Derek Hough Reveals His Dream Dancing With the Stars Celebrity Partner

Derek Hough, who has been a judge on Dancing With the Stars since 2020 after stepping away as a competitor, revealed the actress he would love to tango with on the ballroom floor.

By Adrianne Reece Oct 22, 2025 7:02 PM
| Updated Oct 22, 2025 11:06 PM
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Watch: Derek Hough Shares Precious Look at Wife Hayley Erbert's Growing Baby Bump

Derek Hough won’t let this aspirational waltz go.

During his Oct. 20 interview with Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, the Dancing With the Stars judge revealed who his dream dance partner is—and his answer left them both frozen.

“I’m gonna be honest with you,” Derek, 40, told the Nobody Wants This costars in the Extra segment. “Kristen, you’ve been my number one for a while.”

The 45-year-old—who shares daughters Lincoln, 11, and Delta, 10, with husband Dax Shepard—dropped her jaw in shock, before sharing the hilarious reason why she might not be the ideal candidate to tango with on DWTS

“Derek, do you know that I tip over all the time?” Kristen teased while covering her face. “Like, even just walking?” 

Adam, 45, then teasingly asked Derek if that would be “a fun challenge” or would he rather compete with “someone really talented.” (After all, the last time he won the Mirrorball Trophy was in 2015 with Bindi Irwin, five years before he became a full-time judge on the series.)

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Dancing With the Stars Facts Revealed

And trying to find the positive in Kristen’s dance moves, the dancer—whose wife Hayley Erbert is pregnant with their first baby—replied that he could “move her around like a mannequin” to help yield a high score from the judges.    

“Are we doing this? Is this happening?” he asked the Frozen alum, to which she confirmed, “Maybe we could do it? I feel like I would need a lot of rehearsal.”

Pleased with her ambition, Derek added, “That's fine! We’ll put in the work, and will turn you from a tipper to a dipper.”

And as the duo continue to work on their dancing chemistry, DWTS continues to deliver major shockers on the ballroom floor. Their latest one? Scott Hoying and pro Rylee Arnold’s elimination during Wicked Night on Oct. 21. But despite not landing in the top three, the two will always cherish their memories together. 

“It's meant everything,” the Pentatonix star, 34, said of his experience during the episode, “I'm so incredibly grateful for this. Rylee is my favorite person ever. I had so much fun. I learned so much.”

Rylee, 20, echoed her dance partner’s sentiment and praised him for his dedication. 

“I’m so proud of you," she told Scott. "You did amazing this season. And I couldn't have asked for a better partner and I love you.”

Keep reading to see the entire cast of DWTS’ 34th season…

Baron Davis

Partnered with Britt Stewart

Jennifer Affleck 

Partnered with Jan Ravnik

Alix Earle 

Partnered with Valentin Chmerkovski

Dylan Efron

Partnered with Daniella Karagach 

Corey Feldman

Partnered with Jenna Johnson

Elaine Hendrix 

Partnered with Alan Bersten

Robert Irwin 

Partnered with Witney Carson

Jordan Chiles 

Partnered with Ezra Sosa

Scott Hoying 

Partnered with Rylee Arnold

Whitney Leavitt

Partnered with Mark Ballas

Hilaria Baldwin

Partnered with Gleb Savchenko 

Andy Richter

Partnered with Emma Slater

Danielle Fishel

Partnered with Pasha Pashkov 

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