Why Was Allen Genkin Eliminated From DWTS: The Next Pro?

Allen Genkin’s elimination from Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro was surprising precisely because he did not have an obviously bad semifinal. Mark Ballas called Allen and Witney Carson’s jive his favorite jive of the entire season, and Allen’s second dance with Selena Hamilton also received enthusiastic praise. The judges nevertheless sent him home because, as Shirley Ballas explained, he had “ever so slightly underperformed” compared with AJ Pritchard, Adele Zaikman and Selena. The episode never identifies one fatal mistake. Instead, Allen appears to have lost on the accumulation of small differences in choreography, confidence and impact on a night when the other three finalists produced stronger individual statements.

Allen’s jive was good, so what went wrong?

Allen’s first semifinal performance was technically strong but did not convince every judge that he had fully used Witney Carson as a partner. The contestants were not simply being judged on how well they could dance beside established DWTS pros. They had to choreograph routines that demonstrated they understood what makes those professionals effective on television.

Shirley praised Allen’s jive action and side-by-side dancing but questioned whether his choreography extracted everything possible from Witney. Kym Johnson agreed. She liked how much proper jive content Allen included, yet wanted more moments built around Witney’s ability to command the camera.

Mark saw the routine completely differently. He called it his favorite jive of the season, praising its momentum, kicks, flicks and the fact that the energy never dropped. That disagreement is one reason Allen’s eventual elimination felt so abrupt.

Did Allen fail to showcase Witney Carson?

That was the clearest criticism attached specifically to Allen’s semifinal choreography. Both Shirley and Kym wanted him to create more standout moments for Witney rather than concentrating so heavily on traditional jive content.

That criticism matters because The Next Pro is an audition for a television job, not a conventional ballroom championship. A successful DWTS professional has to understand what makes a routine read on camera, how to highlight a partner and when to sacrifice technical density for a memorable television moment.

Witney had also raised another concern before the dance. She felt Allen needed to believe in himself more, arguing that greater confidence would help his choreography “pop.” Allen had repeatedly demonstrated warmth and reliability throughout the season, but the semifinal demanded authority as much as likability.

But didn’t Allen and Selena’s quickstep impress the judges?

Yes, which makes it even harder to point to one dance as the reason Allen went home.

Allen and Selena partnered for the second round and received strong reviews for their quickstep. Shirley praised both for possessing the kind of personality that cannot easily be taught. Kym highlighted their musicality and creativity, while Mark said both performers had charisma and that he could imagine either of them joining regular DWTS immediately.

Because that performance was shared, however, it did little to create separation between Allen and Selena. Both benefited from the same successful routine.

Their first-round dances told a more revealing story. Allen’s jive produced a split judging response. Selena’s salsa with Jan Ravnik received almost unanimous enthusiasm, with Mark saying she “nailed the brief,” Kym calling her a star and Shirley saying the routine looked like the work of a potential next pro.

Why did AJ, Adele and Selena make the finale instead?

Each of the three survivors produced a clearer argument for what they could bring to Dancing with the Stars.

Selena had been vulnerable only one week earlier, but her semifinal salsa addressed one of the biggest doubts surrounding her. She created a routine that felt built for television, used Jan effectively and earned some of her strongest feedback of the season.

Adele’s samba with Gleb Savchenko was described by Kym as something that could already appear on regular DWTS. Mark found it close to perfect, while Shirley continued to praise Adele’s technical quality even as she pushed her to include more obvious audience-friendly moments.

AJ also had a particularly important night. Rylee Arnold had questioned whether his intense coaching style would translate well to celebrities, but the actual cha cha earned praise for how effectively he led and showcased her. His later foxtrot with Adele produced even stronger feedback, with Shirley calling AJ a star and praising the quality of his ballroom dancing.

Against those performances, Allen’s night was excellent without producing quite the same defining moment.

Was Allen’s elimination unfair?

Calling it definitively unfair would go further than the episode allows, but it is easy to understand why viewers may disagree with the decision. Mark’s praise of Allen’s jive was stronger than the criticism, and the quickstep earned excellent feedback. There was no disastrous mistake, poor routine or obvious collapse that made Allen the clear fourth-place contestant.

The judges also did not reveal a detailed scoring system or their private deliberations. Shirley simply told Allen that he had “ever so slightly underperformed” relative to the remaining contestants. That wording matters. The decision was not presented as Allen failing the semifinal. It was presented as three other dancers narrowly doing more.

Fan discussion before and during the episode also shows why the result may generate debate. Allen had been viewed by some fans as a possible winner, while Selena’s ballroom experience had repeatedly been questioned. After Selena’s semifinal salsa, however, viewers were also praising her television-ready choreography and arguing that she deserved the finale.

Allen therefore leaves The Next Pro in an unusual position. He was eliminated after one judge called his routine the best jive of the season and after another dance that all three judges praised. There was no single obvious mistake that ended his run. The semifinal was simply close enough that his quieter weaknesses, particularly confidence and making the choreography feel maximally television-ready, became more damaging when AJ, Adele and Selena each delivered something the judges could point to as evidence that they belonged in the finale.

Related: Who Will Win DWTS: The Next Pro? Our Final Four Prediction Before the Semifinals