Bristol Palin's son has joined the cast of the next season of Dancing With the Stars: Juniors. Bristol, a DWTS alum herself, opened up about her son's experience in a recent interview.
Bristol admitted that guiding her son, Tripp, through the show made her feel like "a pageant mom."
"Like, 'Tripp, get your act together. You better smile! You better practice!'"
Tripp, 9, joins other celebrity kids for the DWTS spin-off, including 12-year-old Honey Boo Boo. The show pairs each celebrity kid with a young dance pro, and each duo is in turn mentored by a DWTS professional.
The Palin family isn't new to the Dancing With the Stars experience. Bristol, 27, appeared on season 11 of the show in 2010 and then returned for the all-star season in 2015. However, the mom of three says it was "more nerve-racking" to have her son on the show than to compete herself.
Still, the Teen Mom OG star says she advised her son to just try his best.
Tripp, 9, will join 11 other celebrity kids on the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars: Juniors.
Bristol recently told Entertainment Tonight about her and Tripp's experience with the show.
“Of course, my son at first was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this sounds so fun. I’m going to do it!’ And then I showed him some clips of young dancers [and he said,] ‘I am not doing it!’" the 27-year-old mom recalled.
“[I was] like, ‘We already signed the contract — you have to do it!’" she laughed.
“But he had the best time of his life and he has made lifelong friends there. [He had an] incredible time, and I have the utmost respect for the show and everyone there. It was a great experience for him.”
Bristol competed on DWTS twice herself. In 2010, she came in third place. In 2015, she returned to dance with the same dance partner, Mark Ballas, for the all-star season.
But Bristol says it was easier to compete herself than it was to watch Tripp.
"I feel like a complete pageant mom," Bristol said.
“Like, ‘Tripp, get your act together. You better smile! You better practice!’"
"It was more nerve-racking having my son on the show than it would have ever been to have myself on it, because it was like, ‘Smile! If you don’t have a good attitude, you are going to regret this!’"
Of course, Tripp is just 9 years old, which Bristol kept in mind when she gave her son advice.
"I told him to try his best. I mean, he’s 9 years old. He was one of the youngest on the show."
"I said, ‘Tripp, have fun, make friends, learn some manners with girls, learn how to dance’ … and that is what he did. He had such an amazing time, and they are memories that he will have forever.”
It was recently announced that Bristol will be joining the cast of Teen Mom OG, replacing Farrah Abraham.
Bristol gave birth to Tripp when she was just 17 years old during her mom's vice-presidential campaign.
She's since had two daughters with ex-husband Dakota Meyer, whom she divorced earlier this year after two years of marriage.
