Launched by Nickelodeon in 1996, the children’s educational television series Tracks of Blue introduced young viewers to a curious animated dog named Blue and his best human friend, Steve, played by Steve Burns. When Burns left the show in 2002, he was replaced by actor Donovan Patton (as Blue’s new friend Joe), who remained with the show until its run ended in 2007.
There’s a lot that viewers of the new reboot may not know about your host. Read on to learn all about the untold truth of You and Blue Clues! star Josh Dela Cruz.
Josh Dela Cruz is seriously interested in health and fitness
Staying in shape is a passion for Pistas del azul & ¡Tú! Host Josh Dela Cruz, who once took to Instagram to announce that he was joining an online challenge to do 200 push-ups a day for a total of 6,000. In an interview with GQ , she discussed her strict vegan diet and exercise regimen, which includes “Crossfit-inspired” workouts both before and after work. He also adds Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the mix and generally works seven days a week. According to Dela Cruz, he sees Brazilian jiu-jitsu as similar to yoga, with the key difference that “people fight back.”
He also explained why he and his wife, actress Amanda Dela Cruz, decided to adopt a vegan diet. “It was mainly for health at the time,” said GQ , revealing that there is a history of cancer on both sides of his family, “so we just wanted to adjust our bodies and be in the best possible place to have a chance to fight for it. that is presented to us. And we discovered that veganism was that change for us. ”
While some celebrities, like Liam Hemsworth, have given up on a vegan lifestyle due to feelings of lethargy, it’s great to see that it worked so well for the Tracks of Blue celeb.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu taught Josh Dela Cruz mindfulness
As a devotee of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Pistas del Azul host Josh Dela Cruz credits that particular form of martial arts with keeping both his body and mind healthy. As Dela Cruz BSCKids said , Brazilian jiu-jitsu is “not only [his] favorite form of exercise, but one of the best ways to learn how to stay in the moment”. Expanding the mental benefit of his practice, Dela Cruz revealed: »Practicing jiu-jitsu has taught me not to panic in an awkward situation and instead take a deep breath, calm my mind, and cast my doubt so that I can solve the problem. in front of me «.
He added that competing against opponents in Brazilian jiu-jitsu matches has taught him that losing can be as powerful as winning. “Defeat is just an opportunity to learn about yourself and no matter what, you can survive,” he explained. Embracing that concept and applying it to other aspects of his life, he admitted, has allowed him to be “more open to new experiences and [you’ve made him] happier about it.”
It seems Dela Cruz isn’t the only one who turned to this form of martial arts as a way to practice mindfulness. Other A-listers, like Demi Lovato, have also praised jiu-jitsu as a means of de-stressing.
There were thousands of actors competing for his role.
When Josh Dela Cruz auditioned to become the host of ¡Pistas de Blue y tú! , did not know the scope of the search. As he revealed during a conversation with Build Series , it wasn’t until he received his first callback that he found out he was among the 3,000 actors vying for the role, including, rumored, WWE star John Cena (although that It was never seriously considered, and it emerged from the wrestler playfully bidding for the role during Nickelodeon’s 2018 frefronts.)
It turns out that the original Clues of Blue host, Steve Burns, was part of the team that chose Dela Cruz. As the former host stated in a Nickelodeon press release, “I give Josh two thumbs up! It can definitely fill my shoes and rugby jersey.
On the first day of filming Dela Cruz, he said Build Series Burns set him aside and offered him some advice. “We chose him because we love him and we love what he’s bringing to the table,” he recalled, with Burns suggesting that he shouldn’t try to imitate him or former host Donovan Patton. “Just do it and be proud of it,” Burns said.
Josh Dela Cruz changed children’s television
When Nickelodeon hired Josh Dela Cruz to star in Blue Clues and You! Not only did the network add a new face to a revamped version of a family show, it also changed children’s television. Casting an actor of Filipino descent was groundbreaking, as it marked the first time an Asian-American has directed the cast of a children’s show on American television. “I’m really honored to have had this opportunity to play a role where someone was not required to be Filipino-American, you know, where I could be myself,” he said in an interview with NPR .
As Dela Cruz Forbes put it , Clues from Blue certainly did not specifically seek to portray a Filipino-American in the role and alluded to the typification that Asian-American actors often experience. “Being chosen for this role, without having to be specifically Filipino or Asian, is very important because that is the best thing about inclusion,” he said, explaining that he was not hired because the program “[needed] an Asian,” but because his personality stood out and he »[happens] being Asian, which is something [they’re] going to celebrate«.
The new host of Blue’s Clues grew up watching the show
by You and Blue Clues! Josh Dela Cruz, his role as the third Clues from Blue presenter has brought him full circle, from watching the show as a child to starring in it as an adult. As Dela Cruz NJ.com said , he remembered seeing the show and singing along with original host Steve Burns, something that ultimately propelled him toward a career in the theater. In fact, he admitted that he started singing the show’s “Mailtime Song” to his sister as a way to feel less self-conscious about singing in public. To this day, Dela Cruz added, he thanks Burns and the show for pushing him to “overcome the shy barrier,” leading him to join his school choir and ultimately pursue a career on stage.
“Some of my best memories come from watching Pistas del Azul with my younger sister,” Dela Cruz revealed in an interview with BSCKids, reflecting: “All those wonderful memories sitting on the floor of my aunt’s room watching the program with my sister. little one… I am so honored to be able to be a part of that experience with families from all over the world as they watch our show.
Living the dream of the blue slopes
When Josh Dela Cruz got a message from his agent about auditioning for You and Blue Clues! I had no idea that I was competing with thousands of other actors vying to be the hosts of the new Tracks of Blue reboot. When the future host of the show later learned of the nationwide casting call he was a part of, Dela Cruz admitted how mind-boggling it was that he was the only chosen person out of all those actors. “He’s absolutely insane,” NJ.com said , stating that “never in a million years” did he ever think he would be “that guy one day.”
