Jenna Johnson is putting the eight remaining couples through a chemistry test on Monday night, and one pair will not make it out of it. Episode 4 of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, titled Bring on the Intensity: Chemistry With Jenna Johnson, airs Aug. 3 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
The assignment is built around trust and connection. Johnson asks the dancers to create a passionate routine as they work through the rumba and the Argentine tango, two styles that can expose whether a pair is moving together or just moving at the same time.
Viewers looking for the live broadcast can catch it on ABC, and those without cable can use free trials on DIRECTV and Fubo to watch live and on demand. The episode also streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, giving fans a second chance to see which couple handles the pressure best.
The timing matters because this is the first episode in which the couples choose partners for themselves, which changes the feel of the competition immediately. Instead of being matched by the format, the dancers are asked to show whether they can build chemistry on their own, and that choice has real consequences: the lowest-scoring pair is eliminated.
That is where the episode sharpens. A challenge built around intimacy and trust is still being judged as a competition, so the pair that looks strongest in concept may not be the pair that survives the scores. Natalie Jolley’s exit in Week 3 after an injury is the latest reminder that the field has already thinned, and the pressure on the remaining dancers now turns less on polish than on how quickly they can connect under the rules.
The series follows 12 up-and-coming dancers living together and competing in auditions and dance challenges for a professional dancer spot on the next season of Dancing With the Stars. With Mark Ballas and Shirley Ballas on the judging panel, and Derek Hough having joined the judges for the premiere episode, the competition has already lost Briar Nolet and Jake Monreal in Week 1 and Benji Castro in Week 2. Monday night brings the next cut, and the couple that misses the mark will learn that chemistry is not just part of the performance — it is part of survival.
