Stephani Sosa Reveals If Brother Ezra Affected ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’ Journey

Just because Ezra Sosa is on Dancing With the Stars doesn’t mean his sister, Stephani Sosa, received special treatment on reality TV.

“I honestly felt like I was treated like everyone else,” Stephani exclusively shared with Us Weekly on Monday, July 14, while celebrating the season premiere of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro. “I definitely feel like the experience for me wasn’t easy. It was very hard, and I definitely feel like they expected a lot more from me because I was Ezra’s sister.”

While Stephani was a member of the Dancing With the Stars troupe, which consists of professional dancers who perform in elaborate group numbers, she is hoping to win ABC’s new reality show and earn a coveted pro dancer spot on the upcoming season of DWTS.

“I had a lot more to prove than the people that are freshly new to the show or to this experience,” Stephani argued from The Palm & The Pine in Hollywood. “I went in being like, ‘Yeah, I’ve done this. I am Ezra’s sister, but this is a new chapter.’ This is me proving myself fully and there are no excuses.”

In the first week of competition, Stephani earned positive remarks from the judges, including Mark Ballas, Shirley Ballas and guest judge Derek Hough.

Perhaps the biggest compliment came from Ezra, who was able to watch the premiere alongside his talented sister.

“I think she should be so proud of her dancing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her dance that good before,” he exclusively shared with Us on Monday. “I also know how hard she worked for it. It’s honestly a really good feeling just to see it pay off. … Just to see her smile watching herself on TV, as her brother, that means a lot.”

Stephani Sosa Reveals How Brother Ezra Role on DWTS Affected Her Next Pro Experience — Stephani Sosa and Ezra Sosa Monica Schipper/Getty Images

During the season premiere, Stefani opened up about being a Latina in a predominantly white neighborhood and not feeling like she fit in.

As she found confidence and joy in dancing, the Utah native is excited to share her story in hopes of inspiring a new generation of genres.

“Ever since growing up, I had really big goals and dreams, and I never really saw myself represented on television and film,” she explained to Us. “It was really hard because I didn’t think it was possible. I made the promise to myself that if I ever got a chance to make it, I was to speak on it and really be able to encourage other girls that if you look like me or are Latina, anything is possible.”

With the competition just beginning, Stepfani hopes to remind viewers to never “let your light dim for anything or anyone.”

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Instead, she said to love your authentic life for all to see. It’s something Ezra already sees in his sister.

“I do feel like this show is going to give her a platform for people to understand who Stephanie really is, and I think they’re going to really like what they see,” he proclaimed. “I told her, ‘If you’re gonna be a pro, it’s gonna be based on your own merit, not because of your last name,’ and I really do stand by that.”

Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. Stream new episodes the next day on Hulu.

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