Overview
- Rylee Arnold told judges she found AJ Pritchard “kind of intense” during rehearsals on the August 24 episode of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, which prompted public reaction.
- AJ’s fiancée, Zara Zoffany, posted an Instagram comment alleging Rylee struck AJ in the head during rehearsals and left him with a slight concussion requiring physiotherapy, but that injury claim has not been independently verified.
- Several DWTS professionals and fans publicly defended Rylee online, with pro Ezra Sosa saying she is “more than qualified to be a pro” and contestant Selena Hamilton urging grace after on-set accidents.
- Judge Shirley Ballas wrote that she has “a lot of respect” for Rylee and that Rylee earned her place on DWTS through hard work, further shifting the public focus to reputation and peer support.
- Neither AJ Pritchard nor Rylee Arnold have issued public statements about the exchange and the Next Pro finale on August 31 proceeds with AJ as a finalist, leaving the show’s outcome and any official clarification pending.