Witney Carson Teases Her "Different Role" on 'Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro'
Witney Carson is taking a turn in the judges' seat.
After all, Dancing With the Stars' reigning champion teamed up with her season 34 partner, Robert Irwin, for the upcoming spinoff series, Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, and traded the dance floor for the judging panel.
"The Next Pro is going to be so amazing. I was actually lucky enough to be able to be a part of three episodes," Witney exclusively told E! News at Vulture's Inaugural Reality Masterminds Celebration in New York City May 7. "I judge, and then Robert and I also do something together other than dancing, which I'm not gonna give it away, but it was very cool. It was very fun."
And while the 32-year-old has two Mirrorball trophies under her belt, she's not sure if she'd fare well in the Next Pro competition, which aims to find the next dancing pro for season 35.
"I don't know if I would have been able to do it," Witney admitted. "Honestly, it was very intense. They are very talented. It was fun to be in a different role other than dancing. Obviously, I dance a lot in it, but I was able to judge, which was really cool."
Witney is among the returning Dancing With the Stars pros fans will see on the judging panel alongside Mirrorball champion Mark Ballas and his mother Shirley Ballas.
The DWTS spinoff—which will premiere on July 13—follows "12 exceptional up-and-coming dancers who move into one house and compete in a grueling audition process, all vying for a coveted spot as a pro dancer" on season 35 of Dancing With the Stars, per ABC.
According to Witney, the "rigorous" competition is "life-changing" for the dancers. "They go through a lot," she explained. "They are incredible. They are amazing."
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But fresh off her season 34 win with Robert, the Utah native is already looking ahead to the next season of DWTS, which will premiere this fall.
And while Summer House star Ciara Miller and Love Island UK alum Maura Higgins are the only celebrities announced so far, Witney expressed her excitement over the group of stars who will be hitting the dance floor—even if she doesn't know them yet.
"They're gonna drop a celebrity [name] soon, so watch out for that. I don't know who the celebrity is," she teased. "I'm hoping it's a male celebrity, so I can kind of gauge where their heads are at, because that's important for me."
"We're gonna have a really good roster this year. The show is hotter than ever, and hopefully, we get some good guys on there," she explained, before sharing her thoughts on Ciara and Maura's castings. "[They] are gonna kill it. They are so good personality-wise, and I think that they can move a little bit. So it'll be interesting to see them."
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And as for her ultimate dream partner, Witney said she'd like to be paired with Spider-Man star Tom Holland.
"I'm like, if he's bored, come on over," she joked. "He's a little bit busy right now, but I've seen some clips of him dancing. I'm like, 'Dude, you can dance,' and he can flip. He would be amazing."
Until fans wait to see who the professional dancer's season 35 celebrity partner will be, read to learn more about Dancing With the Stars secrets.
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How Much Do the Celebrities Get Paid to Be on Dancing With the Stars?
Citing multiple sources, Variety reported in 2019 that Dancing With the Stars contestants make $125,000 for the rehearsal period and first two weeks of the show. If they progress beyond that point, the outlet continued, they earn more money each week. At the time, sources told the publication stars could earn a maximum of $295,000.
However, Bobby Bones said he made more than this when he won season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018.
"That show pays OK," the radio personality said on a Sept. 2025 episode of Jason Tartick's podcast Trading Secrets. "Like, first episode, no money. Second episode, $10,000. I think it's like, $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, $20,000. It ends up being $50,000 an episode if you last."
Also receiving a base salary of around $110,000, Bones continued, "I ended up making close to $400,000 from that show."
ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these figures.
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What Do the Pros Get Paid on Dancing With the Stars?
Similarly, little has been shared publicly about how much the pros get paid. But as with the contestants, it seems like the longer they're on the show, the more money they can make.
But even if a pro is eliminated in the first round, they're not leaving the ballroom empty-handed.
