DANCING WITH THE STARS: THE NEXT PRO - “The Journey Begins: Technique with Derek Hough” - Host Robert Irwin challenges 12 exceptional dancers to the ultimate audition for a pro spot on “Dancing with the Stars.” Judges Shirley Ballas, Mark Ballas and Derek Hough test jive and samba techniques, with the weakest pair eliminated. MONDAY, JULY 13 (8:00-9:01 p.m. EDT) on ABC. Stream episodes next day on Disney+ and Hulu. (Disney/Vince Valitutti) AJ, JAKE, ALLEN, ERIK, TRISTEN, BENJI, DEREK HOUGH
Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro Recap for 7/13/2026
It is premiere night for Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro on ABC. Twelve dancers will compete and only one will win a spot on next season of DWTS.
Robert Irwin hosts, while Shirley Ballas and Mark Ballas judge.
After Mark and Shirley talk about their expectations for each dancer, Derek Hough shows up and after a fun performance, announces he will be a mentor and guest judge.
The girls will dance the samba, and the guys will dance the jive. At the end of the night, there will be a double elimination.
The dancers are shown where they will be living throughout their time on the show and then get to work. Derek works with them one on one and tells each dancer what he expects from them and offers them advice on how to be the best dancers they can be, explaining what they are looking for in each performance.
There are some bumps in the road for each dancer as they work on their routines for the big night, but all the while, Derek is there for support, giving tough love where needed and overall pushing them to make these routines stand out.
Jives:
Erik Linder vs. Tristen Sanders: They work well together side by side, but also have amazing moments on their own. The former is better in technique, while the latter is better when it comes to artistry and style. However, they both have personality in spades.
Derek: He sees how they both improved but wants more risks from Erik.
Shirley: She loves Erik’s posture and wanted more technique from Tristen.
Mark: He wanted more jive from Tristen and thinks Erik made it look a bit too easy.
AJ Pritchard and Jake Monreal: They also do well with their duet and have a ton of energy and stamina. As for the solos, Jake had a lot of energy, whereas AJ seemed to be a bit more focused on the routine itself.
Derek: It was lacking energy.
Mark: He wants Jake to focus a bit more and enjoyed AJ’s technique.
Shirley: AJ needs to take more risks, while Jake needs to focus more on the music.
Allen Genkin and Benjamin Castro: The two of them knock it out of the park with their solos and as a duo. They bring the technique, style and energy in spades and are by far the best of the night.
Mark: It was dynamic.
Shirley: She wanted to dance right along with them.
Derek: He was left wanting more.
Sambas:
Natalie Jolley and Selena Hamilton: They both owned that dance in their own ways. Selena had the power and drama, while Natalie had the technique, albeit being a bit nervous. I love how they both had incredible technique from start to finish.
Shirley: Natalie needs to work on her flexibility, while Selena is a superstar in the making.
Derek: He enjoyed it but wants Natalie to let go a bit more.
Mark: He agrees with Derek about Natalie and thinks Selena is fire.
Briar Nolet and Stephani Sosa: Briar slipped in the beginning and it threw her off for the rest of the dance. I feel so bad for her. Stephani added her own dramatic spin to thinks and also had incredible moves throughout the dance.
Mark: Stephani needs to work on her transitions and he comforts Briar after her slip.
Shirley: She wants Briar to work on her bottom half but loved the sensuality of the routine.
Derek: He reminds Briar that this is about technique tonight.
Nina Mayster and Adele Zaikman: This is the best duet for the ladies tonight. Both of them nailed it in their solos both in technique and artistry.
Derek: He compares Adele to a Rolls Royce (making her cry) and the openness of Nina’s performance.
Mark: He warns Nina about going ahead of the music and thinks Adele is fierce.
Shirley: She thinks they both need to add a bit of each other to their dances.
Briar and Natalie and Tristen and Jake are in the bottom two for their respective groups.
Briar and Jake are eliminated. Everyone hugs them goodbye and Robert offers them words of wisdom as they leave.
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