We may have some time to wait for Dancing with the Stars Season 35. However, ABC is pulling us back into the reality competition show’s world with Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. The new series premieres on Monday, July 13, at 8/7c on ABC, and it will look a lot different than the original. In fact, it may remind fans of the original show’s earlier seasons. However, the end goal and the differences it makes to get there could be what Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro needs to be the ideal lead-in to the new Dancing with the Stars season.
How Is ‘Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro’ Different?
Dancing with the Stars Season 34 Len Goodman Mirrorball Champion Robert Irwin will host the new show. So, that’s a familiar face, and Irwin’s positive energy will likely be incredibly useful as the competition heats up. Just like DWTS, there will be a panel of judges. Except, on DWTS, there are three main judges (Carie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli), with a special guest being the fourth judge. With Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, there are two main judges – three-time Mirrorball champion Mark Ballas and “The Queen of Latin” and Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas. The third mentor/judge will come from a rotating roster of Dancing with the Stars pros.
The Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro trailer reveals that Brandon Armstrong, Witney Carson, Jenna Johnson, Daniella Karagach, and Britt Stewart are among those who will guest judge. Those pros, Mark Ballas, and Shirley Ballas will be the sole deciding voices of who gets eliminated on the show. There is no audience participation like the votes on DWTS, which is quite the distinction.
The other big difference is that the contestants – 12 up-and-coming dancers – will move into one house during the competition. That is not and has never been a part of DWTS. I can only imagine if it had been. Before the more recent and wholesome seasons of TV, Dancing with the Stars used to channel its reality TV roots by following the celebrities and the pros much closer. The cameras caught every ounce of tension, every argument, every injury, every flirtation, and so on. All of that shifted with several changes in the 2010s, including DWTS dropping its Results Show. It seems like ABC wants to revive a bit of the drama by having the dancers live together. The trailer teases how the living situation causes plenty of arguments, bonding, and tears between the dancers.
MORE: Here’s Everyone in the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35 Cast
What Is the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Spinoff’s Premiere About?
DWTS: The Next Pro will kick off its eight-episode season with “The Journey Begins: Technique with Derek Hough.” So, as advertised, Hough will be the first guest mentor/judge. The dancers will be testing their jive and samba techniques, and the weakest pair will be eliminated. So, that’s another thing that sets this show apart from DWTS.
The latter’s previous season was 12 episodes with 13 contestants, and there was one double elimination in the second week. On “One-Hit Wonders Night,” both Corey Feldman and Baron Davis were sent home. The only time that DWTS has had a double elimination in its season premiere was the truncated, four-week Season 26 – Dancing with the Stars: Athletes. With eight episodes and 12 dancers, I wouldn’t be shocked if there are multiple double eliminations in Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro’s future.
With one episode weekly, the new show’s run will take fans all the way through Monday, August 31. That means that fans — and the new dancer themselves — will only have to wait a few days to see who the new pro will be paired up with on Dancing with the Stars Season 35. After all, the cast of celebrities and their pros will be announced on Wednesday, September 2.
—
