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Plus, The Hollywood Reporter breaks down all the judges and mentors who will appear on the spinoff.
Published on July 14, 2026
Dancing With the Stars is getting ready to welcome the addition of a new professional dancer at the end of Next Pro.
The spinoff stars a group of 12 dancers who must compete in weekly challenges for a shot at becoming the next pro dancer on season 35 of Dancing With the Stars. Only time will tell who will win the series, securing a spot in the main series’ recurring cast.
With new episodes airing Mondays, The Hollywood Reporter is breaking down all the details on the cast of dancers, who was eliminated each week, the judges and mentors.
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Robert Irwin
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
Season 34 champion Robert Irwin serves as the host of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.
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Mark Ballas
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
Three-time Mirrorball Champion Mark Ballas is one of two permanent judges on Next Pro. He joined Dancing With the Stars’ season five cast as a pro, and has become a mainstay on the recurring pro cast.
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Shirley Ballas
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
Shirley Ballas, mother to Mark, is the second recurring Next Pro judge. She is a staple in the ballroom dance world, and also serves as the head judge of Strictly Come Dancing.
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Derek Hough
Image Credit: Disney/Vince Valitutti
Dancing With the Stars judge and six-time Mirrorball Champion Derek Hough was the first Next Pro guest judge. He taught the dancers jive and samba numbers, where judging technique was at the forefront of the premiere week.
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Briar Nolet
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 27
FROM Los Angeles
SPECIALITY Commercial dance.
Briar Nolet was eliminated during the first episode of Next Pro.
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Jake Monreal
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 22
FROM Miami
SPECIALITY Latin
Jake Monreal was eliminated during the first episode of Next Pro. Before appearing on the show, Jake joined the Dancing With the Stars family as a junior pro dancer on the Juniors spinoff, where he was mentored by Sasha Farber.
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Adele Zaikman
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 24
FROM Los Angeles
SPECIALITY Latin
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AJ Pritchard
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 31
FROM London
SPECIALITY Ballroom/Latin
AJ Pritchard is the brother to Love Island alum Curtis Pritchard.
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Allen Genkin
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 36
FROM San Jose, California
SPECIALITY Latin
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Benjamin Castro
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 25
FROM Miami
SPECIALITY Latin/Commercial Dance
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Erik Linder
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 26
FROM Tampa, Florida
SPECIALITY Latin
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Natalie Jolley
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 20
FROM New York, New York
SPECIALITY Ballroom
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Nina Mayster
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 28
FROM Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SPECIALITY Latin
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Selena Hamilton
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 21
FROM Los Angeles
SPECIALITY Commercial
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Stephani Sosa
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 26
FROM Los Angeles
SPECIALITY Ballroom/Latin
Stephani Sosa was part of Dancing With the Stars’ season 33 troupe. She is also the sister to pro dancer Ezra Sosa.
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Tristen Sanders
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer
AGE 28
FROM Atlanta, Georgia
SPECIALITY Ballroom/Hip-hop
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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