Guest judge Shirley Ballas may have sparked fear in the hearts of some Dancing With the Stars contestants this week, but Mark Ballas was ready to face his mom’s critiques.
“I’m used to it,” Mark, 40, told Us after Horror Movie Night on Tuesday, October 27, where he and partner Maura Higgins performed a nightmare-inducing contemporary routine inspired by The Lost Boys.
Mark added, “I grew up in this world. She’s been judging Strictly [Come Dancing], the U.K. version, for 10 years now and they’re a little tougher over there. They just are. So I’m used to it.”
The pair — who were decked out in fangs and fake blood — earned a mix of scores from the judges, receiving a total of 32 out of 40 points. Shirley, 66, gave the lowest score on the panel, holding up a 7. She even brought out her iconic mini shoe to demonstrate how to pivot correctly on the foot.
Mark told Us he wasn’t nervous for what commentary his mom might have. “My mom has been my coach through, like, high level competitions back when I was younger,” he explained. “All my nerves and energy is for Maura … because it’s not about me, it’s about her.”
According to Higgins, the pair had “fun” joking about Shirley coming into the ballroom.
“She’s a tough judge,” Mark acknowledged, while the Love Island UK alum called Shirley a “queen.”
Mark also pointed out that his mom “trained pretty much all” of the DWTS pros through the years. And even when she’s not there in person, Shirley isn’t afraid to give her son feedback.
“There have been weeks — I’ve been doing the show for so long, I’ll send my mom a routine to look at and if I got, like, a 9 or a 10, she’d be like, ‘I’d give that a 6,'” he joked. “She just says it how it is for me. … It’s just part of the deal.”
Throughout the night, fans saw Shirley reaching for lower-scoring paddles, handing out 4s after performances by Julia Stiles and Tatyana Ali. Higgins was last to dance on Tuesday, but she didn’t feel as nervous as in other weeks.
“I feel like every week my nerves get [a little] bit better,” she told Us. “Even going last, I thought that was really gonna freak me out. It’s not nice going last. But I was OK. The minute the song started, I loved it.”
With Disney Week on the horizon, Higgins admitted she’s feeling the wear and tear on her body.
“I feel really sore and tired. … Obviously, the competition is really hard, but every week, the show gets harder. And then because you’re tired mentally and physically, then that’s even a struggle because then you’re working harder on top of that,” she told Us. “I wish I had the energy I had on week one, like, I wish my body felt like that, but it just does get so hard. But I’m trying my best. I’m really, I’m really trying.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
