Robert Irwin Jokes DWTS Won’t Let Him Wear a Shirt — Is a Spinoff Next?

Robert Irwin, 22, is bracing for another shirtless moment on Dancing With the Stars, hitting the Disney 2026 Upfront red carpet May 12 to hype the new season.

Robert Irwin hit Disney 's 2026 Upfront red carpet on Tuesday and did what he does best on Dancing With the Stars: talk about being slightly underdressed and wildly enthusiastic. He was there to plug the new spinoff he is hosting this summer, Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, and yes, he is fully aware the show likes a shirtless moment.

'This is Dancing With the Stars. They always make me take my clothes off.'

Irwin, 22, told Us Weekly that line at the event on May 12, and honestly, he is not wrong. But the bigger story is the pivot he is making. After winning DWTS season 34 in 2025 with pro partner Witney Carson, he is now stepping in as host of The Next Pro, which drops this summer ahead of DWTS season 35.

From crocodiles to quicksteps to hosting

Irwin calls the whole thing surreal, which tracks when you remember he is not a dancer by trade. He grew up literally wrangling snakes and rescuing crocodiles at Australia Zoo, not learning paso doble counts. The gateway was his sister Bindi doing the show years ago and loving it. He watched, thought maybe this was possible, jumped in, and it paid off fast.

Beyond the mirrorball, he says DWTS let him bring his conservation and environmental advocacy into rooms that had never heard his pitch before. That part matters to him. So does the community he found on the show. He talks about friendships that feel like family, the kind of thing he plans to carry with him long-term.

The Next Pro, in plain English

• What it is: A DWTS spinoff competition to find a brand-new pro for the main show.
• When it airs: This summer, before DWTS season 35 kicks off.
• The format: 12 up-and-coming dancers move into one house and grind through a tough audition process.
• The prize: A coveted pro spot on DWTS season 35.
• Host: Robert Irwin.
• Judges: Mark Ballas and his mother, Shirley Ballas.
• Extras: A rotating panel of guest judges and mentors, plus familiar DWTS faces popping in from over the years.
• FYI: ABC made Irwin's hosting gig official in April.

Why Irwin wanted this job

He sees The Next Pro as a chance to show what DWTS professionals actually do, and how hard they do it. In his words, the pros keep the show running, and this spinoff is built to show their highs, lows, and everything in between. He is also promising a bigger swing than people expect. He says the team threw a lot at the series, it is unlike anything he has worked on, and he thinks it could be the kind people remember. His words, not mine, but the confidence is there.

So, quick recap: the guy who had never danced, won season 34 with Witney Carson in 2025, and now he is the one handing out golden tickets to whoever fights their way into the season 35 pro lineup. Not bad for someone who started out catching snakes.