Dancing With the Stars is ready to find its next pro! AKA a professional dancer who can partner with celebrities as they compete for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy. And what better way to cast the next pro dancer than with yet another competition?
Enter Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, which premieres tonight, July 13, 2026, and is hosted by none other than Dancing With the Stars season 34 winner Robert Irwin.
The show will feature 12 professional dancers who move into a house together and start a “grueling audition process” for just one spot on Dancing With the Stars’ upcoming season 35.
Longtime pro Mark Ballas and his mom, Shirley Ballas, are judges and will be joined by returning pros as mentors/guest judges. But...who’s in the cast? It’s a talented bunch, so get ready.
Benjamin Castro
Instagram: @benjamincastro01
Benjamin (aka Benji) is from Miami, and if you recognize him that might be because he was in the top seven of So You Think You Can Dance season 16, and even went on tour with the show.
Allen Genkin
Instagram: @allengenkin
This isn’t the first time San Jose-based dancer Allen has been featured on DWTS. He won the show’s Ballroom Battle challenge back in 2012, and clearly he’s not done competing!
Selena Hamilton
Instagram: @selenarhamilton
Does Selena look familiar? Might be because she was a dancer in KATSEYE’s iconic “Better in Denim” Gap ad, not to mention a backup dancer for huge names like Doechii and Sombr.
Natalie Jolley
Instagram: @thenataliejolley
Ballroom star Natalie might be the most decorated dancer on this show. She’s won the U.S. National Champion eight times, the UK Open six times, the International Champion four times, and the World Smooth Champion four times. She’s a certified pro, no matter what happens this season!
Erik Linder
Instagram: @erik_linder1
Erik keeps it pretty low-key on social, but lives, dances, and surfs (!!!) in Los Angeles.
Nina Mayster
Instagram: @ninaxmayster
Nina is a professional dancer who owns VIBE Dance Atelier in Pennsylvania.
Jake Monreal
Instagram: @jakemonreal33
This isn’t Jake’s first time on reality TV! He competed on Dancing With the Stars Juniors, as well as So You Think You Can Dance.
Briar Nolet
Instagram: @briarnolet
Briar is an actor as well as a dancer. She starred on The Next Step and The Chosen, and also competed on World of Dance and Canada’s Got Talent. She also danced on J.Lo’s It's My Party tour.
AJ Pritchard
Instagram: @aj11ace
AJ got to the semifinals of Britain’s Got Talent back in 2013, and was a pro dancer on Strictly Come Dancing. On top of that, he’s been on I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, Celebrity MasterChef, The Challenge UK, and was a choreographer on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. In other words, he’s used to the spotlight! (And so is his brother, Curtis, by the way—you might recognize him from Love Island UK.)
Tristen Sanders
Instagram: @tristen.christopher
Tristen’s a professional dancer from Atlanta who specializes in hip-hop and ballroom!
Stephani Sosa
Instagram: @stephychica
Yep, Stephani is the sister of Dancing With the Stars pro Ezra Sosa! She also has some acting roles under her belt, including dancing in Running Point, Random Canyon, Doctor Odyssey, Palm Royale, Perry Mason, and High School Musical: The Musical.
Adele Zaikman
Instagram: @adele.zaikman
Adele is a professional dancer who specializes in Latin, and won the Blackpool Dance Festival!
