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‘Dancing With the Stars’ Frontrunner Ezra Frech Reacts To Videos Of Him As a Kid Going Viral and Shares What His Secret To Topping the Leaderboard Is: “I Know That I’m Dancing For A Bigger Purpose”

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‘Dancing With the Stars’ Frontrunner Ezra Frech Reacts To Videos Of Him As a Kid Going Viral and Shares What His Secret To Topping the Leaderboard Is: “I Know That I’m Dancing For A Bigger Purpose”. (2026, October 6). New York Post. https://decider.com/2026/10/06/ezra-frech-dancing-with-the-stars-interview/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-10-06 · by mliss1578

Quick Summary

Ezra Frech, a 21-year-old Paralympic gold medalist and contestant on Dancing With the Stars Season 35, has topped the leaderboard for three consecutive weeks. In an interview with DECIDER, Frech attributes his success to his motivation in inspiring others like him through representation on the show. Born with congenital limb differences, he emphasizes his desire to showcase disability representation and encourage those who see themselves reflected in him to pursue their goals. Videos of children and adults with disabilities reacting positively to Frech’s performances have gone viral, reinforcing his belief that his dancing serves a greater purpose beyond personal achievement.
Written by AI on 2026-10-06, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Ezra Frech, a 21-year-old Paralympic gold medalist born with congenital limb differences, has been topping the leaderboard for three consecutive weeks on Dancing With the Stars Season 35. In an interview with DECIDER ahead of Mariah Carey Night, Frech attributed his success to a sense of purpose beyond just performing well in the competition. He aims to inspire others like him by emphasizing disability representation and showcasing what is possible through his participation in the show. Videos circulating online have shown young children with disabilities reacting positively to seeing Frech dance on television, highlighting the impact he hopes to make.

Written for “Ezra Frech Star On Dancing With The S…” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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📰 Ezra Frech Star On Dancing With The S…
Entertainment · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 27 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Ezra Frech's participation in 'Dancing With the Stars' and do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 34 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Ezra Frech's involvement in 'Dancing With The Stars' and his popularity, but do not describe the same specific incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
115
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
6 of 115 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-06 · how these are computed

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New York Post · 16054 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

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No reporter is named on this article, beyond the feed's “mliss1578”.

Topics

ABC Angel City Sports DECIDER Mariah Carey Night Paralympic

Subjects

DECIDER ORG · 3× Frech PERSON · 3× Ellen PERSON · 2× Ezra PERSON · 2× ABC ORG · 1× Angel City Sports ORG · 1× Daniella Karagach PERSON · 1× EZRA FRECH PERSON · 1× Ezra Frech‘s PERSON · 1×

Narrative

And then each time we step in the rehearsal studio, my goal is always, I just want to improve a little bit, a little, and so I’m putting my heart and soul into every single second that we are rehearsing so that by the time show day rolls around, I’m more confident and comfortable.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-06
🔮 After coming in at the top of the leaderboard three weeks in a row on Dancing With the Stars Season 35, some viewers at home may be wondering: What is Ezra Frech‘s secret sauce to success?

Claims (115 extracted, 6 hedged)

