As Dancing with the Stars marks its 20th birthday, the show is all about celebrating its history. Former longtime host, Tom Bergeron, is returning for Season 34 Episode 9 as a guest judge. That means he will be judging alongside Derek Hough. Meanwhile, Derek’s sister, Julianne Hough, will be co-hosting the show with Alfonso Ribeiro.
In 2007, both Julianne and Derek joined DWTS as pro dancers. Since then, their careers have taken them in, and out of, the ballroom. Derek and his wife, Hayley Erbert, are expecting their first child after tying the knot in 2023.
Julianne and Derek Hough are celebrating 20 years of Dancing with the Stars
As pros, Julianne competed for five seasons. However, Derek stayed in the game for a whopping 17 seasons. Then, Julianne returned as a judge for five seasons before taking on hosting duties in 2023, while Derek picked up his judges’ paddle in 2020. In fact, there was a bit of distance between Julianne and Derek. However, when Hayley experienced a life-threatening medical emergency, the siblings decided to start over.
“When she went [on the show], I was like, ‘Oh, OK, now I have to go on.’ And then she won that season,” Derek told US Weekly. “He would smoke me in the Latin competitive dance world we [were in] as kids. But I was like, ‘Oh, you’re coming to my turf now,'” Julianne replied.
Of course, there were some competitive feelings about winning the Mirrorball. “We joke around. She’ll say, ‘I won the show twice,’ and I’ll be like, ‘I won six times,'” Derek explained. “And she goes, ‘Yeah, but I was only on the show for five seasons.’ She won two out of five, and I won six out of 17, so her ratio is better.”
I love how Season 34 is embracing the nostalgia of past seasons while also giving us a wild ride.
Dancing with the Stars airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney+. It will stream on Hulu the next day.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF JULIANNE AND DEREK’S SIBLING RIVALRY? ARE YOU ENJOYING SEASON 34 OF DWTS?
