Dancing with the Stars has two-stepped right past Derek Hough’s expectations.
“This little engine that could is defying all the odds in television,” the judge recently told E! News of the ABC competition series’ undeniable popularity, “breaking down walls, setting records and creating history. It’s incredible.”
In fact, even before cameras started rolling, Hough—who has been part of the show on and off since 2007—knew the jive would be different for season 34.
After witnessing the excitement around Robert Irwin’s early casting, “I felt like this was going to be something special and big,” he shared, “and it has exploded.”
That's an understatement. After all, in the show’s 20-year run, the current season has amassed more votes than ever before. And now, heading into the Nov. 24 finals, fans are cha-cha’ing their way to the polls—er, their phones—to crown Irwin, Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Jordan Chiles or Elaine Hendrix their winner.
That's exactly what makes the show, well, a showstopper.
This younger generation that's waltzed into the ballroom "wants to watch traditional television," Hough mused. "They don't want to watch the next day. They want to sit in front of the TV and watch it live."
And they're getting their entire crew to lock in.
"It was a running joke for so many years like, 'Oh my grandma loves the show,' but now it's the opposite," the 40-year-old continued. "Now, parents are like, 'My kids have to watch the show.' It's such a bonding show and even more so now that we have multiple generations watching together. It's really cool."
That connection runs deep at home—and in the ballroom with Hough and his fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
"We're literally family," he raved. "We've known each other forever. Bruno gave me one of my first choreography jobs, and Carrie was part of the Dancing with the Stars tour when I first joined as backup dancer. It's really amazing."
And he won’t be missing a beat when the season wraps, either. In June, just months after he and wife Hayley Erbert welcome their first baby, they'll hit the road for their Derek Hough Symphony of Dance: Encore, a 40-city dance tour across America.
“We're both very excited to enter into this new chapter in our lives as parents,” Hough raved. “And then also to continue our love and passion for performing.”
Until then, see that love and passion come alive in the ballroom by getting to know the season 34 stars...
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