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Mark Ballas revealed why he chose to remove his hook prop from his hand while dancing a jive with partner Maura Higgins on Dancing With the Stars.
“We did try to keep it,” Ballas, 40, exclusively told Us on Monday, November 2, as Higgins, 35, recalled them practicing with “the hook on” his hand, adding, “I was spinning with it. It was actually easy with the spin.”
Ballas channeled his inner Captain Hook while performing with Higgins, who dressed as sweet and sassy fairy Tinker Bell, to “You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!” from Peter Pan. He started the routine off with a hook on his hand but eagle-eyed viewers noticed him quickly throwing the prop off before officially starting his dance.
“To turn a hook is a bit more of a challenge,” Ballas explained to Us. “Now, the reason why we didn’t do it is because if you look, you have to hold it. It’s kind of like a sword.”
He continued: “If it had a knuckle grip … there’s a lot of hook and pull in this dance. Meaning — if you look at our hands — it’s this and push. So I was worried that if she pulled too hard [the hook would come off].”
Higgins also pointed out that she “had to go in between his legs,” adding, “It would’ve pulled too hard. [My character of] Tinker Bell would be actually flying.”
The couple put on a memorable show before being awarded 32 out of 40, which placed them at the bottom of the leaderboard on week 8. Despite the challenges, Ballas and Higgins remained ahead of the show’s upcoming Grammy Night.
“[The dances] are all hard,” Higgins admitted about the challenges she faced. “To be honest, I’m just glad I got through it. I’m really glad I got through it because yesterday I couldn’t. And then I might have had a better dress run than the live. But that’s OK because at least I didn’t stop and give up.”
The reality star was proud of how she “kept going” despite some setbacks.
“At the end, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I did it,’” she recalled. “Because I’m telling you now, there were so many moments this week where I was like, ‘I can’t go out there and do it.’”
Higgins was also “under the weather” while performing, saying, “And then we obviously had the other [team] dance to learn. So it was one less day. [of practice].”
After the difficult week, Ballas spoke about how he and Higgins focus on the positive, sharing, “It’s also sometimes centering ourselves and remembering that this is an entertainment show for everybody, for families to enjoy and to lose themselves in for two hours.”
He continued: “I just want her to walk away from this and be like, ‘Man, I did the best I could. The coach was patient with me. We went for it.’ That’s the stuff that you remember.”
Higgins praised Ballas for helping her — especially on challenging weeks.
“You get me through it. Sometimes there are days where I’m taking it too seriously. And then he brings me back,” she continued. “And he’s like, ‘This is an entertainment show. We’re not in an actual dance competition. You’re not a dancer.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re right.’”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
