Robert Irwin Confirms Dance With Witney Carson on ‘Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro’ (Exclusive)

There’s no other way to say it: Robert Irwin was a force as a celeb contestant on Dancing With the Stars. After a long season, he eventually secured the Season 34 win, alongside pro partner Witney Carson. In doing so, he broke multiple records (highest number of votes, youngest male winner ever, etc.), despite battling a rib injury at the time. And now, Australia Zoo’s wildlife conservationist only has amazing things to say about the competition series that taught him how to cha-cha.

Now, Irwin is hosting ABC’s new spinoff, Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, premiering on July 13. The series will pull together a pool of talented professional dancers, who must impress judges Mark Ballas, his famous mother Shirley, and a rotating spot reserved for DWTS‘ finest. If they make it to the end, fans will have the pleasure of watching the winner dance as the newest pro on the flagship. And who better to keep them motivated than last season’s star winner? As Irwin puts it, “What a privilege that now I get to be a mentor for a new crop of people that want to join the world of Dancing With the Stars.”

Below, he tells us all about his latest Dancing venture.

How did you find out about The Next Pro, and what was your reaction when you found out that they wanted you to host?

Robert Irwin: Well, I first found out about The Next Pro, actually, while the Dancing With the Stars journey was happening for me. Being in that studio, in that ballroom, for the last season was truly just life-changing in so many ways. You sort of forget that, Dancing With the Stars, it’s your whole life for three months, and you have to dedicate every ounce of your energy into it. And then, all of a sudden it just stops. It was really sad, the last episode, because it’s all just done. That chapter comes to a very sudden close. And so, when they asked me to remain in the family and do another project that really deepens the world of Dancing With the Stars and [gives] a peek behind the curtain at what the pro dancers go through to become pros on the show, I really jumped at the chance. I mean, my reaction was just, “When do I start?”

Disney/Vince Valitutti

Did DWTS host Alfonso Ribeiro give you any hosting advice?

Alfonso is one of those people who leads by example. And I certainly wanted to take my own hosting approach into this project. I’ve been hosting shows since I was about 10 years old, but most of the shows that I’ve hosted have been to do with animals and wildlife documentaries. And a lot of them have been based at Australia Zoo, my home. And so, this is different. This is blending my love for hosting and this newfound love for dance. [But] I definitely look at Alfonso as the gold standard… He’s probably the most involved host I’ve ever seen on a show.

When we first started talking about this show, the fantastic producers and creators came to me and said, “How involved do you want to be?” And I said, “Put me in [the trenches].” I want to be as on the ground and part of it as I can be. I really felt like I got to be part of these dancers’ stories. And I think that’s what’s so different about The Next Pro. These aren’t celebrities who are trying something new, just to give it a go and have some fun. This is a crop of people that have dedicated their entire life to this craft. They’ve given up everything. They and their families have sacrificed a lot to get to this point, and this is everything to them.

And watching how Alfonso is as a host…at the start of [my] season, he said to me and all the competitors, “Listen, I’ve got your back. I’m here with you. I want to help you through this journey as much as I can, because I’ve done it.” And so, that’s definitely the approach I took into The Next Pro. I wanted to be an advocate for these dancers.

You shot this in Australia, right? Were you pulling double duty and working your regular job between filming, or did you take a break?

We did shoot in Australia. I live and work at Australia Zoo, which is on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. And we shot this about 45 minutes to an hour down the road, so it was really right on my doorstep. I was definitely living my Hannah Montana double life. [Laughs]

I was hosting, and then getting back to what I consider my day job, which is a zookeeper and a wildlife conservationist. And I got to blend my two big passions, like right in my backyard. We even shot a little bit of the show at Australia Zoo, which was really, really cool. So, keep an eye out for that.

Australia made a lot of sense [too], because we have some of the best dance studios in the world, right here in Brisbane. So, it worked out really well. But yeah, no breaks for me. I was doing Zoo World and Dance World at the same time. [Laughs]

How do you think your DWTS win has prepared you for this show?

I’m obviously the furthest thing from a professional dancer. But now, being in as a contestant, I do know what it takes to be a pro, having seen it firsthand. And I know what makes a great pro, someone who can mentor you through this process. It’s everything for me and for all of the contestants on the show, we would all share the same sentiment. It is impossible without a fantastic coach who is there guiding you through every single step. So, having been coached and having Witney, I mean, the absolute greatest of all time pro, I know what a good pro can do.

The competitors are living together. What does your role as host look like when they’re not on the dancefloor?

Well, when the contestants aren’t on the dance floor, my job as host is really getting in and helping the audience connect with the stories behind each of these dancers, because [they] are going through so much behind the scenes.

And this is the thing about Dancing With the Stars, is we see the hard work that goes into it. But I don’t think we fully understand the amount of work that happens behind the scenes, particularly from the pros. It is seven days a week, 24/7, every second of every day. And when they do sleep, all they’re doing is dreaming about the next set of choreography. They are just working to the bone, and doing it because it’s fun and they love it, but it’s also really hard work. So, I think I really wanted to get in and shine a light on how hard these hopeful next pros were working.

Can you tease any favorite competitors or dances coming up?

Listen, there are some competitors here that we know and love, and dancers that I’ve actually admired and gotten to know. I look at someone like Stephani Sosa, you know, she’s obviously been part of troop. I was very excited to see her dance. And wow, she exceeds every expectation. She’s incredible. There’s some amazing new up-and-comers, not only within the world of ballroom, but one particular dancer who’s from the world of commercial dance. She doesn’t even have that ballroom background, and she absolutely crushes it. So, there [are] some unexpected dark horse[s] of the competition.

What’s something about The Next Pro that you think will surprise the DWTS diehards?

There’s a moment in the show where, I’m not going to give away too much, but it’s something that Dancing With the Stars fans have wanted and asked for, I think, for a very, very long time, that we finally get to see in action for the first time. It’s going to be very satisfying to fans.

And there’s a lot of familiar faces, there’s a lot of people who are coming in, pros [from] the show that we know and love that are mentoring our dancers, but the familiar faces don’t end there. So that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Will fans get to see you dance again in this show, too?

I can confirm right here, right now. Yes, I will be dancing on The Next Pro. And not only that, we are going to see a very exciting reunion with me and Witney. We will be dancing, and it’s going to be very, very exciting. So, yeah, strap in. It’s going to be a wild ride, that’s for sure.

Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, Series Premiere, Monday, July 13, 8/7c, ABC