Dancing With the Stars pro dancer Ezra Sosa shared the advice he gave his sister ahead of DWTS: The Next Pro with PEOPLE.
According to Ezra, “There’s so much that goes behind it, just to be a pro. I feel like the biggest advice that I told my sister was that this competition is a pressure cooker. You have to make sure that you’re mentally okay if you’re going to actually thrive in this environment.”
While Ezra said he couldn’t physically be there to support his sister, he sent her off with one message. “If for whatever reason you become a pro, it’s gonna be based on your own merit. I feel like that was really important for me, really important for the show, and I’m just really excited to see her journey.”
Stephani wished she could speak to Ezra throughout the process, but production took the contestants’ phones away. “I couldn’t have this constant advice, so I really was on my own. I was really grateful that he was supporting me throughout the whole thing and just rooting for me.”
She noted that contestants could call home every few days, and when she’d call Ezra he was “so happy” to know she was still in the competition. “He was like, ‘So you’re still on?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah. Can’t tell you anything, but yes!’”
For Stephani, being a part of The Next Pro was a “beautiful” experience, saying, “I felt like I grew so much as a person, and it really did push me as a dancer, as an artist.”
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but also the best thing I could have ever done,” she added. “I’ve been anticipating this whole process and the show coming out, and I just can’t believe it’s here.”
ICYMI, Stephani performed in Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. She alongside Karol G, Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal and Alix Earle in La Casita. “It’s crazy that I did that and then went straight into Next Pro,” she added. “I just carried that energy with me. I was just really grateful.”
