Pro Alan Bersten is helping his Dancing With the Stars partner Hannah Brown build her confidence. The former beauty queen has been vocal about her issues with perfectionism and mental health.
The Halloween episode of Dancing With the Stars showcased a number of rousing performances, including a nearly perfect routine by James Van der Beek, as well as a hip and funky jive performed by Kel Mitchell. However, for the judges, Brown’s performance fell a bit short. The former The Bachelorette star and Bersten danced a jazz routine to “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer. For their efforts, the pair received a score of 25 of 30. While their costumes lent to the festivities of the evening (Bersten was dressed as a nerd; Brown as a sinister beauty queen), the spark just never presented itself for the panel handing out the scores.
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba was quick to critique the star on her moves, saying, “It’s almost like there’s a bit of shyness in you; you almost close off to the dance. I want you to stay open. We want to get to know you through the dance. We want to see layers that nobody has seen before and I know it’s hard to do but, I swear, if you open up and let it go raw out here, we will be here for you.” After the show, Bersten heartily agreed, saying, “I think, honestly, it’s so accurate.” He continued, “Hannah is incredible but she’s a bit insecure and I’ve been working so hard to get it. She has no reason to be insecure. She is such a beautiful, hardworking person.”
Ever since Bersten was announced as Brown’s dance pro on the long-running competition, there have been rumors of a romance between the two. This was due, in part, to the early chemistry that the couple experienced with each other. In the weeks to follow, Brown vacillated between channeling her inner-warrior she affectionately named “Hannah Beast,” to being goofy and carefree on the show. However, the strength of Bersten’s choreography always managed to land the duo in the good graces of the judges, if not at the top of the leaderboard. Now, as the show nears its finale, the competition is getting stronger. The Halloween show, itself, boasted four couples with 9’s across the board from the judges. Therefore, Brown’s fading may be a sign of things to come.
It’s funny that someone who has appeared on television so many times, in many capacities could battle self-esteem the way Brown has. Thankfully, she has a compassionate partner and plenty of goodwill coming her way from viewing the public. While it rarely bodes well for stars who get criticized for underwhelming the audience, Brown should know that the comments come from a good place. As well, Bersten is certainly someone Brown should keep in her life after the competition ends, given the high esteem he has for her.
Dancing With The Stars airs Mondays at 8 pm EST on ABC.