At the time, Dela Cruz confessed that she still hadn’t come to terms with the reality of her new role. «I pinch myself every day. I keep thinking it’s a dream, I’m going to wake up and I’m on a show where I got Punk’d , ”he said.
From a Nickelodeon perspective, however, Dela Cruz was selected because he was a standout. As Cathy Galeota, Nickelodeon’s Senior Vice President of Preschool Content, put it about Dela Cruz in a Nickelodeon press release, her “wonderful theater experience and natural charisma ticked all the boxes for us.”
Josh Dela Cruz has performed on Broadway
Before they threw him out , you and Blue tracks! Josh Dela Cruz had limited television experience, appearing in small roles in such television series as Toro and Una y otra vez . His main experience, however, had been as a stage actor in New York City. According to the Nickelodeon press release announcing her hiring, Dela Cruz appeared on off-Broadway shows like David Byrne’s Here lies love and Encores !: We happily shot .
His most prominent role was with the Broadway production of Disney’s Aladdin , in which he served as an ensemble member and understudy for Aladdin and Iago. As Broadway.com reportedly stepped in to play Aladdin for a temporary run in 2017 when star Adam Jacobs left the show to headline the cast of the touring production.
Having been a part of Aladino since 2014, Dela Cruz admitted that by 2019 he was looking to expand his horizons. “There was still something else I wanted at the time,” ABC News said . “I was in the program for about five years. And he wanted to use the gifts and skills he had learned to help someone. [So] my agent sent me an audition for Clues of Blue «.
Aladdin prepared Josh Dela Cruz for Blue’s tracks
His years as part of the cast of Disney Aladdin on Broadway proved to be the ideal training ground for Josh Dela Cruz and his subsequent role as host of Blue’s Clues & You! In an interview with She Knows , Dela Cruz discussed how acting in the family theater production prepared him for his new concert.
“Aladdin did that service to me, because I was able to play with the audience,” he recalled, explaining how performing in front of these enthusiastic crowds, usually full of children, allowed him to “feel his energy, bounce off his energy, and really work on my time and trust. in me and my instincts «.
All that excitement became even more important in Dela Cruz’s new role, he noted, as he is performing without an audience, in front of a green screen, with the animated elements of the show added later. For an actor used to responding to the energy of a crowd, Clues of Blue presented a new set of challenges. “Because when you get to [the [ Blue Clues ] everyone has to be quiet, so even if it’s funny, no one is laughing and you just have to trust him,” he explained.
Starstruck by the Black Eyed Peas
As the new host of ¡Pistas de Blue y tú! , Josh Dela Cruz was selected to appear in the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, riding the Tracks of Blue Float. Among the other artists at the event was the pop group Black Eyed Peas, and Dela Cruz admitted that he found himself shocked when he met band members Taboo and apl.de.ap.
Just as Dela Cruz is breaking boundaries by becoming the first Asian-American to lead the cast of a children’s show on American television, the Black Eyed Peas were also praised for their diversity during the height of their fame. “Apl has a lot of songs that pay tribute to his mother tongue,” Taboo explained to NPR in 2010. “He’s from the Philippines. It has songs inspired by their culture. We have songs inspired by the Latin side. We have songs inspired by rock and African rhythms. «
“My family and I idolize the Black Eyed Peas for their music, message and representation of diversity,” Dela Cruz said on her Instagram page, adding, “I still can’t get over how down to earth and kind they are.” It seems that the feeling was mutual as well, as Taboo can also be seen in the photo staring at Dela Cruz, with both celebrities gleefully pointing at each other.
Josh Dela Cruz’s proposal to his wife was incredibly sweet
Long before he became the host of Tracks in the Blue , Josh Dela Cruz made headlines for an incredibly romantic proposal he put together for his longtime girlfriend, Amanda Phillips (now his wife). Dela Cruz came up with a plan in which her wife believed they were creating a video of a choreographed dance routine, set in Frank Sinatra’s “You Make Me Feel So Young,” in various locations in New York’s Central Park.
As they near the end of the number, Dela Cruz suddenly falls to one knee, something he hadn’t done in any of his previous rehearsals. When Phillips’s face registers confusion, Dela Cruz pulls out a ring and asks the question. “She said yes!” declares a spectator.
Unbeknownst to Phillips, Dela Cruz had been secretly planning the proposal for some time. “It took me about a month and a half to coordinate this with my co-stars Donald Jones Jr. and Angelo Soriano, our choreographer and cameraman respectively,” said Dela Cruz Bullicio . “I wanted it to be a 100 percent real world setting so she wouldn’t suspect anything. So we had about three rehearsals, a space in the park and even a date for the rain. We are not crying, you are crying.
Josh Dela Cruz was ‘trending like a thirst trap on Twitter
When Josh Dela Cruz was hired to host ¡Pistas de Blue y tú! Photos from his past began to appear on the internet, including a sexy shirtless photo that led to the new star of a healthy kids’ show becoming the subject of some very unhealthy online conversations.
Dela Cruz answered all that thirst online in an interview with BuzzFeed News . “It’s definitely flattering,” he shared, but admitted that it was also “a little weird just because you don’t think you’ll ever have this kind of exposure in your life … I never, ever thought I’d be trending on Twitter in any capacity.”
Dela Cruz’s wife, Amanda Dela Cruz, joked about Twitter’s sudden obsession with her husband in an Instagram post, sharing her favorite quote from him. BuzzFeed Interview: “So thank you to everyone who keeps this story alive, and in my old age I will remember the loving day I was laying like a thirst trap on Twitter .”