Why Didn’t AJ Pritchard Win DWTS: The Next Pro? His Finale Loss Explained

AJ Pritchard did not lose Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro because of one major mistake. The former Strictly Come Dancing professional finished second behind Adele Zaikman after a strong finale with Charli D’Amelio, including a freestyle that earned praise from all three judges. The difference appears to have been Adele’s stronger overall argument as a teacher and choreographer across the final stage of the competition. AJ’s experience made him look immediately capable of doing the DWTS job, but it also created extremely high expectations. In the finale, Shirley Ballas questioned whether AJ fully maximized the enormous advantage of working with Charli, while Adele received some of the night’s strongest praise specifically for her teaching.

Did AJ have a bad finale?

No. AJ’s second-place finish should not be mistaken for a finale collapse. His first dance with Charli D’Amelio was a Viennese waltz to Golden Hour. Mark Ballas thought the routine contained plenty of proper ballroom content and considered it a solid performance, while Derek Hough praised the confidence and trust between AJ and Charli.

Shirley was more critical. She joked that AJ had effectively won the lottery by drawing Charli, one of the most accomplished celebrity contestants in DWTS history, but questioned whether he had created enough memorable moments around her abilities.

That criticism became important because the finale was not judging which celebrity danced best. It was judging which aspiring professional knew how to extract the most from the celebrity they had been given.

Related: Who Won DWTS: The Next Pro? Adele Zaikman Joins Season 35

Did dancing with Charli D’Amelio actually hurt AJ?

Charli was an enormous advantage, but she may also have increased the standard AJ was expected to meet.

She won DWTS Season 31 with Mark Ballas and entered the finale with far more dance ability than an ordinary celebrity contestant. AJ therefore did not have to spend as much time solving basic movement problems as Adele did with Nev Schulman or Selena did with Adam Rippon.

The trade-off was that an ordinary routine would not look impressive enough. If you are handed Charli D’Amelio, the judges naturally expect choreography capable of showing everything she can do.

Shirley’s criticism went directly to that issue. AJ’s Viennese waltz was technically strong, but she believed he could have produced more standout moments with the celebrity partner available to him.

That does not mean the pairing caused his defeat. It means Charli’s ability created a different kind of pressure.

AJ’s freestyle was one of his strongest performances

AJ responded extremely well in the second round. His freestyle to Bad Man was designed as a celebration of the different things he had learned during The Next Pro, allowing him to mix several styles instead of staying within one ballroom discipline.

The judges responded enthusiastically. Shirley liked the variety, Derek said the performance had everything, and Mark was particularly impressed by how quickly AJ had put such an ambitious routine together.

If the competition had been decided by the freestyle alone, there is little evidence that AJ had done enough wrong to lose.

That is why his runner-up result is better understood as Adele winning the total audition rather than AJ throwing away the finale.

Why did Adele have the edge over AJ?

Adele’s finale feedback went directly to the skill the show had spent eight episodes trying to identify: teaching.

Her samba with Nev Schulman received a standing ovation. Shirley called Adele a magical teacher and described her skills as second to none, while the judges also praised how effectively she put Nev to work instead of designing the performance around herself.

Her freestyle continued that pattern. Rather than simply displaying her own technical ability, Adele built a dramatic paso doble around Nev and once again received praise for how she used her partner.

That gave the judges a clean final argument for choosing her. Adele entered The Next Pro with exceptional competitive credentials, but she left it having proved that she could transfer that knowledge to other people.

AJ had already demonstrated that skill through Strictly Come Dancing. The competition therefore spent much of the season asking him to prove something different: that he could bring freshness, personality and adaptability beyond a job he had essentially performed before.

Did AJ’s Strictly experience work against him?

It probably raised expectations, but there is no evidence the judges punished him simply for being experienced.

From the beginning, AJ was held to an unusually high standard because he had already been a celebrity-partner professional on Strictly. Judges knew he understood ballroom technique and television rehearsals, so a technically competent routine was rarely enough to impress them.

AJ himself repeatedly emphasized that a professional’s job is not primarily about dancing. It requires coaching, understanding how a celebrity learns and giving that person enough confidence to perform.

The irony is that this made him both the safest candidate and perhaps the contestant with the least room to surprise the judges. Adele could demonstrate visible growth from elite competitive dancer to television coach. AJ arrived with many of those skills already expected.

That does not make the result unfair. It explains why the competition evaluated them differently.

Could AJ still become a DWTS professional later?

Possibly, but there is currently no confirmed DWTS role for him. Finishing second does not erase his experience or the positive feedback he received throughout the season. The Next Pro also gave producers weeks of evidence that AJ can choreograph, teach and perform within the DWTS format.

But the advertised Season 35 professional position belonged specifically to the winner, and Adele earned it.

AJ therefore leaves with a much higher profile among American DWTS viewers but without the guaranteed celebrity partnership he wanted. His runner-up finish may feel surprising because he entered with the most relevant television resume, yet that was exactly why simply proving he could do the job was never going to be enough. Adele had to show the judges she could become a DWTS pro. AJ had to convince them that he should become one again instead of someone new getting the opportunity, and Adele ultimately made the stronger case.