“Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” Shockingly Eliminates Frontrunner Natalie Jolley After Rehearsal Injury

Spoiler warning: This article contains details from Episode 3 of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro.

The competition on Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro took a painful and unexpected turn in Episode 3, when early frontrunner Natalie Jolley was forced to leave the show after suffering an accidental injury during rehearsal.

The new Dancing With the Stars spinoff, hosted by Robert Irwin, follows 12 rising ballroom dancers competing for a coveted professional spot on Season 35 of the main series. The show premiered on July 13, 2026, on ABC, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu and Disney+. Judges Mark Ballas and Shirley Ballas lead the panel, joined by rotating guest mentors and judges from the DWTS world.

Episode 3 raised the stakes by challenging the remaining dancers with group choreography, one of the most important skills for any future DWTS pro. The episode, titled “You’re Only as Strong as Your Weakest Link: Group Work with Britt Stewart,” featured longtime Dancing With the Stars pro Britt Stewart as guest judge and mentor. The dancers had only hours to learn a high-intensity routine, testing not only technique but also teamwork, timing and spatial awareness.

Before the contestants could even make it to the ballroom, however, the episode changed dramatically.

During rehearsal, Jolley stepped forward while the group worked through Stewart’s fast-moving choreography. Moments later, fellow contestant Stephani Sosa accidentally struck Jolley in the face while swinging her arm before a turn. Jolley immediately cried out and covered her face as the other dancers rushed toward her. Entertainment Weekly reported that swelling quickly appeared beneath Jolley’s right eye, and the injury was serious enough that producers escorted her out before she was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Sosa, the sister of current DWTS pro Ezra Sosa and a member of the Season 33 troupe, was visibly devastated by the accident. She apologized immediately and later broke down in tears while explaining that the movement had happened so quickly. According to Entertainment Weekly’s recap, Sosa said she felt horrible and hoped Jolley would be okay.

The incident hit especially hard because Jolley had been considered one of the strongest competitors in the field. Entertainment Weekly described her as a six-time U.K. Open champion and an early frontrunner on The Next Pro. Her technical strength and confidence had already set her apart in the competition, making her sudden medical exit one of the season’s first major shocks.

Britt Stewart used the moment to underline one of the episode’s central lessons: group dancing is not only about individual talent. It also requires awareness of everyone else in the room. When dancers move at high speed in tight formations, precision and spacing become just as important as performance quality.

Jolley was not medically cleared in time to perform in the group dance showcase. The remaining contestants continued without her, splitting into two teams for a pasodoble and a tango. Decider reported that Nina Mayster and Tristen Sanders had been considered vulnerable heading into the team challenge, while Selena Hamilton and Sanders later landed near the bottom after the judges evaluated the group performances.

But the episode delivered one final twist.

Instead of sending home one of the dancers on the chopping block, Shirley Ballas announced that neither of them would be eliminated. Because Jolley had not been medically cleared to continue, her injury became the episode’s elimination. The decision left the remaining eight contestants to move forward, while Jolley’s run ended abruptly and painfully.

Jolley was able to return to the stage to say goodbye to her fellow contestants. Though clearly disappointed, she said the most important thing was taking care of her body so she could dance again. Her exit turned what had been designed as a group-performance challenge into a reminder of the physical risk behind competitive dance.

The moment also reshaped the competition.

With Jolley gone, The Next Pro lost one of its strongest dancers earlier than expected. Her elimination was not the result of weak technique, poor performance or lack of drive. It was a medical exit caused by a split-second accident — the kind of unpredictable event that can change an entire season.

That is what made Episode 3 so dramatic.

It showed that becoming a Dancing With the Stars pro takes more than charisma and clean footwork. It requires endurance, adaptability, awareness and the ability to survive the pressure of learning difficult choreography under extreme time limits.

For Sosa, the episode was emotionally difficult. For Jolley, it was heartbreaking. And for the remaining dancers, it was a warning: in a competition this demanding, one mistake can change everything.

Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro continues next Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, with episodes available to stream the following day on Hulu and Disney+.