Breakout star of Dancing With The Stars Derek Hough admitted he faked his choreographing and teaching skills during the earlier seasons of the hit ABC show. The 36-year-old performer first hit the ABC scene when he appeared as a guest instructor alongside his sister Julianne Hough and Olympic Hall of Famer Apolo Anton Ohno. Due to his incredible talent and everlasting charm, ABC hired Derek for the following season as a full-time professional instructor. He was paired with Beverly Hills, 90210 star Jennie Garth, and ended up getting eliminated in the semi-finals, finishing the competition in fourth place.
Since then, Derek has competed with the likes of Nicole Scherzinger, Shawn Johnson, Jennifer Grey, Ricki Lake, Maria Menounos, Lil' Kim, Joanna Krupa, Brooke Burke, Shannon Elizabeth, and Kellie Pickler. During his last season as a competing dancer on the franchise, Derek took home his sixth Mirrorball Trophy during his partnership with Steve Irwin's daughter Bindi Irwin. After becoming one of the most successful pro dancers ABC has ever seen, Derek was offered a chance to join the judges' panel. After much speculation, Derek ended up replacing longtime judge Len Goodman due to the pandemic-related travel restrictions between England and the United States. Now that Len is able to join the judges' panel for the upcoming 30th season, the panel will get slightly bigger, as ABC wants to keep Derek in the role alongside Len, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba.
Though Derek was able to add two Emmys to his full Mirrorball Trophy case, the budding star didn't feel like a professional when he was first cast on Dancing With the Stars. In a new interview on Jana Kramer's podcast Whine Down, the veteran star admitted he was often faking it. "In my earlier seasons I was nervous, you know, and I was uncertain. I was kind of faking it, to be honest with you," Derek said. "I wasn't really a teacher or choreographer. People used to say, 'Oh, you're a good choreographer,' but I never really looked at myself in that way. That made me fearful and afraid."
Continuing the conversation, Jana, who competed as a contestant back in 2016 alongside Gleb Savchenko, asked Derek if there were any contestants he wishes he could better help to deliver more quality performances. "I definitely would get more frustrated easier in my earlier seasons," Derek admitted, adding he doesn't regret his approach but rather learned to shift it to become a better communicator and teacher. Now that his pro dancing on the franchise is behind him, Derek is just excited to move up the ladder and judge another season of Dancing With The Stars.
Derek's candid conversation proves that sometimes taking the risk to fake it until you make it can really count for something special in the future. It's a good thing he did too, as Dancing With The Stars wouldn't be the show it is today without his successful run, endless talent, and creative input. It's only a matter of time before Derek's dancing feet take the art to the next level.
Sources: Whine Down