Bristol Palin‘s son will step onto the ballroom floor on the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars: Juniors — and she couldn’t be more proud.
The new Teen Mom OG star recently opened up about Tripp, 9, joining the cast of the spin-off, which paired 12 celebrity kids with pint-sized dance pros, to be mentored by current and former DWTS pros including Jenna Johnson, Sasha Farber, Cheryl Burke and Hayley Erbert.
“I was like, ‘No way!’ ” Palin, 27, told Entertainment Tonight of her reaction to the casting. “Of course, my son at first was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this sounds so fun. I’m going to do it!’ And then I showed him some clips of young dancers [and he said,] ‘I am not doing it!’ “
“[I was] like, ‘We already signed the contract — you have to do it!’ ” she laughed. “But he had the best time of his life and he has made lifelong friends there. [He had an] incredible time, and I have the utmost respect for the show and everyone there. It was a great experience for him.”
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Palin herself competed on season 11 of Dancing with the Stars with Mark Ballas in 2010, where she came in third, and she partnered with Ballas once again for the all-star season 15 in 2012. But she says watching Tripp hit the ballroom is far more nerve-racking than doing so herself.
“I felt like a complete pageant mom,” she admitted. “Like, ‘Tripp, get your act together. You better smile! You better practice!’ It was more nerve-racking having my son on the show than it would have ever been to have myself on it, because it was like, ‘Smile! If you don’t have a good attitude, you are going to regret this!’ “
As for what advice she gave him?
“I told him to try his best,” she said. “I mean, he’s 9 years old. He was one of the youngest on the show. I said, ‘Tripp, have fun, make friends, learn some manners with girls, learn how to dance’ … and that is what he did. He had such an amazing time, and they are memories that he will have forever.”
Dancing with the Stars: Juniors premieres Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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