Mark Ballas is not a gatekeeper. That’s why, just in the last year, he’s lent his talents to two Emmy-nominated television shows and uplifted Chicago to new box office heights.
And now, he’s claiming his spot on the judging panel of the mint Dancing With the Stars spinoff The Next Pro, which will find the main show’s next professional dancer to join the season 35 cast this fall.
“I like to serve. I like to help,” Ballas tells The Hollywood Reporter at the Next Pro premiere watch party in Hollywood Monday night. “I like to give advice where I can if people want it. I’m not a gatekeeper.”
Ballas has been a part of the Dancing With the Stars family since 2007, when he joined the cast as a pro dancer for season five. Since then, he has remained a fixture of the franchise, earning an Emmy nomination in 2011 and winning three Mirrorball Trophies. He is the second-most winning pro from the show, second only to main Dancing judge Derek Hough and tied with Val Chemerinsky.
To be blunt, Ballas more than has the prerequisites needed of him to judge Next Pro (notably alongside his mother, ballroom dance world legend Shirley Ballas). He hopes his extensive experience with Dancing, having just come out of a fruitful 34th season when the spinoff was filmed, lends itself to the aspiring pros.
“What is fun for the contestants, I hope, is that they have a pro on the panel that’s active, that’s staying. All our rotating pros [that serve as guest judges] are current [Dancing pros] too, but I’m the anchor of active pros,” he says. “So I’m coming at it from a place like, hey, I’m still out there with you. I get it. I just did last season, and I’ve done this 21 times, so my feedback is always from a place of love.”
Ballas says his history with the show is exactly what he would hope for in a judge if the roles were reversed.
“If I was competing, I would wanna hear from someone that’s done it over and over again, so I can pick up any tidbits,” he says. “Because even after 21 seasons, I’m still learning. But every situation you get into, it’s not one glove fits all; you have to be adaptable.”
And that’s exactly what the Ballas’ and the weekly guest judges are looking for in Next Pro contestants: adaptability. “You can dance? Great. You can choreograph? Great. You can look great, you can have the personality, but can you be adaptable? That’s the secret sauce.”
The Next Pro premiered on Monday night, but the show itself was filmed during a rather busy period for Ballas. He shot season four of The Traitors in May-June of 2025; partook in season 34 of Dancing alongside Whitney Leavitt from September through November; took a brief period off for the holidays; shot the Next Pro in March 2026; and joined Leavitt on Broadway for Chicago in April.
And on Tuesday, he flew back to New York to prepare for his return to Chicago. It’s been fun, he says, but it’s also been a lot.
“It’s been fun. It’s been a lot. I’m very grateful and blessed. Traitors is one of my favorite shows and obviously Dancing is one of my favorite shows,” he says. “And be a part of Next Pro, something to help young talent; you know, that’s where I’m at… I’m always happy to share how this works, so very honored that they chose me [to judge Next Pro].”
The winner of Next Pro has already been decided, showrunner Conrad Green confirmed this April, which means the winner will immediately join the recurring Dancing cast, kicking off their first season as a pro this fall. When it comes to taking on the live show and teaching a celebrity the mechanics of ballroom dance, Ballas urges the winner to be open-minded and flexible, while remembering to put their partner first.
“Take in every bit of advice you can from those around you, and remember that even though you’re a massive part of the journey, the secret sauce is that you are serving your celebrity,” Ballas says. “It’s their journey. Of course it’s your journey as a team, but I feel like the most successful pros understand that it’s for them, and at the end of the day, the [celebrities] gotta look good.”
As a permanent judge of the Dancing spinoff, Ballas confirms this does not deter him from appearing on season 35 as a pro dancer, and that he’s “open” to another return.
“I think they’re two different contexts. I mean, I’m definitely open. As you know, we’re still finalizing casts and making announcements,” he says.
“Yeah, I’m open. We’ll see, you know. We’ll see,” Ballas adds. “I’ll wait to see what our amazing casting director [Deena Katz] decides to do, but she knows where to find me. She’s the best for a reason.”
Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC, with episodes available to stream Tuesdays on Disney+ and Hulu.
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