DANCING WITH THE STARS: THE NEXT PRO: Episode 1.1: “The Journey Begins: Technique with Derek Hough”
A competition with heart — and dancewear worth a conversation.
Should You See It?
Here is the decision. This spin-off does what the flagship does: 12 dancers, one house, a grueling weekly audition process, and a professional spot on Season 35 of DANCING WITH THE STARS waiting at the end. Robert Irwin hosts. Derek Hough and Shirley Ballas judge. The atmosphere is lively, the music and production are high quality, and the hour is genuinely fun.
It is also a dance show, and that is where the caution lives. The outfits are revealing throughout — stomachs bared on both men and women, cleavage, short skirts — enough that a parent should decide in advance whether this is a conversation or a pass. The language is light: four uses of OMG, and one male contestant's curse bleeped out with his mouth covered.
What surrounds all that is unusually decent. The dancers work hard and support one another, the judging is constructive even when it stings, and the contestants sent home take the news gracefully.
So: if your children are old enough to talk about what people wear and why, this is a fun hour to spend with them. For younger kids, wait.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESTwelve dancers have been selected to compete for one thing: a professional spot on Season 35 of DANCING WITH THE STARS. They live together in a house and face a grueling weekly audition process, with Robert Irwin hosting and Derek Hough and Shirley Ballas judging.
The premiere sets the terms. Derek Hough opens with a challenge built around technique, and announces that one male dancer and one female dancer will face elimination every week. For the first routine, each dancer is paired with another dancer of the same gender — not to partner, but to perform the same choreography side by side.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars, and here is what they buy. The show is exhilarating in the way the flagship is exhilarating: a lively atmosphere, vibrant outfits, and high-quality music and production that keep 43 minutes moving.
The judging is its spine. Hough's feedback is constructive rather than cruel, but he does not soften it — he tells most of the male dancers their technique and energy are not good enough and pushes them to work harder if they want to stay, and he praises the women for stronger performances. That candor gives the competition stakes.
It is not trying to be new. This is the flagship's format at a smaller scale, and fans of DANCING WITH THE STARS are exactly who will enjoy the spin-off most.
The Worldview
DANCING WITH THE STARS: THE NEXT PRO carries a biblical and moral worldview, and it earns that description the ordinary way — by what the people in it do.
The value it presses hardest is work. These dancers commit real time to learning the routine, practicing the steps and improving their timing and technique, and the episode treats that effort as the point rather than as filler between performances. Some struggle more than others, and the show does not hide it.
The second value is encouragement. The atmosphere stays positive throughout, and the contestants support one another even though only one of them can win the job. When Hough tells most of the men their technique and energy fall short, it arrives as a push rather than a putdown. When two contestants are eliminated, both handle the rejection gracefully, and one calls it a "blessing" to have taken part.
Two things cost this episode a clean bill. The dancewear is revealing throughout — stomachs on both men and women, cleavage, short skirts — and it is the single reason this review carries a caution. And God's name turns up four times as a reflex: OMG, filler, meaning nothing. That is a small thing to notice and a real one; the third commandment has no casual setting.
Work like this has a direction, and Scripture names it: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Colossians 3:23).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
A biblical and moral worldview stressing hard work and perseverance as the dancers exert themselves and support one another. The atmosphere remains positive and encouraging throughout
Light foul language with four uses of OMG. A male contestant curses, but the word is bleeped out and his mouth is covered
No violence
No sex
No nudity, but revealing dance outfits are worn throughout showing women’s cleavage and men’s chests
No alcohol use
No smoking or drug abuse;
No other objectionable content.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Derek Hough tells most of the male dancers their technique and energy are not good enough, and pushes them to work harder. When has hard correction actually helped you — and how do you receive it without either crumbling or arguing?
Proverbs 27:6 · Hebrews 12:11Two contestants go home, and one calls the experience a "blessing." What does it take to lose something you wanted and still be grateful? | James 1:2–4 · Philippians 4:11–13Everyone in that house is competing against the people they practice beside, and they encourage each other anyway. Where in your life is that hardest to do? | Romans 12:10 · Philippians 2:3–4Four times in this hour, God's name is used as filler — and the costumes leave little covered. How does your family decide what simply passes by and what is worth talking about after the show? | Exodus 20:7 · 1 Timothy 2:9–10The Final Word
There is more to like here than a competition spin-off usually offers: hard work treated as a virtue, kindness between rivals, and an hour of television that moves. Just know what the costumes are before you sit down with younger children, and be ready to talk about God's name used as punctuation. Our answer stands: worth watching — older kids and up.
