Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro premiered Monday night on ABC, with Derek Hough appearing as a guest judge and mentor in an episode focused on technique. At the end of the night, two hopeful dancers were eliminated from the competition.
Derek Hough Appears in DWTS: The Next Pro Premiere
Monday’s premiere episode of DWTS: The Next Pro introduced us to the 12 dancers competing for a chance to become a pro on Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars. The contestants met host Robert Irwin and judges Shirley and Mark Ballas.
This week, DWTS judge Derek Hough joined the dancers in the rehearsal room to prepare their performances. The contestants were paired up, with the guys dancing jive routines and the girls dancing samba routines.
The focus of this week’s The Next Pro challenge was on technique, as the dancers choreographed their own solo sections in their assigned styles, and also performed side-by-side moves choreographed by Hough.
For the guys, this week’s standouts were Allen and Benji, whose performance together gave Shirley Ballas goosebumps. Mark Ballas called it the “most dynamic performance so far.” It left Derek Hough wanting to see more from both of them.
On the girls’ side, the standouts were Selena and Adele. Selena was paired with Natalie for a samba routine, prompting Shirley Ballas to call her a “superstar.” Mark Ballas called her “fire.” As for Adele, who was paired with Nina, Hough compared her to a Rolls Royce, while Mark Ballas described her as an “assassin.”
SHOP TALENT RECAP MERCH:
The Episode Ended in a Double Elimination
Monday’s premiere episode of The Next Pro ended with a double elimination, as one guy and one girl were sent home. The bottom two girls were Briar and Natalie, while the bottom two guys were Tristen and Jake.
Ultimately, Briar and Jake were sent home. During Briar’s samba performance with Stefani, she briefly slipped but kept going. Shirley Ballas encouraged her to work on her technique in the bottom half of her body. As for Jake, his jive with AJ lacked energy according to Hough.
The show will return for another episode next week, as DWTS pro Brandon Armstrong appears as a guest mentor for the remaining 10 dancers.
SHOP TALENT RECAP MERCH:
What did you think of this week’s premiere? Do you think the judges made the right decision about which dancers to send home? Who are you rooting for to win? Let us know in the comments below.
