Plus, The Hollywood Reporter breaks down all the judges and mentors who will appear on the spinoff.
Published on July 20, 2026
‘Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro’ cast.
Disney/Vince Valitutti
[This story contains spoilers for episodes one and two of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.]
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.
This story was originally published on July 14, and has been updated after each elimination.
Robert Irwin
Season 34 champion Robert Irwin serves as the host of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.
Mark Ballas
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.
Shirley Ballas
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.
Derek Hough
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.
Brandon Armstrong
Dancing With the Stars pro Brandon Armstrong joined as the second guest judge, where during episode two, the dancers’ storytelling abilities were on full display.
Briar Nolet
AGE 27
FROM Los Angeles
SPECIALITY Commercial dance.
Briar Nolet was eliminated during the first episode of Next Pro.
Jake Monreal
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.
Benjamin “Benji” Castro
AGE 25
FROM Miami
SPECIALITY Latin/Commercial Dance
Benjamin “Benji” Castro was eliminated during episode two of The Next Pro.
Adele Zaikman
AGE 24
FROM Los Angeles
SPECIALITY Latin
AJ Pritchard
AGE 31
FROM London
SPECIALITY Ballroom/Latin
AJ Pritchard is the brother to Love Island alum Curtis Pritchard.
Allen Genkin
AGE 36
FROM San Jose, California
SPECIALITY Latin
Erik Linder
AGE 26
FROM Tampa, Florida
SPECIALITY Latin
Natalie Jolley
AGE 20
FROM New York, New York
SPECIALITY Ballroom
Nina Mayster
AGE 28
FROM Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SPECIALITY Latin
Selena Hamilton
AGE 21
FROM Los Angeles
SPECIALITY Commercial
Stephani Sosa
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.
Tristen Sanders
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.
Source:
www.hollywoodreporter.com