After coming in at the top of the leaderboard three weeks in a row on Dancing With the Stars Season 35, some viewers at home may be wondering: What is Ezra Frech‘s secret sauce to success? uncertain
sauce → come → success
Well, according to him, it’s all about his motivation. uncertain
it → accord → motivation
Chatting with DECIDER ahead of Mariah Carey Night, the Paralympic gold medalist explained that on top of going out each week and dancing for himself and his partner, Daniella Karagach, it has everything to do with inspiring anyone and everyone who looks like him in the world. asserted
who → chat → world
Born with congenital limb difference, the 21-year-old is using his time on the ABC competition show to bring awareness to disability representation and to show people around the world just how much is possible. asserted
much → bear → world
“I feel like I’m really connected to my purpose — what I feel I was put on this earth to do — and that’s getting the opportunity to be the disability representation that I think we need as a society. asserted
we → feel → society
We know the importance of representation and disability is kind of that last frontier. asserted
importance → know → representation
It’s those videos that I see on social media of a little kid with a hand difference jumping up and down and watching me dance, or a little girl in a wheelchair, or someone who recently lost a leg and is watching me dance…. asserted
me → ’ → leg
Maybe that motivates them just 5 percent more to get out of bed and go pursue something,” he explains. asserted
he → motivate → something
Since his debut on the show, videos and social media posts have gone mega viral as they show kids and adults with disabilities watching the Angel City Sports founder take on the tango, foxtrot, and cha-cha, seemingly with ease. asserted
founder → go → ease
And while Frech manages to make it look effortless, that is certainly not the case, as he says it’s a tremendous challenge on his body, but one that is worth it ten-fold to move the needle on the cause that he says is his life’s true purpose. asserted
he → manage → cause
Frech says, “Regardless of what I feel on a day-to-day basis, I know that I’m dancing for a bigger purpose this season, and that’s the most motivating part of all of it.” Check out DECIDER’s full interview with Frech below. asserted
that → say → Frech
Ezra, you are absolutely killing it this season. asserted
you → kill → it
How are you feeling? asserted
you → feel → ?
It’s been quite surreal the last month or so, but it’s so much fun and I’m enjoying every second of it. asserted
I → ’ → it
I have to ask: I’ve seen some clips of your interview from Ellen making the rounds on social media. What do you think of those popping back up? asserted
those → ask → What
It’s so sweet. asserted
It → ’ → ?
It’s funny how so many things, interviews I forgot that I did when I was younger I’m now reminded of, because everyone reposts them. asserted
everyone → ’ → them
I was nine years old, I think. asserted
I → think → ?
I went back when I about 16 and had the best time. asserted
I → go → time
It’s crazy to see the clips. asserted
It → ’ → clips
All of the videos people make and all of the edits and it’s surreal. asserted
it → make → edits
What do you think you would say to nine-year-old Ezra if you could talk to him? uncertain
you → think → him
I almost don’t know if I would say anything. asserted
I → know → anything
I don’t want to mess with the butterfly effect [laughs]. asserted
I → want → effect
But I would definitely tell him that he’s on the right path and keep dreaming big. asserted
he → tell → path
I mean, I definitely would have never anticipated I’d be on Dancing with the Stars and sometimes you never know where life is gonna take you. asserted
life → mean → you
You seem like such a positive person; this is a show that challenges you in every way. asserted
that → seem → way
How do you deal with those moments of doubt and negativity? asserted
you → deal → doubt
That’s a good question. asserted
That → ’ → ?
I think it’s the people I’m dancing for. asserted
I → think → ?
I feel like I’m really connected to my purpose — what I feel I was put on this earth to do — and that’s getting the opportunity to be the disability representation that I think we need as a society. asserted
we → feel → society
We know the importance of representation and disability is kind of that last frontier. asserted
importance → know → representation
It’s those videos that I see on social media of a little kid with a hand difference jumping up and down and watching me dance, or a little girl in a wheelchair, or someone who recently lost a leg and is watching me dance. asserted
me → ’ → leg
Maybe that motivates them just 5 percent more to get out of bed and go pursue something. asserted
that → motivate → something
Regardless of what I feel on a day-to-day basis, I know that I’m dancing for a bigger purpose this season, and that’s the most motivating part of all of it. asserted
that → feel → it
What does it mean to see, not only from random strangers online, but also all of the people in the ballroom? asserted
it → mean → ballroom
It’s crazy. asserted
It → ’ → ?
First off, there’s something about the acoustics in there and the way that people are so excited to be there. asserted
people → ’ → acoustics
They’re all just die-hard fans. asserted
They → ’re → ?
And so that makes it so loud and so awesome. asserted
it → make → ?
…and 75 more, not listed.
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