Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro

Week 1: The Journey Begins: Technique with Derek Hough

Contestants were placed in same-sex couples and tested on basic technique.^[9] Six-time mirrorball champion Derek Hough appeared as a guest judge and mentor.^[10] He performed a demonstration routine set to "Baianá" by Barbatuques with professional dancer Lily Cornish, who won the Australian iteration of Dancing with the Stars twice.^[9]

The male couples performed the jive, while the female couples performed the samba.^[9] Each performance featured a solo section choreographed by the contestants, and a side-by-side section choreographed and taught by Hough.^[9] The contestants were judged individually; the worst-performing male and female dancers, as chosen by the judges, were eliminated.^[9]

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 2: Stories Without Words: Storytelling with Brandon Armstrong

Contestants were placed in opposite-sex couples and were tasked to share a personal story through dance.^[11] Dancing with the Stars finalist Brandon Armstrong appeared as a guest judge and mentor.^[12] He performed a demonstration routine with Lily Cornish set to "Rescue" by Lauren Daigle, which was based on his experience being adopted into a white family.^[11]

After deciding whose story to tell, the couples selected an appropriate dance style and choreographed the routine together.^[11] The couple with the least compelling performance, as chosen by the judges, were placed in jeopardy; one dancer from that couple was eliminated.^[11]

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Notes

Week 3: You're Only as Strong as Your Weakest Link: Group Work with Britt Stewart

Contestants were tested on their teamwork skills with group dances.^[13] Two-time Dancing with the Stars semi-finalist Britt Stewart appeared as a guest judge and mentor.^[13] She performed a demonstration routine to "All Shook Up" by Whissell with an assortment of professional dancers.^[14] For their first challenge, contestants worked together to learn the choreography to Stewart's routine in three hours; a nod to the amount of time Dancing with the Stars pros have to learn and perform an opening number during every live episode.^[14] They performed on-the-spot for the judges, who singled out the two worst-performing dancers.^[14]

Because Nina and Tristen were declared the weakest performers, they served as team captains for the second challenge: creating their own group performance.^[14] They were allowed to pick their team members and were given a dance style to choreograph: either the paso doble or the tango.^[14] The team that impressed the judges the most were safe from elimination.^[14] Natalie suffered a black eye and a concussion during rehearsals for the first challenge.^[15] She was not medically cleared to return to the competition, forcing her to be eliminated by default.^[15]

Groups are listed in the order they performed.

Notes

Week 4: Bring on the Intensity: Chemistry with Jenna Johnson

Contestants were tested on their trust and chemistry with intimate performances.^[16] They picked a partner to choreograph passionate routines based on the rumba and the Argentine tango; the lowest-scoring pair was eliminated.^[16] Two-time mirrorball champion Jenna Johnson appeared as a guest judge and mentor.^[16]

Couples are listed in the order they performed.

Week 5: "Wow" Moments with Daniella Karagach

With mirrorball champion Daniella Karagach as a guest judge and mentor, contestants will be challenged to create "wow" moments by incorporating one of Karagach's signature moves into a routine.^[17] They will also visit Australia Zoo to gain inspiration from the power and agility of animals in nature.^[17]

Week 6: But Can You Teach? Coaching Superfans with Witney Carson

The remaining contestants will be tested on teaching superfans a ballroom routine for a spot in the semifinals.^[18] Two-time mirrorball champion Witney Carson will appear as a guest judge and mentor.^[18]

Development

The Next Pro was produced by BBC Studios.^[19] Conrad Green, the showrunner and executive producer of Dancing with the Stars,^[20] reprised his role for the series.^[21] Ryan O'Dowd, Krystal Whitney, Alex Cross, and Jenny Groom additionally served as executive producers.^[21] Deena Katz, the casting director of Dancing with the Stars,^[22] and Quinn Lipton were co-executive producers.^[21]

Creating The Next Pro was a priority for Green and Katz, as they wanted to refocus the franchise's energy on "making the [professional] dancer the center of this, because they are the creative hub of the show. There's a huge creative team around them who are super talented, but it's them at the core of it with their choreography, with their passion, with their patience, that drive the whole enterprise."^[23]

Casting

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 The Voice's casting manager Lissette Pinon in October 2025.^[24]

Robert Irwin was first approached to host The Next Pro while he was competing on the thirty-fourth season of Dancing with the Stars, which he ultimately won.^[25] Dancing with the Stars pro Mark Ballas and his mother Shirley Ballas, the head judge of the British competition program Strictly Come Dancing, were cast to judge the series.^[26] A third judges slot is filled with a rotating judge each week.^[27] Guest judges include Derek Hough, Witney Carson, Kym Johnson-Herjavec, Britt Stewart, Jenna Johnson, Brandon Armstrong, and Daniella Karagach.^[28][29][30] The last four guests were performing on the Dancing with the Stars: Live! tour at the time and missed select performances on rotating schedules to participate in The Next Pro.^[31] Rylee Arnold, who did not perform as a full-time member in the tour for health reasons, filled in for the pros and also participated in the series.^[32]

Filming

Production for The Next Pro commenced in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, Australia, in February 2026,^[24][33] which allowed Irwin to maintain his commitments to Australia Zoo.^[34] Filming locations included the Thomas Dixon Centre, home of Queensland Ballet.^[35] John-Paul Langbroek, Queensland's Minister for the Arts, reported that The Next Pro contributed A$7.2 million to the state's economy and employed around 110 local cast and crew members.^[35] Its release would "showcase Brisbane to an international audience," as it prepared to host the 2032 Summer Olympics and Summer Paralympics.^[35]