For the first time, “Dancing With the Stars” is opening the ballroom doors to aspiring pros. Before one lucky dancer joins the Season 35 cast, 12 hopefuls will battle it out in the brand-new spinoff “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.” If you’re wondering when the competition premieres and how to watch every episode, here’s everything you need to know in our “DWTS: The Next Pro” spoilers below.
When Is the ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’ Premiere?
We have almost arrived at another season of the reality TV dance competition. Before “DWTS” Season 35 premieres in the fall, ABC is giving us a new series in search of the next pro dancer who will take part in the fall show.
For this new series, “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” will premiere on Monday, July 13, at 8/7c. New episodes will air every Monday on ABC and then be available to stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
Host & Judges for ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’
The search for the next pro dancer on “Dancing With the Stars” will be hosted by wildlife conservationist and “DWTS” Season 34 Mirrorball Champion Robert Irwin.
This new show will feature 12 up-and-coming dancers as they move into a house together and compete in a grueling audition process. They are all vying for a coveted spot as a pro dancer on Season 35 of “Dancing With the Stars.”
As far as the judges go, three-time Mirrorball Champion Mark Ballas will be serving as a judge. He will be joined at the judges’ table by his mother, Shirley “The Queen of Latin” Ballas.
They will be joined by a star-studded lineup of returning pros, who will serve as rotating mentors/guest judges. Derek Hough will be serving as the guest judge during the “DWTS: The Next Pro” premiere. ABC will provide details about the other returning pros and contestants who will serve as guest judges at a later date.
More ‘Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro’ Details
For this new competition series, the contestants will take on different challenges in each episode. They will be learning the ins and outs of technique, storytelling through dance, creating those wow/viral moments, and more.
In addition, the 12 dancers will all be living together. “DWTS: The Next Pro” was actually shot in Australia. The dancers all lived in “a beautiful house,” showrunner Conrad Green told TV Insider.
The house was actually within an hour’s drive of Irwin’s zoo, so it seems fitting. One of the episodes was even shot on-site, which happened to make Irwin very happy.
Living in one house will play a big part in the show, as viewers will “get a feel for [the dancers’] relationships.”
These contestants all live and breathe dance. Green said, “It does not get bigger than ‘DWTS,’ and for a lot of them, this is what they’ve dreamt of since they were a little kid. It’s really special.”
“Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” premieres on Monday, July 13, at 8/7c on ABC. New episodes will be available to stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
