She’ll always be Carol Brady. Barry Williams dedicated his latest “Dancing With the Stars” performance to his late “Brady Bunch” TV mom, Florence Henderson.
Williams, 69, revealed that Henderson encouraged him to join the ABC competition in the past. He’s now partnered with pro Peta Murgatroyd.
The actor earned his first-ever 7 score by guest judge Michael Strahan during Tuesday’s Motown Night episode. His total was a 25 out of 40.
“I try and channel Florence Henderson, who encouraged me to pursue an invitation for Dancing With the Stars,” he told People. “Being familiar with my theatrical background, she felt that I could do very well. And at that time, she had just been eliminated and asked if I would carry the torch.”
Williams echoed the same sentiments after he left the ballroom to discuss his performance with co-host Julianne Hough.
“You are winning over this audience, and you are winning over us,” her brother, judge Derek Hough, also said behind the judging table.
Williams made it through to the next round on Tuesday night. In the season premiere last month, he was supported by “Brady Bunch” sister Maureen McCormick in the audience as he danced a foxtrot to “It’s a Sunshine Day,” a song often used in the beloved family sitcom.
Henderson appeared on the dancing competition in Season 11 and was the fifth contestant eliminated with her partner, Corky Ballas. She died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA from heart failure in November 2016. She was 82.
“The Brady Bunch” ran for five seasons from 1969 to 1974, and also starred Robert Reed, Ann B. Davis, Eve Plumb, Susan Olsen, Christopher Knight and Mike Lookinland.
