It pays to stand up for yourself.
Ballroom dancer Benji Castro didn’t and wound up leaving “The Next Pro,” the “Dancing with the Stars” spin-off.
This week, contestants were paired off and told they had to tell a story with dance. The two had to come to an agreement, then sell it. Castro, unfortunately, let his partner, Nina Mayster, dominate and wound up doing backflips to take up the slack.
“Off balance” and “disjointed,” the judges remarked, and so it was no go for Castro. Why Mayster didn’t get the boot is a something Shirley Ballas and Brandon Armstrong, the guest judge, should have answered.
Frankly, A.J. Pritchard did another jive and didn’t offer anything new. He should have been in the bottom two.
A.J. and Selena perform on the July 20 episode of "Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro."
A heartfelt rumba from Adele Zaikman and Allen Genkin earned its tears and praise from Ballas. She called it “one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed.”
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The dance was performed in honor of Genkin’s mom. She wanted her son to be on “DWTS” but died before his professional career reached its apex.
Allen, left, and Adele perform on the July 20 episode of "Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro."
Interestingly, Mark Ballas, the third judge, didn’t say much during the whole night.
Technique and storytelling were the first goals in the series. Choreography and audience appeal are ahead.
But isn’t the gig to be a good pro for a celebrity on the show?
Nina, left, and Benji face the judges during the July 20 episode of "Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro."
If there’s someone like Andy Richter — who lasted much longer than he should have last season — that pro has to figure out how he can look like he’s not just marking time. (No one talks about the pull of social media, either, but maybe that’s the focus for a later episode.)
What no one has mentioned is who they’re looking for — a male or a female dancer. So far, we know pro Witney Carson is not coming back next season. Does that mean there’s an opening for a female dancer? Or are there other vacancies?
Host Robert Irwin (who won the “DWTS” trophy with Carson) tried to cue the tears and succeeded with Genkin, who had a heartbreaking reason to want to win.
Shirley Ballas said she lost false eyelashes in the process of judging and proved, once more, she’s still the one to watch.
