{"id":6059,"date":"2026-07-14T17:36:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6059"},"modified":"2026-07-14T17:36:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:36:28","slug":"dancing-with-the-stars-the-next-pro-star-briar-nolet-wasnt-going-to-let-a-slip-during-her-samba-stop-her-i-had-to-lock-in-and-keep-going","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6059","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro\u2019 Star Briar Nolet Wasn\u2019t Going To Let A Slip During Her Samba Stop Her: \u201cI Had To Lock In And Keep Going\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/show\/dancing-with-the-stars-the-next-pro\/\">Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro<\/a><\/em> features 12 of the best dancers from across the world vying for a spot in the ballroom <em><a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/show\/dancing-with-the-stars\/\">Dancing With The Stars<\/a><\/em> Season 35. While each competitor is worthy in their own way of one day being in the ballroom, there can only be 1 winner. The competition kicked off with the shocking double elimination of contestants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jakemonreal33\/?hl=en\">Jake Monreal<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/briarnolet\/?hl=en\">Briar Nolet<\/a>. Known from his time on <em>Dancing With The Stars: Junior<\/em> and <em><a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/show\/so-you-think-you-can-dance\/\">So You Think You Can Dance<\/a><\/em>, Monreal was ousted from the competition due to lack of musicality during his jive performance despite his incredible presence on the dance floor. Nolet, a commercial dancer who went on tour with Jennifer Lopez shortly after her stint on <em><a href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/show\/world-of-dance\/\">World of Dance<\/a><\/em>, suffered an unfortunate slip during her samba. Despite her fall, judges Shirley Ballas, Mark Ballas and special guest Derek Hough praised her tenacity while urging to go home and work on her technique. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course, both Jake and I wish we could have stayed to the very end,\u201d said Nolet, but was quick to note that \u201ceverything happens for a reason.\u201d Monreal knows that just being chosen to compete on <em>DWTS: The Next Pro <\/em>was a win in itself. \u201cThat meant that someone thought we may have what it takes someday to be a part of the<em> DWTS<\/em> family,\u201d he said. The experience clearly meant a lot to both Nolet and Monreal. Even though the judges had mixed feelings about both of their performances, Nolet pointed out that it was \u201ca win to receive critiques.\u201d Monreal agreed, adding that \u201cif people with that amount of expertise are telling you something, you should probably listen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nolet and Monreal hopped on a Zoom with Decider to talk about their time of the show, praise their fellow competitors and reveal why they are like \u201cfamily\u201d to each other now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DECIDER: Briar and Jake, unfortunately, your journeys on<em> DWTS: The Next Pro<\/em> were far, far too brief. How do you look back at the experience with some distance? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>BRIAR NOLET: Of course, both Jake and I wish we could have stayed to the very end. I do believe that everything happens for a reason. I got to leave after I already made a forever family. All our fellow contestants are so deserving of everything good that\u2019s going to come their way. It was also such a win to receive critiques from the judges. It sucks to have gone home so soon, but I\u2019m so grateful for the experience.\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n<p>JAKE MONREAL: We already won by getting the opportunity to go on <em>The Next Pro<\/em> because that meant that someone thought we may have what it takes someday to be a part of the<em> DWTS <\/em>family. I\u2019m eternally grateful. This experience really meant a lot to me. It\u2019s something special. I gave each stage of the competition\u2014including the training beforehand\u2014everything that I could have. I\u2019m proud of what I left out there. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.50146628;display:block\" width=\"886\" height=\"590\" alt=\"DWTS: The Next Pro, AJ Pritchard, Derek Hough and Jake Monreal\" class=\"wp-image-2098084 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DWTSTheNextPro-Derek-AJ-and-Jake.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DWTSTheNextPro-Derek-AJ-and-Jake.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DWTSTheNextPro-Derek-AJ-and-Jake.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DWTSTheNextPro-Derek-AJ-and-Jake.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DWTSTheNextPro-Derek-AJ-and-Jake.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1286 1286w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> <span class=\"credit\">Disney\/Vince Valitutti<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Jake, for the first challenge, you were paired with AJ Pritchard for the jive. I know he was skeptical of you at first because of your age. What was it like working with him? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>JM: He was the utmost professional. I knew him from <em>Strictly Come Dancing<\/em> so I knew that he would be one of the toughest competitors in the house. When we got paired up together, I was like, \u201call right, good, I\u2019m excited for this.\u201d I wanted to show that I could compete with somebody at his level. I know the age thing was something that was brought up a little bit. It was funny watching him around the house with his night mask and his pajamas. It was very, uh, 30+ coded [laughs], but I shouldn\u2019t say that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Briar, you were paired with Stephani Sosa for the samba. What was that experience like? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>BN: Stephani\u2019s such a doll. She has a nice background of ballroom, Latin and commercial experience. It was great to be able to learn from her and to work with her. Because she had that commercial background, she\u2019d understand certain terminology I\u2019d use. She helped me drill the moves over and over again. I worked hard to remember the choreography and tried to focus on the technique that I\u2019d been learning for the last year and a half. <\/p>\n<p>The samba is a very difficult dance. But once I sat down with Stephani and we started to talk, she managed to calm me down. It was good for us both to focus on what was important, which was fundamentals and technique. Stephani and I were able to help each other and get to the level we needed to be at. We kept each other grounded. <\/p>\n<p><strong>You both had the opportunity to be coached by Derek Hough. What makes him such a great mentor?