"So we raided her husband's cupboard so I could get waistcoats and shirts and I wore her kids' sneakers. I got her to video me in her lounge. It was completely impromptu and the video that went up was the first take.
"My instinct was to do an Ellen impersonation because people quite often compare me to Ellen. My dancing is a bit wacky like that so I dressed up like her and danced to music that I knew she finds fun."
Miss Kirkaldy said she had been a big fan of Ellen for years.
"I just loved Ellen, and what she has stood for, for years. She has heaps of fun and puts out some really positive messages. I thought how cool would it be to be part of the experience to go and see the show. I have always wanted to go and never thought there would be a chance to do that and then this competition came up."
Miss Kirkaldy will take her partner, Alex Whittaker, along for the ride.
The competition came at just the right time after a bad 2014, she said.
"Both my partner and I had some health concerns and my dad was diagnosed with a terminal illness so we had to re-evaluate life.
"We sold up in Auckland and came down to the Bay to free up some cash so I would be able to take time off work and look after my dad. They were able to help me out last year and this year was about giving back to them."
Miss Kirkaldy is a nurse and has spent the last four years nursing at-risk teens and working with young people.
Details on when she will go to the US have not been finalised but the trip will include about five days in Los Angeles and a trip to Universal Studios.