Former Strictly Come Dancing professional AJ Pritchard has been brutally criticised by judges as he competes for a place on the American spin-off, Dancing With The Stars. The Stoke-on-Trent-born dancer failed to impress the judging panel during the latest round of The Next Pro competition, which aims to find a new professional dancer for the US show.
Judges Deliver Harsh Verdict
Current Dancing With The Stars winner Robert Irwin hosts The Next Pro, which puts a string of dancers through their paces. The judging panel includes Strictly's Shirley Ballas, alongside her son Mark Ballas and professional dancer Derek Hough. During the episode, AJ performed alongside Jake Monreal, a former Dancing With The Stars Juniors star, but the judges did not hold back with their feedback.
Derek Hough fumed: "I think you lacked oomph and a little bit of energy, especially with what the music was giving us. So moving forward, think about that, you can't dance below the music." Mark Ballas added: "AJ technique was good, you've done this job before in Strictly, so there's a little more pressure on you. There's killers on our show. If you are dancing next to someone like Val Chmerkovskiy [one of the existing US pros], I want to see you fight for it."
Shirley Ballas Urges Risk-Taking
Shirley Ballas, who worked with AJ on Strictly for three years before he left in 2020, said: "AJ, I want you to take risks, I don't ever want to get the feeling from you that you're playing it safe." The criticism comes as AJ seeks to secure a spot on the popular US competition, which launched a huge search for its latest professional dancer ahead of the new series.
When AJ quit Strictly in 2020, he said he was "looking forward to a new chapter." Speaking to The Sun at the time, he explained: "It took up six months of my life, some days I would work 18-hour days because I was dancing and choreographing. I didn't have a life, and I wanted to be able to do more." He and his brother Curtis had hoped to become the "next Ant and Dec," adding: "I want to have my own brand, and there were things I couldn't do because of the Strictly brand and the time involved."
Potential Awkward Interaction Ahead
If AJ succeeds in landing a spot on Dancing With The Stars, he faces an awkward interaction with Maura Higgins, his brother Curtis's ex-girlfriend. Maura has been confirmed as the first contestant for the 35th series of the competition, having recently become a hit across the pond after appearing on The Traitors.
