‘Dancing’ star Adam Rippon ready to join judges panel on new show for child dancers

LOS ANGELES – Adam Rippon knows what it is like to spend endless hours practicing in an effort to impress a group of judges. The figure skater has had that scrutiny all his life with such competitions as the U.S. Junior Nationals, 2016 U.S. National Championships and a bronze-winning effort at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

It didn’t end there as Rippon competed in Season 26 of “Dancing with the Stars.” His work earned Rippon and professional dancer Jenna Johnson the Mirrorball Trophy.

Now, it’s Rippon who will be doing all of the evaluations as he joins choreographer Mandy Moore and professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy as judges for “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors.” The series – which debuts Oct. 7 on ABC – will feature 12 celebrity youngsters and their professional junior ballroom dance partners battling to win the competition. Each team will get help from some of “Dancing with the Stars” adult pros and troupe members who will act as mentors to offer guidance and support. Jordan Fisher and Frankie Muniz are the hosts.

Rippon was asked to be one of the “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” judges immediately after he had wrapped his winning season on the dance floor.

“It was perfect timing. I have fallen in love with so many people who work on the show and it felt like being part of a family. When I was approached about the job, I said yes right away,” Rippon says.

The big difference between the main dancing series and this junior spinoff is that it will be young people who will have to suffer the slings and arrows of the judges. Rippon’s plan is to try to make sure that while he is talking to the young dancers, he is putting into words what many people are thinking at home.

He knows that a lot of viewers will recognize good and bad performances. He wants to make sure that his comments include information of what could have been done better as a way of helping the competitors and educating the viewers. A lot of what he will be passing on will be from what he learned while on the dance floor.

“Skating and dancing are physically completely different,” Rippon says. “I think what is so interesting about me being on the panel is that I have always been a performer. I know what it takes to have a good performance. And, I have had the chance to learn what makes a good dance.

“I have my experience in competition as well. All of the judges bring a different perspective, which I thing is really cool and really interesting and fresh.”

Where dance and skating are similar is the dedication to practicing required to be successful. Rippon watched ”Dancing with the Stars“ for years and noted that athletes tend to have good showings. This is because athletes have the mindset that they will do an element of their practice sessions one more time. Then they will talk themselves into doing 10 more. Rippon stresses that at the end of the day, “Dancing with the Stars” is a competition and that just turns a light on in someone who is a competitor.

Being part of “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” is a good fit for Rippon. He’s certain that if he wasn’t working on the television show, he would be doing a lot more coaching in skating because he loves working with young people. That would have been a good career path for him but Rippon knows that in his heart, he will always be a performer and this show is continuing to keep him in the spotlight.

Rippon has one piece of advice for all of the performers.

“The one thing that I did when I was at the Olympics was to enjoy every second while I was there. I wanted to enjoy it for myself and all of the people who were on the road with me,” Rippon says. “That way I was able to be myself all the time and that meant I had a lot of fun.”