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:I honestly felt like I was treated like everyone else. I definitely feel like the experience for me wasn’t easy. It was very hard, and I definitely feel like they expected a lot more from me because I was Ezra’s sister.Sosa's comments are understandable. For 21 years, ABC's Dancing with the Stars has partnered professional dancers with celebrities of varying ages across film, TV, sports, music, and reality programming. Throughout 34 seasons, they’ve shared their personal stories, along with their blood, sweat, and tears, to win the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy. It's definitely not an experience for the faint of heart, even if you happen to be related to someone who's been through it multiple times.On that note, things are ramping up for Season 35, having already announced Jimmy Kimmel Live’s Guillermo Rodriguez, Savannah Banana’s Jackson Olson, and Summer House and The Traitors star Ciara Miller. And The Traitors and Love Island star Maura Higgins is getting into shape with DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy.There’s still a long way to go in the DWTS: The Next Pro competition, to see if Stephani Sosa will win the ultimate prize, and there’s a lot on the line for her. The dancer was previously a member of the troupe, which consists of professional dancers who perform in elaborate group numbers. But, while Ezra and his partner -- Jordan Chiles -- were Dancing with the Stars Season 34 finalists, Stephani was dropped from Season 34, leading to heartbreak for both Stephani and Ezra. On how that impacted her coming into the spinoff, Stephani said:I had a lot more to prove than the people that are freshly new to the show or to this experience. I went in being like, ‘Yeah, I’ve done this. I am Ezra’s sister, but this is a new chapter.’ This is me proving myself fully and there are no excuses.The Next Pro is set up so that each week sees a different DWTS pro guest judge come in, perform for the contestants and give them their next dance challenge. After that, the dancers are responsible for their own choreography and must find ways to make themselves shine, even if they’re working in a pair or group. In the first week of competition, Stephani Sosa received positive feedback from the judges, including guest judge Derek Hough, which is always a great boost for morale. But, as the dancers continue to prove themselves for just one spot on the hit show, they’re going to have to consistently stand out, week after week. Sosa certainly has a chance of winning it all yet, regardless of who she's related to, she's going to earn it on her own.We'll have to wait and see who the last dancer standing will be, who their celebrity partner might be, and whether the winner will be replacing one of the current DWTS pros. But know that Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. Et on ABC, and episodes are also streamable with a Disney+ subscription.