Maura Higgins Admits to Struggling During Dancing With The Stars Rehearsals

Maura Higgins, a contestant on Dancing With The Stars, has revealed she is finding the competition challenging this week. The 35-year-old shared a somber selfie on her Instagram stories during rehearsals, appearing exhausted and wiping her eye.

"Struggling so much this week," Higgins captioned the post, accompanied by a crying face emoji. The sentiment comes after her performance on Tuesday's "Horror Movie Night," where she and professional dance partner Mark Ballas performed a contemporary piece inspired by "The Lost Boys."

Higgins, who competed shoeless, wore a blood-splattered white dress and spooky white contact lenses for the routine. Her partner's mother, Shirley Ballas, who was a guest judge, offered critique on Higgins' footwork, advising her to "rotate your feet a little bit more for flow." Despite the feedback, fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli praised Higgins as a "phenomenal and magnetic performer."

Higgins received a score of 32 out of a possible 40, earning a seven from Shirley Ballas and eights and a nine from the other judges. Following the performance, Higgins expressed her enjoyment, stating, "I weirdly loved it. I wish we could do this every week!" She later shared photos from the performance on Instagram, labeling it "Vampire mode @dancingwiththestars."

The episode also saw a double elimination, with reality star Tyler Cameron and his partner Sharna Burgess, as well as baseball player Jackson Olson and his partner Emma Slater, departing the competition. Actor Harry Shum Jr. and his partner Jenna Johnson topped the leaderboard with a perfect score.