The competition on Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro has reached the semifinals, but not before one more dancer was eliminated.

Episode 6 brought five contestants back to the ballroom for a new challenge led by guest judge Witney Carson. By the end of the episode, Nina Mayster was eliminated, leaving four dancers to compete in next week’s semifinals.

Witney Carson Challenges The Contestants

Titled But Can You Teach? Coaching Superfans with Witney Carson, Episode 6 focused on one of the most important skills for a professional dancer: teaching.

Carson introduced the contestants to a challenge that required them to teach ballroom routines to amateur dancers within just two days.

Alongside regular judges Mark Ballas and Shirley Ballas, Carson evaluated the contestants as they worked with their randomly assigned partners.

The pairings were:

• Jeremy Urann and Selena Hamilton — quickstep
• Zaira Yzabelle and Allen Genkin — waltz
• Jay Wyson and Nina Mayster — foxtrot
• Anthony Riccardo and Adele Zaikman — tango
• Bailey McKnight and AJ Pritchard — Viennese waltz

The Performances

Nina and Jay were the first pair to perform. Shirley praised Nina for making Jay feel welcome in the studio but criticized the footwork, while Mark focused on their frame.

Adele and Anthony followed with their tango. Mark liked Adele’s strict approach to teaching, while Shirley praised the choreography and described the routine as “fierce.” She nevertheless felt the performance needed more fun.

Carson also complimented Adele’s teaching technique and choreography.

AJ and Bailey were next with their Viennese waltz. Carson described the routine as “beautiful” but wanted to see more emotion from AJ.

Allen and Zaira then performed their waltz, earning strong praise from Shirley, who described them as a partnership filled with beauty.

The final performance came from Selena and Jeremy with their quickstep. Jeremy’s energy impressed Carson, although she criticized Selena’s choreography. Mark found the routine fun, while Shirley felt Selena did not fully capture the character of the dance.

Nina Mayster Is Eliminated

After all five performances, the judges named Nina and Selena as the two dancers in danger.

Shirley described the decision as difficult and said both contestants “lacked knowledge” before announcing Nina as the dancer leaving the competition.

Nina became emotional after the elimination, reflecting on how much her time on the show had changed her view of herself as a dancer.

“It sucks. It hurts,” she said. “I haven’t cried like this in a while.”

Nina explained that after dancing for 10 years, she had not always valued herself as a dancer, but said the competition had changed that perspective.

“I am better than I came in here being. And I know my worth,” she added.

Who Made The Semifinals?

With Nina’s elimination, four dancers remain in the competition and will advance to the semifinals.

The remaining contestants are:

• Selena Hamilton
• Adele Zaikman
• Allen Genkin
• AJ Pritchard

The Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro semifinals will air next week, with the remaining dancers one step closer to winning the competition.

Source: Compiled from various sources