‘Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro’ Episode 5 recap: Daniella Karagach wants the top six dancers to ‘wow’ her
Every pro on Dancing With the Stars is looking for that epic "wow" moment that sets them apart from the competition. This week's Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro challenged the six remaining hopefuls to do just that.
That's right, we're already down to the final six on The Next Pro after last week's double elimination of Tristen Sanders and Stephani Sosa, who failed to convince the judges of their chemistry. That leaves Allen Genkin, Selena Hamilton, Erik Linder, Nina Mayster, AJ Pritchard, and Adele Zaikman vying for a chance to enter the DWTS ballroom this fall as a first-time pro for Season 35.
And who better to teach them about "wow" moments than one-time Mirrorball Champion Daniella Karagach? Remember that iconic routine from Season 30 inspired by the horror movie Us? That was Daniella, who earned an Emmy nomination for the choreography and ushered her partner Iman Shumpert to a historic victory; a basketball star had never won before. What's more, Daniella has only failed to make the finals twice out of her six previous seasons as a pro.
Read on for our recap of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro Season 1, Episode 5, titled "'Wow' Moments with Daniella Karagach," which aired Aug. 10 on ABC, with episodes available to stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
"It's going to get harder and harder, because you all know what is on the line here." — Robert Irwin
Daniella danced a dark and eerie routine full of the kinds of innovative twists and lifts that she's known for. It included three moves that were previously featured on DWTS and went viral: Val Chmerkovskiy's knee walks, Witney Carson's leg lift, and Daniella's own air walk. The task for the Next Pro hopefuls was to create a routine using one of those demonstrated "wow" moments and at least one of their own. These would all be contemporary routines, which concerned Adele as she was new to the dance style. For Selena, though, this was her area of expertise -- a double-edged sword as more experience usually leads to higher expectations.
First, Robert decided to demonstrate "wow" factor in an unconventional way: by bringing the dancers to Australia Zoo and introducing them to the wildlife there, including rhinos, giraffes, and koalas. "Being here at the Australia Zoo, seeing all of these animals, it's very much re-centering me," Nina said of the experience following criticisms she has received from the judges and even her fellow dancers. "I can't wait to bring that out on the dance floor." Some kind of koala maneuver would certainly qualify as a move no one has seen before.
Last week the ladies got to pick which of the men they wanted to partner with, which left a chip on Tristen's shoulder after he wasn't picked by anyone. Tristen's hurt feelings probably interfered with his chemistry with eventual partner Stephani, leading to their double elimination. So let's do that again, of course! This time the roles were reversed. The men got to pick their ideal partners, so it was one of the ladies who ended up getting picked last for gym: Nina, who had a reputation for inconsistent timing on the dance floor and bossy behavior in the rehearsal studio. Even her best friend Allen picked a different woman to dance with: Adele. That's gotta sting.
Selena had a choice between two men: Erik and AJ, who both were aware of her contemporary background. She opted for Erik, whom she felt was a more equal partner than AJ, who has a bossy streak of his own. So AJ reluctantly embraced Nina despite his worry about partnering with someone who had never danced contemporary before. "I'm stressed at this point. This could be the dance that sends me home." AJ confessed.
"If I can't deal with this challenge, I don't deserve to be a pro on 'Dancing With the Stars.'" — AJ Pritchard
AJ and Nina weren't the only couple getting a rough start. Adele's competitive ballroom background left her without much experience performing tricks, so she bailed out of a lift with Allen that was starting to scare her. She'd need to overcome her fear because the female pros on DWTS have a tendency to go airborne. The biggest challenge for Selena and Erik was living up to the pressure that they were under to deliver since she had been dancing contemporary all her life; maybe that's what contributed to her mental block when it came to inventing her own "wow" moment. Erik suggested that maybe it didn't need to be the most acrobatic feat, but rather the emotional silences between them as dance partners. Selena didn't seem so sure about that, but trusted his judgment.
At this stage of the competition, fatigue became a recurring theme. AJ even broke down in tears under the weight of the expectations he has set for himself. "When you're tired, when your body is going through so much, and you're mentally going through so much, doubts and fears kick in harder," Adele explained. None of the couples were immune to that. Everyone went into show night with nerves. So who did the best job shaking them off?
AJ and Nina: "You definitely both understood the assignment," said Daniella. She especially loved the team's "wow" moment, which, yes, was inspired by koalas. Mark thought it was great, but the "wow" moment for him came when Nina let herself fall backwards and trusted AJ to protect her. Shirley thought there were multiple "wow" moments. AJ admirably stepped out of his comfort zone, and Nina showed greatly improved musicality and timing.
Allen and Adele: Mark thought they danced well together, and this time Allen followed the instructions successfully. He praised the "Allen-copter" lift as the couple's true "wow" moment, and he called Adele a "diamond" created by extreme pressure. Shirley pays Adele an extraordinary compliment, saying the young woman is one of the best dancers she has ever seen, while Allen's strength as a partner was evidenced in how comfortable Adele seemed. Danielle loved that they opened with their caveman walk; they looked like they'd been dancing together for years.
Erik and Selena: Shirley was conflicted. Selena said the "wow" moment was the silence, but that didn't come through to Shirley. The judge also wanted Erik to let himself go more: "Is nice good enough?" And Selena was a little disappointing given her extensive experience in the contemporary style. Mark at first defended their unusual interpretation of a "wow" moment, but he didn't seem to understand it either. Danielle praised their chemistry and their dance quality, but she also felt it lacked the one thing the challenge called for.
"I think you are probably one of the best female dancers I've ever seen in 66 countries of Dancing With the Stars or Strictly Come Dancing." — Shirley Ballas
"We've had the hardest deliberation this season," Mark Ballas told the dancers. "Erik and Selena, we loved your dance, but we do have a fundamental problem." Indeed, their lack of a "wow" moment was deadly. Shirley wondered whose idea it was to not deliver on the challenge prompt. Erik answered, "I take joint responsibility," a tortured phrasing perhaps born of guilt for having come up with the idea! Selena declined to throw him under the bus, so the judges had no choice but to place both of them in the bottom two.
"It's with a very, very heavy heart that I say this," started Shirley. "This will be the last dance for Erik."
"I knew that I was taking a risk. I enjoyed and I loved every moment of that routine, and I'm proud of it. And I don't regret a single moment," Erik said in his exit interview.
"I absolutely feel beat down right now," revealed Selena. "I sent him home doing the thing I've been doing my whole life." A sad ending, but that's what happens when you don't understand the assignment.
Who was Daniella’s partner for the exhibition dance at the intro on 8/10/26. She is undoubtably a prima of the ballroom circuit but her partner deserves high praise as well and is not even mentioned. Please let us know so we can follow his career as well. Her force requires a powerful counterpart and he was exceptional.