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Dancing with the Stars: Is Derek Hough Overstepping?
September 23, 2025
Photo Credit: ABC Network
Twilight has fallen on another summer, and pumpkin-flavored everything has returned to grocery stores and coffee shops. This also means the return of our fall TV favorites, a beloved tradition that truly symbolizes the end of summer. For myself, I’ve grown to appreciate one show in particular, a perennial veteran, Dancing with the Stars. The show is like a tasty bag of popcorn: comforting with little nutritional value. Continuing the metaphor, Carrie Ann Inaba would be velvety chocolate popcorn. Bruno Tonioli? Flamin’ hot. And Derek Hough? Heavily salted, overly buttered, and hard to swallow.
This season kicked off with a curiously absent Carrie Ann in the first episode, while Derek once again reemerged from obscurity, bringing more of his awkward street-speak, hammy gestures, and histrionic soliloquies. But must he?
Why DWTS Matters, Dammit
Dancing With the Stars has always been a fun show. Silly escapism, contrived intrigue, and a sprinkle of Tinkerbell’s fairy dust which you sometimes might expect to shoot out of your screen. I started watching in 2020 when the pandemic was at its peak, drawn in by Anne Heche, whom I’ve admired since her Another World days (RIP, Anne). I enjoyed the underdog stories, however forced, which made the eliminations more bittersweet. I got caught up in the weekly reverie, enduring Tyra Banks and her theatrical inflections for three years until Alfonso Ribeiro officially took the reins with his sidekick, Julianne Hough. More on her later.
I already knew about the show’s legacy as an early reality TV institution, ABC’s answer to American Idol, dating back to 2005. It’s an iconic part of ABC’s DNA, a reliable moneymaker that can also serve as a launchpad for stardom (hello, Zendaya). Bruno Tonioli, an original judge, is still here nearly two decades and 33 seasons later. In reality show years, that’s a lifetime. Bruno remains reliably great, adding flair diluted for primetime but still spiked with subtle mischief, bringing a sense of legitimacy to the show.
But the true foundation of DWTS is the legend herself – Carrie Ann Inaba. Also an original judge, she offers dancers genuine encouragement while pushing them to grow and develop. After Len Goodman’s departure in 2020, producers were left with a challenge: who could fill those regal shoes…?
Derek Hough: Judge or Cloying Spotlight-Stealer?
…And they chose Derek Hough, surely to his own utter delight. At first, Derek was innocuous enough, bringing the same upbeat energy he did as a dance partner for eleven years (and six Mirrorball trophies). What could go wrong?
Well, last season, something began to stink at ABC’s Television City Studios. That unmistakable blend of condescension, subtle misogyny, awkward homophobia, and cloying, performative speeches, delivered at breakneck speed without a shred of self-awareness. Week by week, Derek got worse, culminating in a full cringe-fest during last season’s penultimate episode. Ok, so the act of ‘judging’ on this show has always been a bit gray. This is Disney, after all, the land of synthetic cheerfulness and forced kindness. On this show, any judge who dares offer a real critique is met with boos. This fake narrative encourages weak-minded judges to turn into praising cheerleaders, stripping the show of some credibility. Carrie Ann continues to deliver the honesty she was hired for, but lately, she’s become the scapegoat. The moment she offers actual feedback, the audience pounces. And like clockwork, Derek swoops in to play the hero, lavishing over-the-top praise that often feels fake. Worse, he has become a full-blown attention vacuum. Last season, he couldn’t resist photobombing others’ screen time with exaggerated expressions, bizarre slow claps, and those “my man” greetings aimed at every male black contestant. When someone (probably a producer) finally got ahold of him, he pivoted, starting to say it to every male contestant. But the damage was already done. It still lands flat.
Then there are his confused, overly dramatic reactions to Bruno’s colorful, sometimes flirtatious commentary. Derek awkwardly plays along, feigning wide-eyed shock, as if to say, “Why, I never, Mr. Tonioli!” It comes off stiff. We get it, Derek. You’re playing ball. You’re cool. You’re comfortable. Except you’re not.
The Hough Effect
Let’s talk about what really prompted this letter. In the penultimate episode of last season, Carrie Ann gave some direct and much-needed feedback to Brandon Armstrong and his partner Chandler Kinney. It was the most honest critique of the season, and it felt refreshingly real. Predictably, the audience booed.
But then Derek decided to step in and “defend” Carrie Ann, cutting her off with a patronizing display of support. She quietly thanked him, but it was obvious (to me at least) she didn’t appreciate being rescued. If he agreed with her, why immediately contradict her by giving a perfect ten?
Then came the slow clap. A long, histrionic, cringe-worthy slow clap, delivered after American rugby player Ilona Maher’s performance. He did it again in last season’s finale. If this is supposed to be his new trademark, every 80s movie is currently rolling in its grave.
And then there’s Julianne.
Her passive-aggressive wrap-ups after each dance had become annoying enough, but last season, she outdid herself. At one point, she got visibly annoyed when someone backstage didn’t cue a commercial properly, leaving her standing awkwardly for several seconds. This was just before her own self-indulgent dance number, something her brother forces on us regularly. Yes, the dance was technically sound. But like Derek, Julianne never misses an opportunity to hog the spotlight. If either of them could swallow the camera whole, they probably would. Seriously. Does Alfonso like her? Maybe, but he’s far too smart to burn bridges. After all, this is the same man who managed to get along with Ricky Schroeder and Will Smith.
Respect the Star and Stay in Your Lane
Derek, you are a phenomenal dancer. But Carrie Ann Inaba is DWTS royalty and she doesn’t need you to protect her. This is the same woman who opened Madonna’s “Girlie Show” in 1993, descending a 20-foot stripper pole topless. That takes talent, guts, and presence, all of which she’s brought to this show for nearly two decades, keeping the lights on while you were spray-tanning for your next samba.
So, as we anticipate Carrie Ann’s return this week, here’s a simple request, Derek: Slow your roll. Stay in your lane. And never, ever do that slow clap again.
This article originally appeared on michaelvanderkley.com — the first of many open letters on pop culture and beyond.
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