SOHH Exclusive: Mario Plans To "Do Right" On "Dancing With The Stars"

[big dawg]

One week in and R&B singer Mario is leading the competition on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." In this SOHH exclusive the Baltimore native opens up about mastering dance, beating the pressure and his personal mission to raise awareness about the affects of addiction on families.

Last Monday (Mar.17) Mario scored 24 out of 30 possible points for his debut performance of the cha-cha, making him the leading male contestant on the show.

"I was shooting for ten, ten, ten," Mario revealed to SOHH, "but, after watching my video I definitely agree with Len (Goodman) that my footwork was off. I think I was so excited about the dance that I wasn't even thinking about it."

Now considered the contestant to beat, Mario admits he's been juggling responsibilities as an artist while enduring 20 grueling hours a week in dance practice.

"It's a lot of pressure," Mario said of his high score. "Now I have to either beat my score or at least match it. We had three weeks to do that dance and now we only have a week for each dance, it gets harder and harder."

In addition to making dance his next entertainment challenge, Mario revealed he also plans to use "Dancing With The Stars" as a platform to encourage fans and spread the word about his Do Right Foundation.

"It gives my fans an opportunity to see me do something out of the norm, and show that when dedicated, how you can win," Mario told SOHH. "It's inspirational. I do this for my fans and to create awareness for my foundation."

Mario's Do Right Foundation was established to empower children affected by drug abuse to make independent choices and give them the resources to step out of their family's pattern of addiction.

Last Fall, MTV aired "I Won't Love You To Death," Mario's documentary about confronting his mother's struggle with heroin.

"No matter where you come from you can succeed, you can rise above your circumstances, you can make a difference," Mario said. "My mother is eight months clean, I think [her story] is going to help millions of people, including parents who are addicts trying to get clean. Addicts don't realize how much it affects their loved ones." [Watch Mario talk about his mother below]

"Dancing With The Stars" airs on Mondays and Tuesday's at 8 p.m. EST and 7 p.m. Central on ABC.

source-sohh.com