‘Dancing With the Stars: the Next Pro’ Season 1 Week 6 Live Recap: Who Was Eliminated?

This week, the final five were tasked with their most difficult challenge yet: teaching novices the ballroom routines.

Mark Ballas, Shirley Ballas and Witney Carson | Vince Valitutti/Disney/Getty Images

Dancing With the Stars: the Next Pro is officially down to the final five, and—with only three weeks left in the competition—the ballroom floor is more of a battlefield than ever before. Tonight, the remaining contestants were tasked with their most difficult challenge of the season so far: teaching novices the ballroom basics, just as they would have to on the main show.

But before we dive into this week’s episode, let’s make sure you’re all caught up on where we left off after last week’s elimination.

Who was eliminated last week?

The fifth week of competition saw the aspiring pros learning all about how to craft a standout moment on the hardwood, with the episode aptly titled “Wow Moments with Daniella Karagach.” The aforementioned Karagach was on hand as a mentor and guest judge, joining the panel alongside fellow pro Mark Ballas, Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas and host Robert Irwin.

To start last week’s episode, Karagach showed off her skills before challenging the remaining six contestants to choreograph a contemporary number. To fit with the episode’s theme, each routine needed to feature one of three specific Dancing With the Stars “wow” moments from the past, as well as one new addition of their own. The six contestants were then paired up, with Selena and Erik, AJ and Nina and Adele and Allen working together.

While the remaining contestants gave it their all, there was definitely a feeling of pressure among the group as the playing field shrank. After their practice runs and final performances, the judges had praise for each pairing. However, Selena and Erik found themselves in the bottom two, and after some deliberation, Erik was ultimately the contestant sent home. With this in mind, going into tonight’s episode, the final five contestants were:

• Adele
• AJ
• Allen
• Nina
• Selena

For more information on last week’s episode, check out our full live recap here.

What happened on tonight’s episode?

As noted above, this week presented perhaps the most important challenge yet for the final five. Titled “But Can You Teach? Coaching Superfans with Witney Carson,” 2026 Dancing With the Stars Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy-winning pro Witney tasked the remaining contestants with teaching complete novices—who were also noted to be “superfans” of the show—ballroom routines. This was an ability the spin-off show’s winner would need, as the main show sees pros teaching celebrity novices all the right moves.

After Witney showcased her own ballroom prowess, Robert welcomed the superfans to the stage, who consisted of an array of social media stars. Their partners were drawn at random, and the pairings were also assigned a different ballroom style. While the superfans had some dance experience, none had backgrounds in ballroom. Some pairings bumped heads throughout the two-day practice session, but all came together for the final performances to fight for a spot in the semifinals.

Nina and Jay

Nina and her novice, Jay, were up first, dancing a dreamy foxtrot to “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean. Shirley applauded Jay’s personality on the floor and Nina’s ability to teach, but noted several technical issues. Mark called the foxtrot a “sneaky hard dance,” adding that they were too close during the routine, which affected their ability to “glide.” Witney finished judging by cheering the pair on, but warned Nina about potential time management issues with her teaching style in the future.

Adele and Anthony

Adele and her novice, Anthony, took the hardwood next with a sultry tango choreographed to  “Just Keep Watching” by Tate McRae. Mark loved the “dynamics” of the routine and enjoyed Adele’s straightforward teaching style. Shirley seconded her opinion, and Witney agreed with her fellow judges, noting that Adele used several “pro tricks” during the routine to help Anthony shine.

AJ and Bailey

AJ and his novice, Bailey, tackled a classic Viennese waltz, set to “Die for Me” by Zayn. Witney said she “loved” the routine given how “technically sound” it was, though she wanted more emotion. Mark was impressed by the pair, saying they did a “great job.” Shirley said the pair “killed it,” calling AJ an “absolute star.”

Allen and Zaria

Allen and his novice, Zaria, were the penultimate couple of the evening, taking to the ballroom with a sweet waltz set to “Consequences (Orchestra)” by Camila Cabello. Shirley started the judging by exclaiming, “I loved it!” Witney concurred, adding that she admired the way Allen built his novice’s confidence. Mark added that it was incredible that they learned the impressive routine in just two days.

Selena and Jeremy

Selena and her novice, Jeremy, closed the performances with a high-energy quickstep to “Such a Night” by Michael Bublé. The routine received a standout reaction from the judges, who immediately applauded the pairing. Witney loved Jeremy’s energy, but noted it was missing some quickstep content. Mark agreed, feeling they didn’t travel enough around the room during the dance. Shirley also worried about Selena’s ability to teach, given the lack of traditional quickstep moves.

Who was eliminated this week?

After all of the performances wrapped up, the bottom two for the episode were revealed to be Nina and Selena. Upon their final deliberation, the judges decided to send Nina home just short of the semifinals, confirming the final four as Adele, AJ, Allen and Selena.

When is the next episode of Dancing With the Stars: the Next Pro?

The semifinal episode of Dancing With the Stars: the Next Pro will air on ABC on Monday, August 24, at 8 p.m. ET, and we’ll be back in action with a live recap throughout the night!

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