Dancing with the Stars pro Alan Bersten has denied Kaitlyn Bristowe's claims that he can be a jerk while training his celebrity partners on the show.

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During a recent episode of the "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast, Kaitlyn claimed Dancing with the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev is "so hardcore" in rehearsals and that Alan is "also crazy in the ballroom" as well as "kind of a d-ck" and "an absolute nightmare."

Kaitlyn went as far as to tell her podcast guest, Charity Lawson -- who was still waiting to learn the identity of her pro partner at the time -- that all the DWTS male pros "are d-cks."

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While Artem -- who was partnered with Kaitlyn when she won Dancing with the Stars' 29th season in 2020 -- told Us Weekly that Kaitlyn is good-intentioned, Alan was apparently caught off-guard by Kaitlyn's surprising remarks.

"First of all, I never danced with Kaitlyn, so I don't know why that would even come up," Alan, 29, told Us ahead of Dancing with the Stars' Season 32 premiere.

"I take a lot of pride in my work and I make sure that above all else, my partners feel comfortable and confident in themselves."

Alan, however, said he "kind of" took Kaitlyn's words as a compliment, especially since he tries to pull the best out of all of his celebrity partners.

For Dancing with the Stars' upcoming 32nd season -- which premieres with a live two-hour episode on Tuesday, September 26 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC and Disney+ -- Alan is partnered with actress and singer Jamie Lynn Spears, the little sister of iconic pop singer Britney Spears.

"When I tell you [that] you can't teach people to be passionate or to care or to be kind, and she is so kind, she's so caring and she really tries so hard," Alan told the magazine of Jamie's work ethic.

"I can't give her enough compliments because she really comes in and works."

Kaitlyn has taken some heat for criticizing the Dancing with the Stars pros, and so the Season 11 The Bachelorette star took to Instagram Stories on Saturday, September 16 to clarify her comments.

"I can be a d-ck. We can all be d-cks. Alan is one of my closest friends from the show," Kaitlyn wrote in an Instagram Q&A session with her followers, according to Us.

"I have nothing but love and respect for him. I think it's okay to be a d-ck and push people to believe in themselves and light a fire."

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After all, Kaitlyn is a mirrorball trophy champion who was pushed to her limits.

Her "hardcore" partner, Artem, is paired with Charity, who starred on The Bachelorette's twentieth season, for Dancing with the Stars this fall.

Charity told Us earlier this month that Artem is "such a great teacher."

Charity recalled of her "Off the Vine" conversation earlier this month, "[Kaitlyn] told me to have a lot of patience -- which I do -- but also that... I'm going to learn so much, and I already have."

She added, "[And] obviously I've watched the show, so I know Artem is truly one of the best. I'm so grateful because he's been amazing."

But Artem admitted he feels "a bit of pressure" training Charity knowing that two former The Bachelorette stars -- Kaitlyn and Hannah Brown -- won their respective Dancing with the Stars seasons.

The Bachelor alum Melissa Rycroft also won a Dancing with the Stars mirrorball trophy, and The Bachelorette alum Gabby Windey placed second on Season 31 in Fall 2022.

"Usually we don't get two Bachelorettes in a row. It is a bit of a pressure [because] I feel like people have a certain expectation, especially when Kaitlyn did so well and Gabby last season did so well," Artem noted.

"So we're just going to hopefully keep that expectation for you."

In addition to her warnings about the Dancing with the Stars pros, Kaitlyn also let Charity know that the reality dancing competition is "a really hard thing to go through" and that celebrities must "battle through the pain."

Kaitlyn continued, "The thing is, you've always got to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You're doing something fun, and don't forget that, because people get really caught up... in the competition of it and making it farther."

Charity's Dancing with the Stars participation was announced on The Bachelorette's Season 20 finale, which aired in August.

The entire Dancing with the Stars cast -- a total of 14 celebrities and their professional partners -- was then formally announced September 13 on Good Morning America.

In addition to Charity and Jamie Lynn, the competing celebrities include supermodel and actor Tyson Beckford, Marvel star Xochiti Gomez, American Pie actress Alyson Hannigan, social media and Netflix star Harry Jowsey, Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix, and two-time Grammy winner Jason Mraz.

The remainder of the Season 32 cast is comprised of NFL All-Star running back Adrian Peterson, singer and social media star Lele Pons, actress Mira Sorvino, real estate mogul and reality TV star Mauricio Umansky, comedian and actor Matt Walsh, and The Brady Brunch star Barry Williams.

Dancing with the Stars will hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and co-hosted by Julianne Hough following Tyra Banks' departure.

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The Dancing with the Stars judging panel will be comprised of Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.

"I think we've got one of the hottest, most epic seasons ever," Alfonso teased on GMA.




About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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