'Dancing With The Stars' Season 20 Cast News: Derek Hough Explains Why He is Returning
"Dancing with the Stars" season 20 premiered with a bang last Monday as the celebrity contestants and their pro partners took to the glitter-strewn dance floor to vie for the golden Mirror Ball Trophy. Though many were disappointed that DWTS vets Karina Smirnoff and Cheryl Burke have left to pursue other endeavors, fans of Derek Hough were happy to see the 29-year-old back on the dance floor and dancing with Olympic gold gymnast Nastia Liukin.
Many were not expecting to see Hough this season as the dancer previously announced that he wouldn't be in the show due to his commitment with Radio City Music Hall's "New York Spring Spectacular." In a blog post for TV Guide, Hough explained why he decided to come back for the 20th season and 10th anniversary of DWTS.
"When I initially decided to sit out this season, I meant it," Hough wrote. "I had this great opportunity with 'New York Spring Spectacular' and I felt like it was time for a break from the show. But as time went on, I realized that I wanted to be part of the 20th season anniversary."
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The dancer revealed that at a certain point, he felt disappointed about not being part of the show. Upon checking his schedule, he realized that he had Mondays and Tuesdays off and told DWTS producers, "Maybe I can work this in, fly in for the Monday shows, fly back to New York Tuesday and rehearse there for the week."
Hough said that the producers agreed to work with his schedule if they could "find the right person" to partner him. The dancer also revealed that Liukin was not originally his partner and that he was supposed to dance with someone else, though he did not reveal the name of that celebrity.
"Originally, I was supposed to be dancing with someone else and at the last minute, she pulled out. I'm not sure what happened," he continued. "Then like two days later, they called and said, 'We found somebody based in New York who is willing to do the travel.' Nastia is at NYU right now, so she has to be here in New York as well, not just because of me. We met and we hit it off. It was serendipitous and meant to be."
Hough and Liukin's foxtrot last Monday placed them third on the leaderboard, behind top scorers Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy and second placers Ryker Lynch and Allison Holker. Hough and Liukin are among the favorites to win the Mirror Ball Trophy this season.
"Dancing with the Stars" airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
