Derek Hough and Mark Ballas may be blurring the line between ballroom and battle royale. The โDancing With the Starsโ favorites sparked crossover buzz after teasing an upcoming project with โSurvivorโ legend Boston Rob Mariano and โDWTSโ season 34 contestant and โThe Traitorsโ star Dylan Efron, sharing a playful behind-the-scenes video that has fans wondering whether the ballroom floor could soon host a reality TV showdown.
New Project In the Works?
Ballas sparked the rumors after sharing a clip on Instagram of the group hanging out in what appeared to be a dance studio. In the post, we see Ballas and Hough lip-syncing to a remix of the audio of Jeff Probst commenting on Marianoโs dominant game during one of his โSurvivorโ seasons.
Ballas captioned the post, โSomething fun coming soon ๐.โ
None of the guys has shared any details on what this upcoming project may be, but it could be part of Efron and Marianoโs new YouTube series โEverythingโs a Competition.โ The show is available on Efronโs YouTube channel and chronicles the pair going head-to-head in a series of unique competitions.
In the initial trailer for the show, we could see the duo taking on a variety of challenges, including beer pong, painting, pickleball, pottery-making, blindfolded golf, and even a duel at Medieval Times.
In the trailer, Efron says, โI grew up watching ‘Survivor.’ I always thought I could win all of these challenges. Now hereโs my chance to beat Boston Rob at literally everything.โ
A Hint at Boston Rob Joining โDancing With the Starsโ Cast?
Of everyone in the Ballasโ post, Boston Rob is the only one who hasnโt competed on โDancing With the Stars.โ Efron and Ballas both competed in season 34, with Efron as a contestant and Ballas as a pro dancer. Hough, of course, used to be a pro dancer before transitioning over to be a judge.
Hough even recently challenged Mariano to join the dancing competition, promising to go on โSurvivorโ if Boston Rob agreed to take on the dance floor.
In an Instagram post, Hough said, โBoston Rob asked me the other day when I saw him, he goes, โHey, would you ever do it?โ Hereโs my thought. Iโll do โSurvivorโ if Boston Rob does โDancing With the Stars.โโ
Probst replied to the challenge, saying, โI gotta say, I love that you just put this idea out into the ether because I think youโre gonna be surprised how many of your fans are going to want to see you compete on โSurvivor.โโ
We all know that Boston Rob is a competitor. So, I can see him joining โDancing With the Starsโ season 35, and then walking away with the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy!
For now, we wait for confirmation from the guys on what this new project is.


