Derek Hough Reveals Who Has Surprised Him the Most on Season 31 of 'DWTS'

Derek Hough, fiancée Hayley Erbert and Michael Bublé have something special planned for tonight's 'Dancing with the Stars'

It’s not for nothing that Derek Hough is the only six-time Mirrorball Trophy champion of the hit series Dancing with the Stars. He is one of the best dancers/choreographers the ABC show has ever seen, and he has three Outstanding Choreography Emmys to prove it.

But for the past three seasons, Derek has been ensconced behind the judges’ desk, along with original judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli, only occasionally venturing back on to the ballroom floor for an exhibition dance.

Tonight, is another occasion that will see Derek perform, and now that the COVID protocols have allowed the dance troupe to return, we will actually see Derek execute a major production number to Michael Bublé’s “Higher” with his fiancée Hayley Erbert and the pro dancers.

“I'm excited about it,” Derek told Parade.com. “I’m choreographing a big piece. What's really exciting about this, too, is not only because Michael is going to be performing, but also it's a performance with all the pros. In rehearsal, when we were sitting there dancing, I was like, ‘Wait a minute guys. We haven't danced together in over six years,’ so it’s wild. We haven’t done this in a long time, so it was really special. It's a really great piece, very big, very bold, very ambitious.”

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The performance is a result of the night six theme, which is Michael Bublé Night, and viewers have Derek to thank for that. The two are friends with Derek actually directing the video for “Higher.”

“When I met him, I literally was like, ‘Dude, thank you for your music. Because as ballroom dancers, you are our savior. We’re like, “We need to find some music. Well, what's Bublé got?”’ And he's like, ‘Oh, a winner. That's phenomenal.’ So, you already know that tonight every single song is going to be incredible.”

In addition to having the 10 remaining couples perform new dances to Michael’s hit records, he’s also going to be serving as a guest judge.

“I'll be wondering if he's going to be judging the dancing or whoever’s singing his song,” Derek said. “It could be like, “Ugh or, you sing that better than I did, or that was, yeah.”

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Derek has made it obvious that he has great respect for Michael’s talent, but the admiration is returned. Recently the Grammy-winning recording artist appeared on Live with Kelly and Ryan and shared his belief that in a few years people are going to say Derek is his generation’s Fred Astaire.

“I just feel like I'm paying him enough,” Derek modestly brushed aside the compliment. “Becoming friends with him and being a fan of his before, of his artistry and what he does is talent, and then to meet him and then be a fan of him as a human being, he's the best. His values are in the right place as a family man. He's just a good man. And that's it's a beautiful thing.”

Season 31 of Dancing with the Stars is about halfway through, and the frontrunners are obvious: Charli D’Amelio, Wayne Brady, and Gabby Windey have been consistently in the Top 3, several times tying for first place. But Derek says the person who has surprised him the most is Jersey Shore alum Vinny Guadagnino.

“Honestly, the first week I was like, ‘OK, cool. It's going to be one of that kind of situation,’” Derek recalled. “But each week I found my heart kind of growing for him more and more. I'm like, ‘Wait, I just kind of love you.’ Obviously, the dancing isn't perfect, but the show isn't just about perfect dancing, right? It's about the way it makes you feel. And that's really surprised me.”

What Derek is most happy about this season is that every one of the celebrities who are participating want to be here and they are fighting to stay in the competition, which is not always the case. Remember last season and Martin Kove’s lackluster performance as the most recent example?

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So, Derek said it was that much more upsetting that Selma Blair had to pull out of the competition for health reasons, because it was obvious how much the show meant to her. That said, he is hopeful that she will be able to return for the finale. In fact, after her beautiful final waltz last week, he had encouraging words for her.

“My instinct to somebody who wants to be here is to give her something to look forward to,” he said. “I told her, ‘Listen, we're going to figure something out in the finale, something special. It's going to be great.”

Dancing with the Stars streams Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Disney+.

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