Season 34 winner Robert Irwin is said to be in talks to host the new series, with thrice-winning pro Mark Ballas to serve as a potential judge.

Dancing With the Stars eyes spinoff to find the next pro

Season 34 winner Robert Irwin is said to be in talks to host the new series, with thrice-winning pro Mark Ballas to serve as a potential judge.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

EW's editorial guidelines

February 12, 2026 7:24 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

The pro partners of 'Dancing With the Stars' season 34. Credit:

Disney/Eric McCandless

- *Dancing With the Stars *is eyeing a new sequel centered on the search for the reality competition series' next pro partner.

- *T*he tentatively titled *Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro *is in talks with season 34 winner Robert Irwin to host and longtime pro Mark Ballas to judge, *Variety *reports.

- The news comes days after EW's exclusive announcement of the first-ever *Dancing With the Stars* Con in summer 2026.

*Dancing With the Stars *is sashaying into a new era.

Following EW's exclusive announcement of the first-ever *Dancing With the Stars *Con, the series is gearing up to drop another potential bombshell: a new spinoff.

The tentatively titled *Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro *will stage a season-long search for the main series' next pro partner, according to *Variety*, which first reported the news. The winner of *The* *Next Pro* would earn a spot on the *DWTS *roster alongside fellow newcomers Jan Ravnik, a backup dancer on Taylor Swift's globe-trotting Eras Tour who joined the show last year, Ezra Sosa, who joined the year before, and Rylee Arnold, who became a part of the main company in 2023.

Robert Irwin and Witney Carson win the season 34 mirrorball trophy.

Disney/Eric McCandless

The series has not yet entered production and has no official airdate, but will reportedly be produced by BBC and air on ABC and Hulu.

Season 34 winner Robert Irwin is said to be in talks to host the new series, making him the colleague of *Dancing With the Stars*'* *current hosting duo, season 19 winner Alfonso Ribeiro and former pro Julianne Hough.

As for the judging panel, *The Next Pro *would trade out long-serving judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, as well as new appointee Derek Hough for a panel comprised of Mark Ballas and his mother, Shirley Ballas.

Mark has participated in 21 seasons of *Dancing With the Stars *as a pro, winning three. Shirley is a legendary English ballroom dancer with a specialty in the International Latin style, earning her the nickname "The Queen of Latin." Since 2017, Shirley has also served as a judge on *Strictly Come Dancing*, the English reality competition series that *Dancing With the Stars *spun off from.****

'DWTS' pro Gleb Savchenko guest-stars on 'The Bold and the Beautiful' in wild party scene

Andy Richter thinks this 'DWTS' costar never got 'the appreciation that she deserves'

has reached out to ABC, BBC, and representatives for Irwin and Mark Ballas for comment.

This is not the first time ABC has spun a new series off *Dancing With the Stars*.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

The first attempt to create a *DWTS *extended universe came in 2008, with the lively competition series *Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann*. The figure-skating spinoff *Skating With the Stars *followed in 2010, and a third, *Dancing With the Stars: Juniors*, featuring celebrity children contestants, aired in 2018. Each of these series was canceled after one season.**

Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli on 'Dancing With the Stars'.

Disney/Eric McCandless

The next banner event on the packed *DWTS *calendar is *Dancing With the Stars *Con 2026.

Described as the "ultimate *DWTS* fan convention and live show," the three-day event will reunite past celebrity winners like Joey Graziadei and Xochitl Gomez with pros like Alan Bersten and Emma Slater, fan-favorite celeb contestants like Elaine Hendrix and Danielle Fishel, and judges Inaba and Tonioli.

Tickets for the convention's inaugural edition go on sale on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT at www.dwtscon.com.**

- Dancing with the Stars Fandom

- Dancing With the Stars

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Dancing”