Robert Irwin is hosting ABC’s Dancing with the Stars next pro, and the new spinoff premieres on July 13. The format pushes the franchise into a different lane: professional dancers will compete for a shot to become the newest pro on Dancing With the Stars.
Irwin won Season 34 with Witney Carson, collected the highest number of votes, and became the youngest male winner ever, despite battling a rib injury during the season. That record-making run gives him a rare lane into the new series: he is not only the host, but also a recent winner who knows how the franchise uses performance, voting, and pressure to sort its field.
Season 34 to July 13
The jump from contestant to host happened fast. Irwin said he first found out about The Next Pro while his Dancing With the Stars journey was still underway, and his reaction to being asked was simple: “When do I start?”
He also said, “What a privilege that now I get to be a mentor for a new crop of people that want to join the world of Dancing With the Stars.” For viewers, that means the show is not just recycling a familiar face; it is using a recent champion to frame a competition aimed at dancers trying to break into the pro ranks.
Mark Ballas, Shirley, and a rotating seat
The judging panel gives the format its structure. Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro will send professional dancers before Mark Ballas, Shirley, and a rotating spot reserved for Dancing With the Stars’ finest, which builds the spinoff around internal franchise standards instead of outside celebrity judging.
The winner becomes the newest pro on the flagship show, so the prize is a job inside the same system. That makes the competition less about novelty and more about who can earn a place in the franchise’s working core.
Irwin on hosting
Irwin said he has been hosting shows since he was about 10 years old, but most of that work has centered on animals and wildlife documentaries at Australia Zoo, his home. He also said, “I definitely look at Alfonso as the gold standard… He’s probably the most involved host I’ve ever seen on a show.”
That is the sharpest wrinkle in the new assignment: The Next Pro leans on a host whose background is built outside dance television, while the series itself is built around dancers who have spent their lives inside it. Irwin’s own line — “Put me in [the trenches].” — fits that setup better than a polished celebrity handoff would.
The premiere date gives ABC a clear launch point, and the premise gives the franchise a practical way to turn a winner into an on-ramp for the next generation. If The Next Pro works, it does more than extend Dancing With the Stars; it turns the host’s victory lap into a talent pipeline.
