Updated July 27, 2026, 5:03 p.m. ET
NEW YORK – Mark Ballas, the three-time “Dancing with the Stars” Mirrorball Trophy winner, is staying tight-lipped about whether or not or not he is returning to the present as a professional for Season 35.
“They’re doing their process right now,” Ballas, 40, tells USA TODAY of the ABC present’s producers. “I’m open to it.”
The skilled dancer admits that the schedule can be “tight” with his newest run on the hit Broadway musical, “Chicago.” Ballas is at the moment scheduled to carry out in the present till Aug. 16. The “DWTS” forged reveal takes place Sept. 2, however preparations for the professional dancers start nicely earlier than then.
Matter-of-fact, Ballas hopes that the winner of “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro” (Mondays at 8 p.m. ET) is already preparing for his or her massive debut.
“I always say to our star partners, ‘When it starts, it’s all fun, you’re learning, it’s different, you’re breaking a sweat, all things are new,'” Ballas says. “It’s really cute until week six, and then it gets serious. So I would hope that the winner is preparing, because you’re fired out of a cannon. There’s a lot coming at you.”
On “The Next Pro,” 12 up-and-coming dancers, a few of whom have hyperlinks to the likes of Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez, compete in an intense audition course of. The winner of the competitors lands a spot as a professional on Season 35 of “Dancing With the Stars,” airing this fall. Season 34 champ Robert Irwin hosts the present, whereas Ballas, his mom Shirley and a rotating forged of company function judges.
Ballas feels “confident” that the winner, whom he already is aware of since the competitors was pre-taped, will do a great job. And he notes that the new member of the present could have a gaggle of “seasoned pros” at their disposal for assist.
Stream Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro on Disney+
Mark Ballas reveals candy reward from his spouse for his Mirrorball Trophies
Ballas received “DWTS” paired with Kristi Yamaguchi (2006), Shawn Johnson (2008) and Charli D’Amelio (2022). Up till this 12 months, he did not hold any of the trophies in his home. That modified over the holidays.
“For Christmas, my wife bought me this really beautiful cabinet that she has them displayed in,” he says, referring to singer-songwriter BC Jean, whom he married in 2016. “So they’re in a cute little cabinet in the living room.”
And he celebrated her success over the holidays as nicely, gifting her the newest RIAA certification for the tune “If I Were a Boy,” which Jean co-wrote with Toby Gad. The tune turned a global hit after Beyoncé recorded and launched it.
“My wife’s interesting in the sense that she makes her art, she’s a writer, she’s a very carefree person… and she’s not one to celebrate herself very often,” Ballas says. “I wanted to do that for her because it just hit a new milestone.”
“If I Were a Boy” is now six-times platinum. Ballas jokes that he “kind of had to jump through hoops to get” the plaque, however he finally secured it.
