00:00Dancing with the Stars fans have been clamoring for a series like The Next Pro for a long time.
00:06What was your initial reaction when you got that call to be the host?
00:08Oh, I think it was yes, and then I found out details.
00:12I was just like, you know, I first found out about this show as, for me,
00:18I was just coming off of this incredible journey on Dancing with the Stars,
00:21which was, you know, life-changing and beautiful and unforgettable.
00:26I think it's special, too, because you come to realise what makes Dancing with the Stars what it is,
00:31is three things.
00:32It's, first of all, the team behind the scenes that work so hard to make that show.
00:37It's the pros that come back every single season
00:40and just do the most incredible work to lift up their partners,
00:45and it's the audience.
00:47It's this unbelievable, engaged, passionate audience.
00:52So to give the audience a look into what it takes to be a pro,
00:58to give the pros their time to shine,
01:01not only as mentors to our next pro hopefuls,
01:04but also to get a peek behind the curtain at just how hard it is to be a pro.
01:08Oh, that's quite a tease.
01:09Yes.
01:10And I think in the trailer I see glimpses of you dancing with a few of the dancers.
01:15Are you ready?
01:17Are you set?
01:18Are you ready?
01:19Let's find out who will be...
01:21Five, six, seven, eight, go, go, go.
01:23The next pro!
01:24Can you confirm or deny your participation?
01:27Can I confirm or deny?
01:28Can I confirm?
01:29I can confirm.
01:30OK, I can confirm, yes, I am dancing in this new series of The Next Pro.
01:35I'm doing far more than just hosting,
01:38and toward the end of the competition,
01:43I am not only dancing,
01:44but we have got a full 100% all-out choreographed number,
01:49and for the first time I'm reunited with Whitney.
01:53It was quite funny.
01:53The entire season I'm talking to everyone in there like,
01:57so when can I dance again?
01:58So when can I...
01:59So can I...
01:59How about in this episode?
02:00What about in this episode?
02:02What about...
02:02They're like, just wait for the finale, Robert.
02:05So, no, I...
02:07It was such a privilege for three months
02:09to be in this, like, crash course
02:10of learning a whole new skill from the ground up,
02:13and it becomes so ingrained in you now.
02:15All I want to do is dance.
02:16And the contestants' ages range from 20 to 35.
02:20Yeah.
02:20Do you think the more experienced dancers had the advantage,
02:23or is there something to be said
02:25about the young and hungry of the kids?
02:27Not necessarily.
02:28Obviously, experience is always important.
02:32But at the end of the day,
02:33the next pro doesn't have to be the best dancer.
02:36They have to be the best teacher, choreographer,
02:39storyteller, dancer, therapist.
02:42They have to be everything for their partner.
02:44They have to be everything.
02:45And that's what we're looking for.
02:47And it doesn't matter where you're from.
02:49It doesn't matter your background, your age,
02:51whether you are a commercial dancer,
02:52a ballroom dancer, a dance teacher.
02:54It doesn't matter.
02:55It doesn't matter if you've been on the troupe
02:57on Dancing with the Stars itself.
02:58It is all about what can you give?
03:01What are you willing to do?
03:02Are you willing to put it all on the line
03:05to be a pro?
03:06And we're about to see that all 12 of them
03:09are more than willing to do that.
03:11And that's what makes this so hard.
03:12The worst job on the next pro is being a judge.
03:15I don't know how anyone,
03:17I have no idea, Mark and Shirley,
03:19how they narrow down the best talent on earth.
03:23It is a very hard job.
03:25Very, very hard job.
03:26But it's a great job.
03:27And you can tell how much they love it.
03:29And what was it like to watch their mother-son dynamic?
03:32It reminds me sometimes of me and my mum,
03:34you know, like I know what it's like
03:35to film with your family,
03:37to work with your family,
03:38to be sort of part of the family business.
03:40That's definitely Mark and Shirley.
03:41Shirley's the legend.
03:42She's been doing it for so long.
03:44And she's such an incredible,
03:46firm but fair,
03:48and very warm individual.
03:49She really is a kind, fair,
03:52and wonderful human being.
03:53But she will not let anything slide
03:56because you have to be the best
03:58if you're around Shirley.
04:00Mark, same thing.
04:01And he's done Dancing with the Stars for so long.
04:03To watch them come together,
04:04they agree on a lot
04:06and they also disagree on a lot.
04:09And it is, it's fun though.
04:12That kind of family dynamic and warmth
04:14just grounds the show.
04:16It is awesome.
04:17Plus, every week there's a new pro
04:19from Dancing with the Stars coming on board.
04:21Everyone wants you to do well.
04:23Everyone wants the contestants to succeed.
04:25You know, that's what sets this show apart
04:27is that it's positive.
04:28It's fun.
04:29It's, we want everybody to do well,
04:32but we also want you to work hard.
