Dancing with the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy recently shared his thoughts about The Next Pro contestant AJ Pritchard, referring to the dancer’s “arrogance” as a former Strictly Come Dancing pro.
Val Chmerkovskiy Criticizes DWTS: The Next Pro Contestant
Val Chmerkovskiy and former DWTS contestant Danielle Fishel have a podcast together called Stepping On Toes, where they are currently sharing their thoughts on spinoff show The Next Pro. After this week’s new episode, Chmerkovskiy had a lot to say about contestant AJ Pritchard.
Pritchard was previously a pro on the UK series Strictly Come Dancing, and he has touted his accolades in the dance community, even choreographing a dance during this week’s show inspired by his win at the British Open Dance Championship.
“It makes good TV at his expense. I guess that’s how I want to say it,” Chmerkovskiy said of Pritchard, adding, “I wish he wrapped that arrogance into a little softer presentation.”
Although Chmerkovskiy hesitated to call Pritchard entitled, but he did say that the dancer seems to be thinking, “What am I even doing here? Why do I have to go through this process if I already know I’m good enough and I already did this.” To that, Chmerkovskiy said, “I can appreciate that, but dude, then don’t sign up for the show.”
AJ Pritchard competed on Britain’s Got Talent with partner Chloe Hewitt in 2013, reaching the Semifinals. Then from 2016 to 2019, he was a pro dancer on Strictly Come Dancing. Over four seasons, he was partnered with stars such as gymnast Claudia Fragapane and Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman.
“We all got pedigree. Everybody’s won something,” Val Chmerkovskiy said of Pritchard’s accomplishments. “I appreciate that he’s a well accomplished competitive dancer and he does have experience already at this job—he had this job.”
He questioned why Pritchard would sign up for The Next Pro if he has such an impressive résumé, telling him, “If you are going to show up, you gotta have humility in the sense that you got to prove yourself right now. There’s a reason why you’re here and no longer have a job there. So to be here, be present. Don’t live in the past.”
What do you think about Val Chmerkovskiy’s comments? Does AJ Pritchard have an arrogance problem on The Next Pro? Let us know in the comments below.
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Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
