Shirley Ballas finally got on the AJ train.
On Monday’s “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro,” Ballas told AJ Pritchard, “What you did in two days was miraculous.”
He — and the other contestants — had to teach a dance to an amateur and compete with the others. Because Pritchard had experience on “Strictly Come Dancing,” he had the confidence to guide Beverly McKnight, an influencer, around the floor.
Their Viennese waltz was fluid and polished.
Paired with “Dancing with the Stars” superfans, dancers on “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro” had just two days to prepare a performance as they compete for a spot in the semifinals. AJ Pritchard is shown here Monday night with influencer Beverly McKnight.
Nina Mayster was eliminated after she couldn’t get enough foxtrot content in her performance. She was in the bottom two with Selena Hamilton.
“Both of you lack knowledge,” Shirley Ballas said, bluntly. But Hamilton’s quickstep with Jeremy Urann was deemed “unbalanced” and didn’t seem quick enough for Shirley Ballas or fellow judges Mark Ballas and Witney Carson.
People are also reading…
The week’s goal was to show how well the pros could teach a newbie how to dance — within two days. The performances were impressive, considering the amount of time, and able to show who’s headed for the finals.
Shirley Ballas said the finalists need to be fierce, fair and fun. Adele Zaikman had the first two qualities but lacked the third. Allen Genkin needed to tighten his routine, and Hamilton was viewed as a “military combat instructor” when putting Urann through his paces.
Pritchard, meanwhile, was told he knows his craft and is “an absolute star.”
See what we said? He’s headed for the final two and will likely show up on “DWTS” this fall — if Shirley Ballas doesn’t beat him there first.
