The Ocho is taking *Dancing With The Stars *on the road.
Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco says he's headed to Cincinnati in two weeks to set up shop draft week to rehearse for the show at a downtown studio as well as get in some workouts at Paul Brown Stadium.
"I want to show that football is still my top priority even though I'm dancing nine hours a day right now," Ochocinco said Wednesday. "And I want to show Cincinnati how much I love them and thank them for all the support. And I'd like to get around the guys again."
The Ocho says he's tentatively scheduled to get to town April 20 and he plans to work out with the 7:30 a.m. group at PBS before continuing his daily 11-8 routine with partner Cheryl Burke. He's coming off Monday night's improved showing in a much faster dance and is banking on the momentum continuing next week with another Latin number for the rumba. The judges gave him a 20. On a Sunday, it might have been something like a fairly solid six catches for 82 yards.
"Yeah, it's a slower dance," he said of the rumba, "but as long as it's a Latin beat I seem to do pretty well. (Monday) wasn't a great game, but it was just right. Just what I needed. When I have one of those 150, 200-yard games, you'll know it because I'll fall all out on the floor."
The Ocho had a good time Wednesday tweeting about taking pictures of "The Paparazzi," and he says "they're doing exactly what they're supposed to do" with the scoop that he gave Burke a diamond ring. But he dismisses such talk.
"Come on now, you know it's not like that but we've become extremely close. It's like a marriage," The Ocho said. "I guarantee there is no married couple in Cincinnati that spends more time together than we've been together the past few weeks. Nine hours a day? Not equal like a marriage because I have to be extremely submissive when she's teaching me. But I wanted to say thank you because she's been so wonderful. She's very deserving. So I put a ring on it. Can you imagine putting up with me for nine hours a day? What better way to show it?"
The Ocho says the training has been tougher than last year's regimen in the boxing gym. He says his legs have never felt better and he's getting plenty of cardio because "one minute dancing full speed gets you plenty tired."
He hears the judges call for him to straighten and heighten his posture, but he admits that football posture and dancing posture are conflicting concepts.
"What I have to do is learn to keep my upper body in the same frame while my lower body moves," he said. "I've got to disconnect my upper body from the waist. Yeah, it's damn hard. In football, I'm leaning forward trying to get out of there (off the line)."
