And 5, 6, 7, 8! Long-running competition series Dancing With the Stars is shaking it up this summer with the new ABC spinoff Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, which follows 12 professional dancers pursuing a chance to work the ballroom on Season 35 this fall.
The series will shift the spotlight from celebrities learning to dance to the skilled performers who are tasked with mentoring, choreographing the routines and, of course, making the “stars” look ridiculously good on the floor. As showrunner Conrad Green explains, it’s the series’ love letter to their pros.
“We’ve always felt that the pros on our show are an underutilized resource,” says Green. “Fans love them, but we don’t get much time on [DWTS] to dwell on them. And so, this was an attempt to do a big search for the very best people, but also a chance to give our pros real involvement in [shaping] the next generation.”
The judging panel will have a rotating guest seat for current or former DWTS pros (Derek Hough in the premiere), and two mainstays: three-time Mirrorball champ Mark Ballas and his mother, Shirley, a judge on the U.K.’s Strictly Come Dancing and “the Queen of Latin.” Their dynamic, Green says with a laugh, “is very much like a mother and son. You can almost picture them over the kitchen table arguing about someone. It’s actually really sweet.”
While Mark homes in on originality, Shirley calls her judging style “firm, feisty, but always fair. I expect every professional to have studied their craft intently, and I need them to prove that they are 100% dedicated.”
Hosting the series is last year’s star winner, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin (above center), who Green says brings “a massive passion for the show.”
“I really jumped at the chance,” Irwin tells us. “My reaction was just, ‘When do I start?’”
DANCING WITH THE STARS: THE NEXT PRO – ABC’s
Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro stars Shirley Ballas and Mark Ballas (Disney / Maarten De Boer)
The dancers will take on different challenges in each episode as they learn about the ins and outs of technique, storytelling through dance, creating a wow moment and more.
“When we get toward the end, they start teaching amateurs and working more like the actual show,” Green says. “As a viewer, you get a real insight into just how many layers of skill you need to be a successful pro on the show.”
Get to Know ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’ Contestant AJ Pritchard
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Get to Know ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’ Contestant AJ Pritchard
Oh, and did we mention the 12 dancers all live together too? The series shot in Australia, and the pros lived in “a beautiful house,” says Green, within an hour’s drive of Irwin’s zoo. There’s even an episode that was shot on-site, to the zookeeper’s delight. “I was definitely living my Hannah Montana double life,” he jokes.
While they’re shacking up, viewers will also “get a feel for [the dancers’] relationships,” adds Green, who teases that is “a significant part of the show.”
After all, these competitors live and breathe dance. “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,” says Irwin. “It’s really special.” Cue A Chorus Line‘s “I Hope I Get It.”
Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, Series Premiere, Monday, July 13, 8/7c, ABC
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