Entertainment TV Reality TV 'DWTS: Juniors' Taps Adam Rippon, Val Chmerkovskiy and Choreographer Mandy Moore as Judges The brand new spin-off premieres Oct. 7 on ABC By Aurelie Corinthios Published on July 30, 2018 10:43AM EDT Dancing with the Stars has officially unveiled its new Juniors judging panel. The upcoming ABC spin-off, Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, has tapped Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, longtime DWTS pro and two-time Mirror Ball champ Val Chmerkovskiy and La La Land choreographer Mandy Moore as judges, the network announced Monday. Dave Kotinsky/Getty; David Livingston/Getty; JB Lacroix/ WireImage The announcement was made on Good Morning America, where Rippon — the 28-year-old reigning DWTS champ — revealed his judge strategy after admitting that he used to be too shy to dance in public when he was younger. “You know what? As a child, it’s crazy that I was embarrassed at anything,” he said. “But I was! It’s shocking.” So how did he overcome his fears? “I was thrown into the fire [and] lived with the wolves,” he said. “And that’s what I’m going to do with these kids.” The new competition, which the network announced last fall, pairs celebrity kids with professional, pint-sized ballroom dancers. Dancing with the Stars: Juniors premieres Oct. 7, and the new season of the original Dancing with the Stars premieres Sept. 24, both on ABC.