To hold fans of Dancing with the Stars over until the series returns to the 2026 TV schedule this fall with Season 35, DWTS: The Next Pro was created to put 12 up-and-comers to the test and pick a winner who will enter the season as the newest pro dancer. With the competition high and the pressure to impress the judges -- three-time Mirrorball champion Mark Ballas and his mother, elite teacher and champion Shirley Ballas -- even higher, you might think that already having a relative on DWTS would give you a leg up. But, per one of the contestants, that might have actually made things even more challenging.
Stephani Sosa, the sister of DWTS pro Ezra Sosa, recently spoke to Us Weekly and discussed some of the finer details regarding her time on The Next Pro. When discussing how her familial connection played into her work, she had this to say:
