGee (Angela Moore), Bonnie Bartlett (Dean Bolander) and Alex Désert (Eli Williams) will also be in attendance.
“The fabulous group of people who will be joining me at DWTS tomorrow for Dedication night!” Fishel wrote alongside the eight photos of the costars. “I feel such an overwhelming responsibility to give a full out, joyous, celebratory dance to the man who is responsible for THOUSANDS of people becoming teachers and who has helped raise multiple generations. This dance is a dedication from me to Bill but I am representing ALL OF YOU who loved and appreciated him and his career for so many decades.”
She also gave a shout out to Rider Strong, who played Shawn Hunter on the show, telling fans that he won’t be able to attend because he is “working out of town” but he “will be missed.”
“This is our Coachella,” the Instagram account for “Pod Meets World,” Fishel’s rewatch podcast with Strong, 45, and Friedle, 49, replied in the comments section.
Fishel announced on the October 8 episode of her “Danielle With the Stars” podcast that she had chosen Daniels, 98, for season 34’s Dedication Night. She shared that she and Pashkov, 39, will be performing a jive to the Boy Meets World theme song, and Daniels will be “on the ballroom floor with us and he’s going to participate in the dance as well.”
“Saying it out loud feels crazy. But yes, we get to dance to the Boy Meets World theme song, the one you all know and love.” (The sitcom had three different theme songs throughout its seven season run, but Fishel was likely referring to the final track that played from seasons 5 through 7.)
Boy Meets World aired from 1993 to 2000 and starred Ben Savage as Cory Matthews, a boy learning how to juggle friendship, school, family and romance. Fishel played Topanga, Cory’s love interest and eventual wife, while Daniels was the beloved teacher who followed them throughout high school and college. The relationship between Feeny and the kids was a staple to the series, with the finale scene of the show being a tear-filled goodbye between Savage, Fishel, Daniels, Strong and Friedle. “Dream, try, do good,” he tells them as they all hug goodbye.
“It’s really a dedication to Bill and the role he has played in my life and the role Boy Meets World has played in my life,” Fishel explained in her October 8 announcement. “He’s just such an inspiration to so many of us. And to be able to say thank you to him and to give him this kind of a platform for him to receive the love that he deserves is going to be very memorable.”
She later told Entertainment Weekly that Daniels has had the “most incredible” career, which has inspired her over the years.
“I feel like I’m having a second act in my life and in my career at 44 years old,” she told the outlet earlier this month. “To see him at 98 still going to conventions, he’s gonna be on the ballroom floor next week, and he was part of a show that completely changed my life.”
Fishel and Pashkov have, per the DWTS judges, been in the “middle of the pack” throughout season 34 but found themselves in the bottom three during Disney night on October 7. The pair were ultimately saved when Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko were the ones sent home.
“We’re going to continue to take the judge’s feedback. They’re really good at giving us very specific notes,” she told Us Weekly exclusively after the episode. “I’m gonna go home and watch the tape, and see if I can see what they’re talking about with the area where there was a bit of a mess-up in the lindy hop [section], and then I’m just gonna see what I can improve. I just want to get better every week. So every week, I’m like, ‘Whatever I need to do.’”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays. Episodes are available to stream next day on Hulu.
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