‘Dancing With the Stars’: Derek Hough Reveals Which 2 Losses Still Haunt Him

Derek Hough is a six-time Mirrorball champion on Dancing With the Stars, but even he looks back on certain seasons as the ones that got away. In fact, Hough told TV Insider that there were two times he felt he could have won the Mirrorball, but ended up finishing in second place.

“Shawn Johnson … that was crazy,” the pro dancer, who has partnered with Huggies for their #huggiesfirst campaign, said. “That was one of my favorite seasons. If you look at every single week, I was like, ‘That was pretty damn good.'”

The Olympic gymnast was Hough’s partner for the All-Star season of DWTS in 2012 after previously winning Season 8 with Mark Ballas. They finished in second place behind Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani.

Courtesy Everett Collection

“We were doing back flips and crazy tricks and things like that that had never been done on the show before,” Hough pointed out. “And some things that still haven’t been done on the show! She was standing on my shoulders and we tipped [over]. What the hell was I thinking?”

Hough also recalled his Season 18 loss with Amy Purdy. “That was such a special season and really iconic as far as she being the first double amputee and Paralympian [on the show],” he admitted. “There was no rule book. We were just making it up as we’re going along and problem solving each and every week. It was a revelation.” He and Purdy finished behind winners Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Season 23 was Hough’s last as a pro, but he rejoined the show as a judge during Season 29 in 2020, and has held the position ever since. In the video above, he breaks down the premiere episode of Season 35, including Maura Higgins‘ standout performance.

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Plus, Hough reveals how he remains impartial as a judge, despite being friends with contestants, such as Jenna Dewan, and he explains his connection to the #huggiesfirst campaign as a first-time dad with wife Hayley Erbert.

“It put me on alert and it put me in a place of appreciating those firsts that are coming my way,” Hough explained. “It’s been cool to have those firsts. When [my daughter] laughed for the first time, it was life before she laughed and then life after she laughed for the first time. And I was like, oh, that’s my goal in life now is to make this little girl laugh. And her crawling for the first time, her walking, and then to put it out there and to share with other parents, have them show their firsts, as well…”

Dancing With the Stars, Season 35, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+