'Dancing with the Stars' announces Season 35 and new spin-off 'The Next Pro' hosted by Robert Irwin
"Robert Irwin to host new 'Dancing with the Stars' spin-off"
LOS ANGELES -- The "Dancing with the Stars" ballroom is expanding!
Disney and ABC announced today at Hulu's Get Real House that "Dancing with the Stars" has been renewed for a 35th season, alongside the debut of a new competitive spinoff, "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro."
Season 34 champion Robert Irwin will return to the franchise to host the spinoff, which aims to find the next professional dancer to join the main series.
Irwin will be joined by a judging panel consisting of "Strictly Come Dancing" head judge Shirley Ballas and her son, three-time "Dancing with the Stars" champion Mark Ballas.
The spinoff will feature 12 contestants competing for a professional contract. While the spinoff focuses on rising dance talent, the main series is already beginning its cast announcements.
The network revealed that the first two celebrity contestants for Season 35 will be reality television stars Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller. The complete celebrity lineup is set to come soon at a later date.
While a premiere date for Season 35 of the original show has not yet been announced, this expansion of the "DWTS" universe follows the recently announced Dancing with the Stars Con, a fan convention debuting in Palm Springs this summer.
Fans won't have to wait long to see the competition heat up in a new setting, as "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro" is set to premiere July 13 on ABC, streaming the next day on Hulu.
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