Reality TV star Maura Higgins is pouring herself into the Dancing With the Stars experience, leading to an extra emotional rehearsal with pro partner Mark Ballas.
“Genuinely, I was so annoyed at myself because I’m more of a ‘suffer in silence’ [type], and I couldn’t hold it in, like, I had a lump in my throat,” Higgins, 35, exclusively told Us after the Tuesday, September 22, live show. “I was hormonal, I was tired, I was mentally, physically exhausted [and] I couldn’t get the dance in my brain, like, it wouldn’t go in.”
For viral hits night, Ballas, 40, taught Higgins a cha-cha to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
“I kept thinking, ‘I only have three days. I have to perform in three days, what am I gonna do? Do this on the floor?’” Higgins recalled. “I’m in my head a lot, and I really need to learn to just stop and relax and enjoy this because it’s a dream show for me. And yeah, bless Mark. I don’t know how he put up with me this week, honestly.”
Ballas, for his part, noted that Higgins ultimately got the routine in her head, earning a total score of 19 out of 30. The pair finished second on the leaderboard, just below a three-way tie for first between Jenna Dewan, Ezra Frech and Amber Glenn.
Even before they hit the dance floor, Ballas has remained patient with his former The Traitors season 4 costar.
“We don’t get annoyed with each other. We’re more, well, you get annoyed with the task at hand,” the three-time mirrorball champ told Us. “I don’t want her to [be annoyed with herself] because it’s good to put pressure on yourselves at times.”
He continued, “It’s good to work hard, but she’s not a dancer, and she’s like, ‘Why is it so hard?’ I’m like, ‘That’s the show, that’s why we’re here.’ I keep reminding her, ‘That’s why you’re here.’”
Higgins, for her part, has been all-in on her ballroom lessons.
Is Mark Ballas returning to Dancing With the Stars for season 35? His future is still up in the air. “I’m not sure if I’m returning yet,” Ballas, 39, told Us Weekly exclusively at the Disney 2026 Upfront Red Carpet in New York City on Tuesday, May 12. “I just had a really solid, straight […]
“I’m just working very, very hard,” she told Us. “I don’t think I’ve ever worked this hard in my life, and I’ve worked hard, but my God, this show is no joke. And we’re only on week two!”
As Higgins quicksteps her way to the mirrorball, she even received helpful tips from her Traitors costar Lisa Rinna following her previous ballroom tenure.
“Lisa just said, ‘Enjoy, don’t forget to enjoy it, and don’t put too much pressure and stuff,’” Higgins added of Rinna, 63, who appeared on the second-ever season in 2006. “I’m doing all the wrong things because I’m putting all the pressure on myself.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
