Kaitlyn Bristowe Says ‘DWTS’ Pro Alan Bersten Won’t Talk to Her After Her Comments About Him to Charity Lawson

Kaitlyn Bristowe is hoping to mend her friendship with Dancing With the Stars pro Alan Bersten after a recent controversy that began when she referred to him as “a dick.” The 38-year-old Bachelorette alum revealed in a podcast interview that the 29-year-old professional dancer has not been responsive to her attempts to reconcile.

“Alan still won’t talk to me. He walked right past me [at] Dancing With the Stars,” Bristowe shared while on Cheryl Burke’s Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast. “He won’t call me back, and I have profusely apologized on my podcast.”

Burke, former DWTS pro, broached the subject when she asked Bristowe — who won season 29 of DWTS in 2020 with partner Artem Chigvintsev — if she’d be interested in returning to the show for a hypothetical Bachelor–Bachelorette all-star season. Bristowe expressed her interest in returning to the dance floor but said she would want Bersten as her partner, provided they could repair their friendship.

The rift between Bristowe and Bersten began when she commented on him being “kind of a dick” while warning Charity Lawson, a current DWTS contestant and Bachelorette alum, about the show’s male professional dancers. Bristowe also referred to Bersten as “crazy in the ballroom.” 

Bersten and his partner, Jamie Lynn Spears, were eliminated from this season of Dancing With the Stars on the Oct. 3 Latin night episode after receiving a 16 out of 30 from the judges for their cha-cha.

During the podcast interview with Burke, Bristowe defended her past comments, stating, “I call them all dicks in the most loving way.” 

In response to the public backlash after her remarks about Berten, Bristowe previously tried clarify through an Instagram post, saying, “I can be a dick. We can all be dicks. Alan is one of my closest friends from the show. I have nothing but love and respect for him. I think it’s OK to be a d–k and push people to believe in themselves and light a fire.”

Bersten, for his part, said he “kind of” took what Bristowe said as a compliment, but didn’t understand why she would be discussing him.

“First of all, I never danced with Kaitlyn, so I don’t know why that would even come up,” he explained to Us in September. “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.”

As for Bristowe’s relationship with Chigvintsev, she described it as more business-like and expressed sadness about not having had much contact with him since their partnership. Chigvintsev is currently paired with Lawson on DWTS.

Dancing With the Star airs again Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. ET live on ABC and Disney+. It will be available the next day on Hulu. 

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