‘Dancing With the Stars’ Sets Spinoff Series to Find Next Pro, Robert Irwin Eyed to Host
The “Dancing with the Stars” world is continuing to grow with a new spinoff. “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” will feature up-and-coming professional dancers who will live in a house together and compete in a grueling audition process. The winner will land a coveted spot as a pro dancer on the next season of “Dancing With the Stars.”
Likely to air this summer on ABC and Hulu, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, who won the Season 34 “DWTS” mirrorball, is in talks to.
Mark Ballas, who has won “Dancing With the Stars” three times, is being eyed to judge, as is his mother, Shirley Ballas, who is known as “The Queen of Latin.” Also a professional ballroom dancer, Shirley Ballas has served as the head judge on BBC One’s “Strictly Come Dancing” since 2017. Additionally, a rotating mentor or pro will join them at the table each week.
Both Mark and Shirley have competition series experience outside the dancing world, too — she competed on “Celebrity Bear Hunt” in 2025, and he’s on the current season of “The Traitors.”
Over the last 20 years, “DWTS” has had dozens of professional dancers; Mark Ballas joined the show in 2007 and has competed in 21 seasons. In Season 34, the show introduced a new pro, Jan Ravnik, who came straight from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Throughout the season, however, he became a large topic of conversation after former pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy came for Ravnik, saying during a podcast interview that Ravnik had “absolutely no business being a pro” on the show. “There’s zero foundation, technique, quality, understanding of the partnership,” he said at the time.
Ravnik has not yet confirmed whether he’ll return for Season 35, but many pros in the past have begun in the troupe and were later upped to pros for the season.
“Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” is produced by BBC Studios.
Likely to air this summer on ABC and Hulu, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, who won the Season 34 “DWTS” mirrorball, is in talks to.
Mark Ballas, who has won “Dancing With the Stars” three times, is being eyed to judge, as is his mother, Shirley Ballas, who is known as “The Queen of Latin.” Also a professional ballroom dancer, Shirley Ballas has served as the head judge on BBC One’s “Strictly Come Dancing” since 2017. Additionally, a rotating mentor or pro will join them at the table each week.
Both Mark and Shirley have competition series experience outside the dancing world, too — she competed on “Celebrity Bear Hunt” in 2025, and he’s on the current season of “The Traitors.”
Over the last 20 years, “DWTS” has had dozens of professional dancers; Mark Ballas joined the show in 2007 and has competed in 21 seasons. In Season 34, the show introduced a new pro, Jan Ravnik, who came straight from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Throughout the season, however, he became a large topic of conversation after former pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy came for Ravnik, saying during a podcast interview that Ravnik had “absolutely no business being a pro” on the show. “There’s zero foundation, technique, quality, understanding of the partnership,” he said at the time.
Ravnik has not yet confirmed whether he’ll return for Season 35, but many pros in the past have begun in the troupe and were later upped to pros for the season.
“Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” is produced by BBC Studios.