"Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro" is the Spinoff DWTS Fans Didn't Know They Needed
ABC is peeling back the curtain on how they're selecting the next Dancing with the Stars pro through the new competition series, Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. Ahead of the show's July 13th premiere, I got to check out the first two episodes of the new format. It's a look at what it takes to become a dancer on a show that requires leading a celebrity who might have zero dance experience.
Hosted by Mirrorball Champion Robert Irwin, the celebrity-free format is surprisingly refreshing and addictive. Irwin became a fan-favorite contestant not only because of his surprising dance skills, but also his approachable demeanor and supportive vibe with fellow contestants. As host, fans not only get more of what they love about him, but he also gets to continue that supportive evolution that started when he was a contestant himself.
Twelve contestants — six women, six men — are going head-to-head to become the next DWTS pro. The Real World-style shared house and paired challenges mean viewers get to know them fast. As they introduce themselves and share their dance experience, some seem to have a major leg up on the competition. Stephani, for example, is Ezra Sosa's sister and has already been on DWTS as part of the Troupe, and AJ was a pro on the UK version of the show. Most have some level of professional dance experience, from supporting artists like Jennifer Lopez and Doechii on tour to competing on shows like Dancing with the Stars: Juniors and So You Think You Can Dance. Still, there are enough newcomers in the mix for it to feel like anybody’s game.
Fan-favorite pros from the show appear as guest mentors and judges. Derek Hough takes the spotlight in the premiere, pairing the guys up for a jive challenge and the girls up for a samba. Episode 2 brings on Brandon Armstrong, who pairs up contestants for a couple's narrative dance. The show's intro also teases Jenna Johnson and Britt Stewart in these roles in future episodes. The guest judge joins the two regular judges in their episode: three-time Mirrorball champion Mark Ballas and his mother, Shirley Ballas.
Each of the first two episodes eliminates two contestants in a gender-balanced approach that likely works for upcoming challenges, but has the potential to become unfair if stuck to in the long run. I'm curious to see how it plays out if the two strongest contestants end up both being women, which seems to be the case based on the first two episodes.
At its core, Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro delivers a nice mix of incredible dance numbers set to popular songs, paired with heartwarming personal stories of the contestants. Without the regular show's live format, the creative team gets to better serve the strongest threads of the hour, and the dance talent of the contestants is higher than your average celebrity contestant. In other words, it's a higher caliber version of DWTS, with enough added twists to feel like a new show.
Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro premieres tonight at 8/7c on ABC, streaming tomorrow on Disney+ and Hulu