Derek Hough returned to his roots of training celebrities in the art of dance with his ABC special Step Into… The Movies with Derek and Julianne Hough. The professional ballroom dancer hosted the show alongside his sister/fellow pro Julianne Hough. The pre-Oscar dance show honored some of the most iconic dance routines within American film, including Dirty Dancing, LaLa Land and Saturday Night Fever.
The well-choreographed and A-list filled TV event reminded many fans of his time on Dancing with the Stars and it led some of them to ask, if Derek would ever return to the competition series as a pro partner again. The multi-hyphenated personality first joined the DWTS pro team in 2007 and left in 2016. During his 17 seasons on the show, he won six Mirrorball trophies.
However, that wasn’t the end of his time on the longtime-running show. In September 2020, Derek returned to the ballroom as a judge for DWTS season 29. He stepped in to substitute for head judge Len Goodman, who couldn’t travel to L.A. to film due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So what does Derek’s future look like now?
In an interview with TV Insider, Derek gave insight of why he enjoys coaching celebrities. “My favorite part of that whole process is seeing that ‘a-ha’ moment in their eyes when they say, ‘I can do this!’” he told the outlet. “[Doing Step Into…] gave me that feeling again where I was showing somebody something and they felt, ‘We did it.’”
The Oscar pre-show special included celebrity guest stars: Kevin Bacon, John Stamos, Jenna Dewan, Harry Shum Jr., Charli D’Amelio and Amber Riley. Derek’s joy in choreographing routines and training the celebrity cast prompted the question of, would Derek leave his role as a judge and return to as a DWTS pro? He admitted that he wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know,” he told the publication. “I like having the best of both worlds where I get to be a part of the show as a judge and do performances but also have time that allows me the freedom to do other projects.”
It’s clear that Derek’s time at Dancing with the Stars isn’t over but his role on the show has definitely evolved over the years and that trend might just continue.
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