It’s finally time for the series premiere of “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” on ABC. The search is on for the next pro dancer to debut on “DWTS” Season 35, as these 12 up-and-coming dancers compete in challenges to prove they deserve that spot. After tonight’s premiere episode is done, the journey will end for two of these contestants. Watch with us tonight during our “DWTS: The Next Pro” 2026 live recap below and find out with us who got eliminated on “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” tonight.
New ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Spinoff
The new “Dancing With the Stars’ spinoff will be hosted by wildlife conservationist and “DWTS” Season 34 Mirrorball Champion Robert Irwin. The judges will include three-time Mirrorball Champion Mark Ballas and his mother, ballroom legend Shirley “The Queen of Latin” Ballas.
Each week, a “DWTS” pro will return to serve as a mentor/guest judge for the 12 dancers. During tonight’s “DWTS: The Next Pro” premiere, the guest judge will be Derek Hough.
For tonight, the dancers will be paired up and tested on jive and samba techniques, with the weakest pair being eliminated. Which pair will be sent home? Find out with us during our Live Recap below!
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD: THIS LIVE RECAP WILL BE UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE, SO DO NOT KEEP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ SPOILERS.
July 13 Live Recap – Premiere
KEEP REFRESHING THE PAGE FOR THE LATEST “DWTS: THE NEXT PRO” LIVE RECAP UPDATES.
Series Premiere Has Arrived
The dancers are in place, and Robert Irwin has arrived! He said this is the biggest audition of their lives. We see Stephani Sosa is part of the dancers. Her brother is Ezra Sosa, a current “DWTS” pro dancer. She was part of the troupe, but never got asked to be a pro.
We then meet the judges, Mark and Shirley Ballas. We get some words from them. Then Robert says the weekly challenges will be determined by the pros, as there will be a weekly mentor/guest judge. Of course, the premiere mentor is Derek Hough, who comes out dancing!
First Week Challenge
Derek said this first-week challenge is all about technique. They will be paired up together. The guys will be dancing a jive, and the girls will be dancing a samba. They will be working with Derek all week, so Robert said soak it up. There will be a double elimination, as one boy and one girl will be eliminated at the end of the night.
For this season, the dancers will all be living in a house together, so drama there? The dancers are meeting each other; some already know each other.
Mentor Time
The dancers head to the rehearsal studio. Derek said this is all about technique, which is all about the footwork, placement, and all those small things. They have two days until performance day. The pairings are:
- AJ and Jake
- Briar and Stephani
- Erik and Tristen
- Adele and Nina
- Allen and Benji
- Selena and Natalie
The dance will consist of a side-by-side dance, which Derek is choreographing. Then they will each have a 30-second solo, which they will choreograph themselves. These are all dancers, so the pressure is on for “DWTS: The Next Pro.”
Solo Sessions on ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’
Derek heads back to the studio to work with the dancers on their solo routines. Natalie said she specializes in ballroom, but her weakness is flexibility. Tristen gets in his head and forgets his choreography when Derek arrives in the studio, which would not sit well on a live show for “Dancing With the Stars.”
Jake seems to be out of shape, and said he needs to get in jive shape. Derek said the ladies are strong with their solos. However, he is underwhelmed with the guys’ solos. The guys have some extra time to rehearse, so Derek said he expects them to step it up.
Back at the house, the guys tell the ladies that Derek was not impressed with them. Meanwhile, the guys get into the rehearsal studio at the house and get to work!
Performance Time on ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’
The dancers, judges, and Robert are back in the studio. They will be dancing as partners, but they will be judged as individuals. Once they have all danced, the judges will confer, and they will decide which male dancer and which female dancer will be eliminated.
Erik & Tristen
This was a good start for the guys. Erik is very sharp and very crisp with his dance moves. Tristen said he is more of a commercial dancer and does seem to be less ballroom experienced. However, he had a ton of energy on his solo.
Judges’ Feedback: Derek said a big improvement from rehearsals. He liked seeing who Tristen is on that dance floor. He wanted more risks from Erik. Shirley said Erik has the most fantastic posture. Tristen did four beats of jive, so she wonders if he can teach someone to jive. Mark said it felt so smooth and easy for Erik, but maybe too smooth and easy at times. Tristen needs to do more, but Mark admitted to breaking the rules at times.
AJ & Jake
Jake starts it out, and he has those moves. They come out together, and they look like twins. Derek comments that they get messy at times. AJ can dance, but his solo does seem a little underwhelming to me.
Judges’ Feedback: Derek said overall they were good, but it lacked umph and energy. They can’t dance to the music. Mark said the technique is good. Jake’s posture and focus were sometimes on the floor. Work on that energy. Shirley said Jake needs to listen to the music. She wants AJ to take risks. They said it was too safe.
Benji & Allen
Benji kicks things off, and he definitely is working those flips. They join forces and look good together. They are working on it, and it looks good. Allen has his solo, and it’s a little underwhelming, but I feel emotion behind it.
Judges’ Feedback: Mark said that was the most dynamic performance so far. Shirley said she wanted to dance with them both. They both have remarkable energy. Derek said they both left him wanting to see more, and that’s what it’s all about.
Selena & Natalie
Selena starts strong, but then Natalie comes out and just steals the spotlight for me. She looks like a natural out there. I am a fan of Natalie right now.
Judges’ Feedback: Shirley said Selena is a superstar. The tricks she did in and out were fluid. Natalie needs to work on flexibility, but a job well done for both of them. Derek said Selena commands that stage. Natalie is a beautiful dancer. Mark said it needs more wildness from Natalie. He said fire from jump for Selena and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Briar & Stephani
Briar starts it out and slips and falls. However, she recovers and locks in. Stephani came in strong, but they were definitely not in sync. Stephani had a strong solo and a fierce face going on.
Judges’ Feedback: Mark said it’s not about falling, but getting up nd he loved it. The transitions were wild for Stephani. Shirley said the upper part of the body is sensual, but the lower body is off. She needs to study from the waist down. Stephani takes her back to Brazil. Derek said he is concerned about this performance from Briar for technique.
Adele & Nina
Adele starts things out, and she is working the stage on “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.” She has some fast feet and works that camera too. Nina comes out and is good, but Adele is definitely stealing the spotlight. I feel Nina’s solo was safe.
Judges’ Feedback: Derek said Nina is open, and that’s important on this show. He is giving Adele the nickname Rolls Royce because she dances expensive. Mark said he wrote fierce, focused for Adele. Nina is magnetic but ahead of the music at times. Shirley said Adele needs to be careful of blocking her personality. Nina is very open. They could take pages from each other’s books.
Results on ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’
The judges have discussed. The dancers are back in front of the judges. Derek wishes them luck for the rest of the season. The dancers in jeopardy of going home tonight are:
- Women: Briar and Natalie
- Men: Tristen and Jake
The judges conferred, and the two dancers eliminated tonight on “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” are Briar and Jake!
DisneyWhat do you think of the results tonight?