"You're guaranteed until a certain amount of weeks," Jenna Johnson said on a June 2025 episode of Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester's podcast The Morning After. "I think there's different contracts though. I can't speak for everybody."
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Do Pros Get Paid More If They Win Dancing With the Stars?
Apparently not.
While Johnson—who won season 26 with Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, as well as season 33 with The Bachelor's Joey Graziadei—says the pros don't get a larger paycheck if they take home what is now called the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, she noted there's still an incentive to make it to the finale (besides bragging rights, of course).
"If you make it all the way to the end, you're getting paid the whole season, which is amazing, and you get a bonus on top of that for making it to the finale," she explained on The Morning After. "If you win, it's not like you win a $1 million and split it with your partner. You're just getting a cute trophy together."
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Do the Troupe Members Get Paid as Much as the Pros on Dancing With the Stars?
That doesn't appear to be the case.
On a 2022 episode of Trading Secrets, Lindsay Arnold recalled how her salary was cut "more than in half" when she was demoted from pro to troupe member.
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How Are Pros and Celebrities Paired Together on Dancing With the Stars?
The pros get little input when it comes to being matched with a celebrity.
"You get no say," Lindsay said on a May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers' Hot Smart Rich podcast. "It's very much just, 'Here's your partner. Make it work.'"
In fact, Jenna said the pairing is often a secret until the last minute.
"They really want to keep it a secret until you meet them live," Jenna said on The Morning After. "They want that genuine reaction. So I think people always think we know who we have and we're keeping it a secret. Absolutely not. They do not tell us. They really don't even want us to know the cast. It gets leaked a lot, but they want it very hush-hush until you walk in and meet your partner."
As for what the Dancing With the Stars team looks for when making these matches?
"It's based on height, build and personality and compatibility," former showrunner Rob Wade told E! News in 2015. "We don't pair people who aren't going to get on. It's too intense. It's not like The Bachelor or something, we couldn't do that. That would just be miserable experience for the celebrity, for us and the viewer. You don't want to see two people who don't like each other and, quite frankly, we have made that mistake pairing people up who didn't get on so well."
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How Often Do the Pros and Celebrities Practice on Dancing With the Stars?
Put simply, a lot.
"Every day we have four-hour rehearsals," Rylee Arnold, who was partnered with Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik on season 33, shared on a September 2024 episode of the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis. "It’s either 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m."
But the work doesn't stop once the rehearsal wraps. Rylee noted she might then meet with producers or the creative team, work on choreography or study dance videos.
"Literally my whole life is devoted to it," she continued, "but it's my passion and it's what I love. So, it makes me so happy."
Indeed, it's a no-days-off kind of gig.
"We have our show day on Tuesday and then it's Wednesday to Sunday, straight rehearsals," Rylee added. "And then Monday we have camera blocking and then Tuesday's show day again."
Instagram / Emma Slater
Do the Pros Get to Pick the Songs Each Week for Their Dance With Their Celebrity Partner?
"Mostly yes," Emma Slater and Britt Stewart revealed in a September 2025 Instagram video, "though it's a collaboration with producers."
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What's the Process Like for Making the Costumes for Dancing With the Stars?
If you thought the quickstep was fast, just wait until you hear about the pace of the costume department.
"We meet with the set and lighting designers, dancers and talent and create a story [for each pair]," costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner told TV Insider back in 2017. "Then we sketch out ideas. We have five days, max, to make all the outfits. That’s half a day per costume, not including all the rhinestones. The fitting and trimming we do later. We have about 20 people in our department and then we have a separate tailor shop. It’s a big enterprise."
In fact, costume designer Steven Norman Lee said pairs usually try on their costumes for the first time just hours before showtime. And while the department "might use a pair of pants again for the boys," he continued, everything is generally made custom each week.
As Gschwendtner added, "We do reuse things for group numbers or promo shoots, but not for the competition. We don’t reuse things unless there’s a specific reason to do so. We try to keep everybody fresh and new in something different every week, so it stays interesting."
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