Executive producer weighs the future of 'The Next Pro'
Conrad Green, executive producer of "Dancing With the Stars," said ABC's "Next Pro" spinoff could return in a revised form after its first season, telling Deadline on Monday, August 31 that any renewal would involve "tweaks." Green described the annual airing cycle as unsustainable and stressed the need to "get the balance right so that you don't have so much churn that you're changing people for the sake of changing people," while leaving the network to decide the show's schedule. He framed "The Next Pro" as a potential companion series rather than a rival to the flagship, saying he "would be surprised if it was ever as big as the main show" but noting that "people who love dance get really into debating the merits of the different people doing it."
Adele Zaikman crowned the first 'Next Pro' champion
The spinoff's season one finale, which aired on Monday, September 1, named Adele Zaikman as the winner over fellow finalists AJ Pritchard, who finished as runner-up, and Selena Hamilton, who placed third. Judges Mark Ballas and Shirley Ballas, along with guest judge Derek Hough, selected the winner; Robert Irwin hosted the episode. Hough praised Zaikman during the finale, telling her, "Adele, you could just walk across the floor and you would be captivating … If you became a pro, you wouldn't just fit in; you would elevate the rest of the Dancing with the Stars cast." Allen Genkin had been eliminated one week earlier, on August 24.
Green sizes up Zaikman's path to the ballroom
Green called Zaikman "one of the best Latin dancers we've had on the show. Full stop," citing her background in ballroom competition and noting that she compares most closely to Dani Karagach and Pasha Pashkov, both competition-trained pros. He flagged potential adjustments for her on the main show, saying other Latin and ballroom specialists "have also done lots of other things, and I think that those are areas that are going to be more of a challenge for Adele coming on the show," while underscoring her "incredible charisma."
What to watch as Season 35 approaches
Zaikman will join the Season 35 cast of "Dancing With the Stars," with her celebrity partner and the rest of the lineup to be revealed on September 2, according to E! News. "Dancing With the Stars" is scheduled to premiere with a two-night event on ABC and Disney+ starting Tuesday, September 15, at 8 p.m. ET. Green's comments leave the spinoff's future tied to network conversations, with no commitment yet on timing or format changes.
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