Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro

Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro
Genre	Reality competition
Based on	Dancing with the Stars
Presented by	Robert Irwin
Judges	Mark Ballas Shirley Ballas
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Production company	BBC Studios
Original release
Network	ABC

Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro is an upcoming American reality competition television series for ABC. It is a spin-off of the competition series Dancing with the Stars , which is based on the British contest show Strictly Come Dancing . Unlike its predecessor, Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro will feature up-and-coming professional dancers living in a house together who will compete in an audition process to determine who will join the main series as a pro. ^[1]

Cast

Host and judges

Robert Irwin, who won the thirty-fourth season of Dancing with the Stars, is in talks to host the series. ^[2] Mark Ballas, three-time mirrorball champion, and his mother Shirley Ballas, head judge of Strictly Come Dancing, are in talks to appear as judges. ^[3] A third judges slot is expected to be filled with a rotating judge each week. ^[4]

Contestants

A casting call for BBC Studios, who were searching for "standout dancers with world-class technique, star quality, and the ability to light up a stage," was published on social media by casting manager Lissette Pinon in October 2025. ^[5] Fan speculation emerged when current and former Dancing with the Stars pros, such as Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson, Sasha Farber and Ezra Sosa, began teasing their involvement in an undisclosed project; which was later revealed to be a fan convention for the main series. ^{[5] [6]}

Release

Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro is expected to premiere in the summer of 2026 on ABC and Hulu. ^[2] Filming is scheduled to commence in late February 2026 in Australia. ^[5]

Reception

Josef Adalian of Vulture described Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro as a "win-win-win situation for Disney. Not only does ABC get new programming for its reality-centric summer schedule, but the spinoff itself will serve as months-long promo for the fall season of Dancing with the Stars while also extending the footprint of one of the network’s most popular programs beyond the fall. ^[3]

References

1. Longeretta, Emily (February 12, 2026). "Dancing With the Stars Sets Spinoff Series to Find Next Pro, Robert Irwin Eyed to Host". Variety . Retrieved February 12, 2026.
2. Patton, Tess (February 12, 2026). "Dancing With the Stars Spinoff to Find the Next Pro Set at ABC for Summer Launch" . TheWrap . Archived from the original on February 12, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
3. Adalian, Josef (February 12, 2026). "Dancing With the Stars Is Getting a New Spinoff" . Vulture . Archived from the original on February 12, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
4. Campione, Katie (February 12, 2026). "Dancing With The Stars Spinoff Series To Find New Ballroom Pro In The Works At Hulu; Robert Irwin In Talks To Host". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 12, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
5. Galante, Grace (February 10, 2026). "DWTS Reportedly Planning Spin-Off Series to Find Next Pro Dancer". Parade . Archived from the original on February 12, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
6. Longeretta, Emily (February 10, 2026). "Dancing With the Stars Announces First-Ever Fan Convention With 17 Pros and 14 Former Celeb Contestants". Variety . Archived from the original on February 10, 2026. Retrieved February 10, 2026.