DANCING WITH THE STARS: THE NEXT PRO - “”Wow” Moments with Daniella Karagach” - The dancers must create unforgettable “wow” moments by incorporating one of Daniella Karagach’s signature moves into a viral-worthy routine. Then, they visit the Australia Zoo for inspiration from the power and agility of animals in nature. MONDAY, AUG. 10 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Vince Valitutti) ERIK, SELENA
Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro Recap for 8/10/2026
Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro on ABC is at the halfway point. Six dancers remain and they are all determined to make it to the end and win a spot on DWTS!
Robert Irwin hosts while Shirley Ballas and Mark Ballas judge. Daniella Karagach is the guest judge.
The assignment tonight is to create a dance including one unique wow movement and one of the moves Daniella demonstrated—her air walk, Witney’s leg lift or Val’s knee walk. One dancer will be eliminated at the end of the night.
To relax a bit, Robert takes them to the Australia Zoo. It is also a way to help them get inspiration for their dances.
Later on, Daniella meets with the couples and tells them what she expects to see from them in their routines.
She then has the guys choose what girl they want to dance with, and sadly, no one wants to dance with Nina. Allen says he loves her, but he felt more comfortable with Adele.
Selena was chosen by Erik and AJ, so she chooses to dance with Erik, meaning AJ will be with Nina.
Everyone gets to work. There is a lot of pressure with the couples and a lot of blood, sweat and tears as the dancers try to bring everything into their performances.
Adele and Allen have a bonding moment as she cries due to the pressure and talks about how dance is everything in her life.
AJ is upset since he feels so overwhelmed, so Nina tries to comfort him. They end up hugging and crying together.
All the while, Daniella visits each couple to give them pointers on how to make their dances stand out.
Everyone seems to be opening up to their partners, making this even more emotional.
AJ and Nina: Their dance is so emotional and beautiful, with incredible WOW moments filled with musicality and moves that were so powerful.
Daniella: They both understood the assignment.
Mark: He loves the moment where she fell backwards and gave all her trust to AJ.
Shirley: There were quite a few WOW moments and she loves the koala moments and how they came out of their comfort zones.
Allen and Adele: Despite her having issues with blisters on her feet, she manages to pull off a gorgeous routine. The air walk could rival Daniella’s and their chemistry is so hot that it is hard to even concentrate on the dance…..Jenna would be proud. As an aside, I never would have known Adele never did contemporary before.
Mark: They danced so well together….and he loved the Allen Copter movement.
Shirley: Adele is the real deal and one of the best female dancers she has seen in 66 countries….and she also loves Allen’s performance.
Daniella: She loves them together and is so proud of their performance.
Erik and Selena: It was a simple performance, yet so powerful…..the WOW moment may have been subtle, but the power behind the dance was what made it so special.
Shirley: She didn’t see the WOW moment and wanted to see more.
Mark: He liked the knee walks and was intrigued….but he wanted more.
Daniella: She thinks they look like pros, but wanted more WOW.
Selena and Erik are in the bottom two, with Erik going home.
More next week, stay tuned!
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