‘Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro’ Cast: All the Dancers Vying for a Spot on Season 35

Live Feed Home TV TV News 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 Logo text [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 Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer Season 34 champion Robert Irwin serves as the host of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Adele Zaikman Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer AGE 24 FROM Los Angeles SPECIALITY Latin 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. Allen Genkin Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer AGE 36 FROM San Jose, California SPECIALITY Latin Erik Linder Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer AGE 26 FROM Tampa, Florida SPECIALITY Latin Natalie Jolley Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer AGE 20 FROM New York, New York SPECIALITY Ballroom Nina Mayster Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer AGE 28 FROM Philadelphia, Pennsylvania SPECIALITY Latin Selena Hamilton Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer AGE 21 FROM Los Angeles SPECIALITY Commercial Stephani Sosa Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer 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 Image Credit: Disney/Maarten De Boer AGE 28 FROM Atlanta, Georgia SPECIALITY Ballroom/Hip-hop Dancing With the Stars: The Next Proairs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC, with episodes available to stream Tuesdays on Disney+ and Hulu. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up