ABC has revealed the 12 dancers who will compete on Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, a new spin-off that gives one winner the chance to join Dancing with the Stars as a professional partner next season.
The series, which premieres on Monday, July 13, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, will be hosted by Robert Irwin, who won season 34 of Dancing with the Stars with pro partner Witney Carson.
The show follows 12 rising dancers as they live together and take part in a demanding audition process.
“We have searched the world of ballroom to find 12 of the best dancers from across the globe,” Irwin says in the show’s trailer.
The contestants will be judged by three-time Mirrorball champion Mark Ballas and his mother, Shirley Ballas, who has been head judge on Strictly Come Dancing since 2017.
Several Dancing with the Stars pros, including Brandon Armstrong, Britt Stewart, Daniella Karagach, Derek Hough, Jenna Johnson, and Witney Carson, will also appear as guest judges and mentors.
One contestant with a family connection is Stephani Sosa, the sister of current DWTS pro Ezra Sosa.
The 12 dancers competing are Adele Zaikman, AJ Pritchard, Allen Genkin, Benji Castro, Briar Nolet, Erik Linder, Jake Monreal, Natalie Jolley, Nina Mayster, Selena Hamilton, Stephani Sosa and Tristen Sanders.
The group includes former Strictly Come Dancing pro AJ Pritchard, So You Think You Can Dance alumni Benji Castro and Jake Monreal, award-winning ballroom champion Natalie Jolley, and dancer Selena Hamilton, who has toured with rapper Doechii and appeared in GAP’s campaign with KATSEYE.
