Witney Carson is proving that pregnancy hasn’t stopped her from doing what she loves. Just as fans were processing the news that the reigning Dancing With the Stars champion is expecting her third child, footage of her dancing on Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro began attracting attention for an entirely different reason.
Carson, 32, recently appeared on the DWTS spinoff as a guest mentor and judge, helping the remaining aspiring professionals through a challenge designed to test one of the most important parts of being a professional dancer: teaching someone who isn’t already an experienced ballroom performer.
But Witney didn’t spend all of her time sitting behind the judges’ table.
She also stepped onto the dance floor herself, reminding the contestants exactly why she has remained one of the franchise’s most recognizable professional dancers. Her demonstration included the sharp control, extensions and flexibility that fans have come to expect from her.
The contestants’ reactions made the moment even more entertaining. As Witney demonstrated the movement, several of the aspiring pros watched closely, visibly impressed by how effortlessly she appeared to execute it.
What viewers watching the episode didn’t know at the time was that Witney was pregnant while filming the show.
She publicly announced on August 17 that she and husband Carson McAllister are expecting their third child, another baby boy. She was already several months into her pregnancy when the news was revealed.
That revelation has put her recent dancing in an entirely new context for fans.
Witney has explained that she experienced significant nausea during her first trimester, making the early months particularly challenging. Nevertheless, she continued dancing and working while carefully considering what returning to the ballroom would mean for her and her growing family.
And she’s not stopping with The Next Pro.
In perhaps the biggest surprise of all, Witney confirmed that she will return as a professional dancer for Dancing With the Stars Season 35, meaning audiences will watch her compete while she is well into her pregnancy.
Witney has acknowledged that the situation wasn’t exactly something she expected. She has danced during pregnancy before, but she has said this will be the furthest along she has ever been while actively competing on the show.
Her celebrity partner has already been revealed as Guillermo Rodriguez, the longtime Jimmy Kimmel Live! personality. The pairing makes Witney’s upcoming season especially unpredictable because she won’t simply be choreographing around Guillermo’s abilities—she will also have to continually adjust to the changes happening with her own body throughout the competition.
Witney has made it clear, however, that her health and her baby’s health come first. Her decision to compete was carefully discussed with her husband and people involved with the show, and she intends to listen to her body as the season progresses.
That makes her appearance on The Next Pro something of a preview of what’s coming.
The aspiring pros were there to demonstrate whether they possessed the skills necessary to join Dancing With the Stars. Witney, meanwhile, was standing in front of them as someone who has already spent years doing that job at the highest level.
She also arrives at Season 35 with considerable momentum. Last season, Witney partnered with Robert Irwin, and the pair went all the way to the finale and captured the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. It was Witney’s second victory as a professional.
Now she faces a challenge unlike any of her previous seasons.
Instead of defending her championship under ordinary circumstances, Witney will enter the ballroom pregnant, partnered with a completely new celebrity and attempting to see how far they can make it while keeping her and her baby’s wellbeing the priority.
And after seeing the control and energy she was still bringing to the dance floor during The Next Pro, fans have already received an intriguing glimpse of what pregnant Witney Carson might bring to Season 35.
