Who Are the DWTS: The Next Pro Finalists? Meet AJ Pritchard, Adele Zaikman and Selena Hamilton

Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro has its final three. AJ Pritchard, Adele Zaikman and Selena Hamilton will compete in the August 31 finale for the one prize that has driven the entire season: a professional dancer position on Dancing with the Stars Season 35. Allen Genkin narrowly missed the finale after Shirley Ballas said he had “ever so slightly underperformed” in the semifinals. The three remaining contestants arrive at the final challenge from very different backgrounds. AJ already knows celebrity ballroom television from Strictly Come Dancing, Adele is an elite competitive ballroom dancer, and Selena has emerged as the final’s commercial-performance wildcard.

AJ Pritchard

AJ Pritchard is easily the most recognizable finalist to viewers who followed Britain’s Strictly Come Dancing. He served as a professional dancer on Strictly from 2016 through 2019, partnering celebrities including Claudia Fragapane, Mollie King, Lauren Steadman and Saffron Barker before leaving the show in 2020.

That experience has made AJ one of The Next Pro’s most unusual contestants. He is effectively competing for a job he has already performed in another version of the franchise, but his previous success does not automatically give him a DWTS position.

AJ’s semifinal demonstrated both why he could win and why the judges have challenged him so aggressively. Rylee Arnold worried that his demanding approach could become difficult with an inexperienced celebrity, but AJ’s cha cha ultimately received strong feedback for leadership and the way he showcased Rylee. His later foxtrot with Adele earned even stronger praise, with Shirley finally calling him a “star.”

Adele Zaikman

Adele Zaikman enters the finale with perhaps the strongest technical resume of the final three. Her ballroom background was evident from the premiere, when the judges immediately singled out the quality and precision of her dancing.

What has made Adele increasingly dangerous is that she has shown she can do more than perform. The show’s later challenges have tested teaching, choreography and the ability to create routines that work for television, and Adele has generally handled those assignments without losing the technical standard that made her stand out initially.

Her semifinal samba with Gleb Savchenko was one of the night’s strongest performances. Kym Johnson said it looked like something that could already appear on regular DWTS, while Mark Ballas considered the routine nearly perfect. Shirley’s description of Adele during the later foxtrot was even more striking, calling her part of the “new generation” of Dancing with the Stars.

Adele is also at the center of an unconfirmed winner spoiler. Photos reportedly showing her around the DWTS studio in Los Angeles after The Next Pro filming have led fans to wonder whether she had already begun Season 35 work. ABC has not confirmed that theory.

Related: Why Did Selena Hamilton Reach the DWTS: The Next Pro Finale Over Allen Genkin?

Selena Hamilton

Selena Hamilton has taken the least conventional route to the finale. Her broader background in commercial dance has repeatedly made her one of the most distinctive performers in the competition, but the judges have also questioned whether her ballroom knowledge is deep enough for the professional job.

Only one episode before the semifinals, Selena was in jeopardy alongside Nina Mayster. Her quickstep was criticized for containing too little proper quickstep content, creating the impression that Selena might be the most vulnerable member of the final four. Then the semifinal changed everything.

Her salsa with Jan Ravnik earned some of her strongest reviews of the season. Mark said she “nailed the brief,” Kym called her a star and Shirley praised her balance, chemistry and precision. Selena then partnered Allen for another quickstep and received far better feedback than she had the previous week.

She reaches the finale as the outsider on paper, but also as the contestant with the clearest late-season momentum.

What happened to Allen Genkin?

Allen was eliminated after an exceptionally close semifinal. His jive with Witney Carson actually divided the judges in an unusual way. Shirley and Kym wanted him to create more major moments for Witney, while Mark called it his favorite jive of the entire season.

Allen later performed a strong quickstep with Selena, making his elimination even harder to predict. Shirley ultimately explained only that one contestant had “ever so slightly underperformed” compared with the others before announcing Allen’s name.

That left AJ, Adele and Selena as the final three.

What happens in The Next Pro finale?

The final challenge moves closer than ever to the job these contestants are trying to win. ABC has confirmed that the finalists will partner former DWTS celebrity finalists Charli D’Amelio, Nev Schulman and Adam Rippon. All three understand the demands of the main show and can therefore provide a very different test from working with another professional dancer.

Derek Hough will join Mark and Shirley Ballas on the judging panel, while Witney Carson co-hosts with Robert Irwin. The winner will earn the professional position on Season 35.

Adele currently looks like the narrow favorite based on the season as a whole, while AJ brings the most directly relevant previous experience. Selena enters with the strongest underdog story after transforming herself from the contestant in danger into someone the judges suddenly described as looking ready for the main show.

One of them will leave the finale not merely as the winner of a summer spinoff, but as the newest professional on Dancing with the Stars.