It has been exciting to watch Maura Higgins compete on “Dancing With the Stars,” and even more so, with her partner and fellow “The Traitors US” co-star, professional dancer Mark Ballas. The pair have safely made it through to Week 5, where they and the remaining 10 other couples will take on “Super Bowl Night,” dancing to iconic songs from past Super Bowl halftime shows this Tuesday, October 13.
So far this season, Higgins and Ballas have received some of the highest scores from the judges, even earning the first nine in Week 4 after their waltz to Mariah Carey’s song “If It’s Over.” And though the team is performing exceptionally well week after week and topping the leaderboard, Higgins has had to shut down online speculation that DWTS is “fixed” in her favor to win.
Maura Higgins Has Hilarious Response to Rumors DWTS Is ‘Fixed’ In Her Favor
Maura Higgins is shutting down any online speculation and rumors that “Dancing With the Stars” is rigged or “fixed” for her to win. Speaking on an episode of Alix Earle’s “Get Real With Me” YouTube series in early October, the model shared, “There was a rumor … [that] was all over the press that, like, seemingly ‘Dancing with the Stars’ is fixed for me to win.”
Higgins told Earle that she eagerly wanted to respond to all the viral speculation, but held back, jokingly stating, “I was so tempted to comment on it and go, ‘Oh my God, does that mean I don’t actually have to learn any of the dances?'”
“I was like, ‘Don’t feed into it, Maura, because this is what you do.’ But, I wish that [rumor] is true!” She continued.
Higgins Defended Herself After Starring on ‘Dancing on Ice’
After Higgins was one of the first celebrities announced as a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars,” fans pointed out that she had competed in a reality television dance competition before, having been a contestant on the British program “Dancing on Ice” in 2020.
Speaking with Amanda Hirsch on “Get Real,” Higgins defended herself when asked about being on the show, pointing out that she still considered going on DWTS a “blank canvas” because “Dancing on Ice” was nothing like learning how to dance professionally.
Asked if that gave her a “leg up” in the competition, Higgins said, “It definitely for me, it wasn’t dancing because I never skated so that was the hard part for me. It was just staying up on the ice.” The model added that she didn’t really put a lot of “focus” on the show because she had also just come off from starring on “Love Island UK” and was getting many other job opportunities.
In fact, when former DWTS star Dylan Efron suggested taking classes before her ballroom debut, Higgins shared, “Like, yeah. The last few months I could have been getting trained and whatever, but I’m going to do as well as I’m going to do.. Like, I already think like what is going to happen is what’s meant to happen. Yeah, that’s the way my brain works.”
Higgins & Mark Ballas Received the First 9 of the DWTS Season
Higgins and Ballas have become fan favorites throughout the competition. Despite Higgins not having any dance background, the pair have been dominating the season, receiving some of the best scores week after week. During premiere week, the duo danced a Foxtrot to “Black Velvet” and received a 21/30, tying for first place on the leader board.
In Week 2, during “Viral Hits Night,” Higgins and Ballas danced a cha-cha to “September,” with the judges scoring their routine a 19/20. But the duo came back on top the next week during “Yacht Rock Night,” when they performed a quickstep to “Turn Your Love Around.” The judges were impressed with Higgins and Ballas receiving their first 8 of the season, getting a total score of 22/30.
During Week 4, which honored Mariah Carey, they came out strong with an elegant waltz to “If It’s Over,” wowing the judges and getting the very first 9 of the entire show. After scoring a total of 25/30, they topped the leaderboard.
After scoring a nine, Higgins told Us Weekly, “The 9 [score] means everything to me because, you know, I have to work extra hard. This dancing doesn’t come naturally to me. I can be quite stiff, [and] I honestly do have such a good partner in Mark. He’s so patient with me, and in the rehearsal room, like, we do put the work in, and I don’t shy away from hard work.”
For Week 5, airing on Tuesday, October 13, the team will take on “Super Bowl Night,” dancing a tango to Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World).” With their sights set on maintaining their spot at the top of the leaderboard, the performance could prove to be one of their biggest challenges yet!
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Maura Higgins Breaks Silence on Online Rumors DWTS Is ‘Fixed’ For Her To Win