Like mother, like son! Bristol Palin got her groove back while helping son Tripp Johnston prepare for Dancing With the Stars: Juniors.
Palin, who competed on Dancing With the Stars season 11 in 2010 and re-appeared for the all-star season 15 in 2012, gave her 9-year-old some tips and tricks for scoring a perfect 10.
Johnston exclusively tells Us Weekly that his mom shared “a couple” helpful pointers for entertaining a crowd. His mentor, Jenna Johnson, adds: “Bristol was telling him a lot to small and do ‘oohs and aahs’ with his performance and he did it!”
Although the Teen Mom OG newcomer, 27, gave her little one some pointers, he still had worries about the competition, telling Us that he was more “nervous” than excited. But Johnson, 24, and his partner, Hailey Bills, helped him shake it off.
“I think for being a non-dancer, he was able to retain [the steps] really well,” Johnson dishes. “But yeah, it’s very hard for someone who has never danced before. This is a very daunting place. It’s covered in lights and cameras and costumes, so he did really well.”
The professional dancer also told Us about hitting the stage with the youngsters while fiancé Val Chmerkovskiy has a seat at the judges table. “I think yes, [it was weird] because I’m so used to dancing with him on the show. But no, because I think he deserves a spot more than anyone and I think he’s so knowledgeable about jut dance in general and with the kids,” she gushed. “He’s been teaching his whole life and so it was just so awesome seeing him take this step and I hope he continues to do it because he’s great.”
Dancing With the Stars: Juniors premieres on ABC Sunday, October 7, at 8 p.m. ET.
