[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.
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Robert Irwin
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer Season 34 champion Robert Irwin serves as the host of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.
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Mark Ballas
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer 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.
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Shirley Ballas
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer 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.
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Derek Hough
Image Credit: Disney/Vince Valitutti 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.
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Brandon Armstrong
Image Credit: Disney/Vince Valitutti 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.
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Briar Nolet
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer AGE 27
FROM Los Angeles
SPECIALITY Commercial dance.
Briar Nolet was eliminated during the first episode of Next Pro.
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Jake Monreal
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer 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.
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Benjamin “Benji” Castro
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer AGE 25
FROM Miami
SPECIALITY Latin/Commercial Dance
Benjamin “Benji” Castro was eliminated during episode two of The Next Pro.
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Adele Zaikman
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer -
AJ Pritchard
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer AGE 31
FROM London
SPECIALITY Ballroom/Latin
AJ Pritchard is the brother to Love Island alum Curtis Pritchard.
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Allen Genkin
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer -
Erik Linder
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer -
Natalie Jolley
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer -
Nina Mayster
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer -
Selena Hamilton
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer -
Stephani Sosa
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer -
Tristen Sanders
Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer 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.
