Robert Irwin opens up about new role in 'Dancing With The Stars' spinoff show: 'Witney and I...'
With the recently concluded Season 34 of 'Dancing With The Stars', the ABC reality television show raked in the highest number of ratings in almost a decade. Keeping up with the momentum, 'DWTS' will be back for Season 35 later this year in the Fall, once again bringing together new celebrities who would contend among themselves for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Although the celebrity contestants often attract much of the spotlight on the dance competition show, it goes without saying that their victories are incomplete without the contributions of their professional dancer partners. Take, for instance, the case of season 35 champions Robert Irwin and Witney Carson. Without Carson's guidance and support, one can't imagine Irwin making it to the top spot on his own steam.
Over the years, several pro dancers have consistently delivered awe-inspiring performances, including Derek Hough, Mark Ballas, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, and many others. Thereafter, the lives of the pro dancers on the show have often been a source of intrigue for the audience. Furthermore, both Irwin and Carson added to the hype by taking a moment out of their 'Dancing With The Stars' live tour and teasing the upcoming spinoff. Irwin wrote on his Instagram page, "I am so excited to be back with my ballroom family to host this new era of 'DWTS.' Witney and I took a little detour from the DWTS live tour to make the exciting announcement. And if you wondered what a day in the life on tour looks like, well, this is it!"
With Irwin as host, Mark Ballas and his mother, Shirley Ballas, a renowned ballroom dancer, will join the show as judges. The caption of Irwin's post, which features the promotional video for the upcoming show, further reads, "It's a journey to the ballroom like never before. 🪩, Join host @robertirwinphotography for Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, premiering Monday, July 13 on ABC! Moreover, viewers have often wondered how pro dancers sign up for the show and are eventually paired with their celebrity counterparts. 'DWTS' intends to build upon this very premise with the upcoming extension or spinoff titled 'Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro', which is supposed to air on ABC on Monday, July 13.
Elsewhere, 'DWTS' showrunner Conrad Green highlighted the scope of the spinoff in an interview with THR, "(The Next Pro shows) just how many different skills you need to be a pro on Dancing With the Stars. Just being a good ballroom or Latin dancer is the basics, but you have to be able to do group dancing, choreograph, manage difficult people, manage time pressure, format a dance, and choreograph for a one-minute routine that’s got moments that might get picked up on social media that might make your couple pop."