- Robert Irwin will host new "Dancing with the Stars" spinoff series "The Next Pro."
- The show will feature 12 dancers competing to be the new pro dancer on "Dancing with the Stars."
- Mark Ballas and Shirley Ballas will serve as judges for the new series.
- "Dancing with the Stars" Season 35 will feature Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller as celebrity contestants.
After winning the Mirrorball Trophy during Season 34, Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin is returning to the “Dancing with the Stars” franchise to host a brand new spinoff series.
The new show, “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro,” will feature 12 up-and-coming dancers as they compete for a spot as a pro dancer on Season 35 of “Dancing with the Stars” later this year, per USA Today. The contestants will live in a house together as they go through the audition process.
“For the first time in ‘Dancing with the Stars’ history, the greatest dancers will compete for a spot as the next pro,” Irwin said in a teaser for the show. “Let the fiercest dance battle begin.”
Mark Ballas, a three-time Mirrorball champion, and his mother, Shirley Ballas, a professional dancer who serves as the head judge on BBC’s “Strictly Come Dancing,” will be the show’s judges.
Irwin and the Ballases will be joined by a rotating lineup of “Dancing with the Stars” pros who will act as mentors for the contestants and guest judges, per Deadline. This lineup will be announced at a later date.
Irwin won Season 34 of the dance competition show alongside his partner, Witney Carson.
The new show will premiere on ABC on July 13, with episodes available to stream on Hulu the next day.
“The Next Pro” will be the first time the show is showing its audition process to the world. It is also the first major expansion in the franchise since “Dancing with the Stars” premiered in 2005.
Dozens of pro dancers have appeared on the show over the years and Mark Ballas has appeared on the show on and off since 2007.
Last year, “Dancing with the Stars” brought in its largest audience in years as it grew in popularity, especially among younger audiences, per Deadline.
Season 35 of the “Dancing with the Stars” will premiere in the fall, though an exact date has not yet been announced.
2 celebrity contestants announced for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35
The news of the spinoff isn’t the only major “Dancing with the Stars” announcement that came on Wednesday. The show has announced its first two celebrity contestants for Season 35: Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller.
Higgins is an Irish reality TV star known for being on “The Traitors” and “Love Island.” Miller is another reality TV star who has been a part of the show “Summer House.”
“I manifested it really hard. It’s on my vision board,” Higgins told USA Today about being on the show. “It’s the one show I really want to do. This is the last show I want to do as a contestant.”
Higgins previously turned down being on the Irish version of “Dancing with the Stars” and the U.K.’s “Strictly Come Dancing” because she didn’t want to jeopardize her chance of being on “Dancing with the Stars” in the U.S.
“I am so excited to join Season 35,” said Miller about the casting announcement, according to USA Today. “I feel like this is the perfect moment; I’m opening a new chapter. I can’t wait to put my energy on the dance floor.”
The full cast of celebrity contestants and pro dancers will be announced later this year.