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> JM: He has this energy about him whenever he walks into the room. It\u2019s pretty incredible. He makes you want to dance. He makes you feel better about being there. He sets the tone and sets the standard, which is what all the best teachers I\u2019ve worked with do. <\/p>\n<p>BN: He genuinely wanted the best for each and every one of us, no matter if he already had personal relationships or not. He just wanted everyone to feel comfortable. Derek\u2019s a bit of a goofball. He is the best of the best, but he is very humble and down to earth. He just wanted it to be fair competition for everyone, which is all you can ask for in a mentor that\u2019s working with every competitor.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.50146628;display:block\" width=\"886\" height=\"590\" alt=\"DWTS: The Next Pro, Stephani Sosa and Briar Nolet\" class=\"wp-image-2098083 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DWTSTheNextPro_Stephani_Briar.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DWTSTheNextPro_Stephani_Briar.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DWTSTheNextPro_Stephani_Briar.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DWTSTheNextPro_Stephani_Briar.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DWTSTheNextPro_Stephani_Briar.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1286 1286w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> <span class=\"credit\">Disney\/Vince Valitutti<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Briar, unfortunately, you suffered a slip during your samba. Can you walk me through what was going through your mind at that moment? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>BN: Going into that moment, I was obviously very high on adrenaline and energy. After that slip happened, I just felt very determined to keep going. I\u2019m a sweet girl, but when I perform, I can get very competitive with myself. Once I came out of that back handspring, I was like, \u201coh, heck no, I\u2019m not going down.\u201d Even though I was frustrated with myself, I wasn\u2019t gonna let the slip deter me. I still had the rest of the solo and the side by side with Stephani. I just had to lock in and keep going.<\/p>\n<p> I\u2019ve said it a million times, but everything happens for a reason. I wouldn\u2019t change the way that I went about preparing, before or during the competition. I can sleep at night knowing that there was nothing more I could have done. After I slipped, I pushed myself to finish out strong and do the best I could. <\/p>\n<p><strong>I think you handled yourself with incredible grace. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>BN: Thank you.<\/p>\n<p><strong> Jake, you felt pretty good about your jive, but both Derek and Mark Ballas had notes about your energy and musicality. Did you think those were fair comments?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> JM: I respect the both of them so much as performers, choreographers and teachers. I\u2019m taking to heart any comments they give me. I\u2019m using that critique to better myself. If people with that amount of expertise are telling you something, you should probably listen. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Briar, Shirley Ballas praised your presence, but both she and Derek urged you to work on your technique. How did you feel about feedback you\u2019d receive?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> BN: There\u2019s no such thing as perfect. I can be proud of what I did, but also accept criticism with an open mind. There\u2019s always room to improve. Especially being newer to ballroom, it was an honor to perform in front of those three judges and get notes from them. As soon as I got back home, I had a meeting with my coaches and figured out the best way to go forward if my goal is still to be a pro on <em>Dancing With The Stars<\/em>. I took the judges\u2019 comments and applied them to my training. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Both of you did not want to be the first to go home. You didn\u2019t want to go home at all! You both took being eliminated with such grace. Were Robert Irwin, the judges and your fellow contestants there for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> JM: <em>The Next Pro<\/em> environment is such a pressure cooker that we all formed a deep bond with each other almost immediately. On top of the competition, we were also living together! Right after I got eliminated, I felt the love and support from everyone. Robert said some very nice things to me afterwards. Obviously, being eliminated was not what I was hoping for. I was hoping to win and be the next pro. Like Briar said, everything happens for a reason. It wasn\u2019t my time just quite yet. And it\u2019ll be my time at some other point. <\/p>\n<p>BN: Timing is everything. If anything, this experience will make us even more prepared for when the opportunity to be a <em>DWTS<\/em> pro hopefully presents itself again. Plus, there were so many wins. Jake and I are now a part of this wonderful family with the other dancers. We bonded even more after we were eliminated on the same night. He\u2019s like a younger brother to me now. We still talk all the time. <\/p>\n<p>JM: Briar was talking about this a little earlier, but getting eliminated alone must have really sucked. I was really lucky to have Briar. I wouldn\u2019t want to get eliminated with anybody but Briar, if that makes any sense [laughs]. We were really there for each other. It\u2019s crazy how these bonds form. <\/p>\n<p>BN: Totally. And as much as it sucks going home, there were no hard feelings. We are rooting for each dancer to do well and succeed.It\u2019s exciting to see where we all go from here.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em> New episodes of <\/em>Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro <em>air Mondays at 8PM ET on ABC.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/plain\" class=\"optanon-category-C0023\">\n\t(function(d, s, id) {\n\t\tvar js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n\t\tif (d.getElementById(id)) return;\n\t\tjs = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n\t\tjs.src = \"\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&appId=823934954307605&version=v2.8\";\n\t\tfjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n\t}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));\n<\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro features 12 of the best dancers from across the world vying for a spot in the ballroom Dancing With The Stars Season 35. While each competitor is worthy in their own way of one day being in the ballroom, there can only be 1 winner. The competition kicked&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/decider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/OrangeMarquee_JakeBriar.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}