“Dancing With the Stars” judge Derek Hough loves the world of competitive ballroom dance. But he enjoys several other reality shows outside of his own. When he isn’t busy working on DWTS, he and his wife, Hayley, enjoy cuddling up on the couch and tuning into other competition-style shows.
In an exclusive interview with EntertainmentNow editor Lauren Weigle, Derek Hough revealed the show he really wants to join someday.
Derek Hough Wants to Compete on ‘The Traitors’ Someday
Derek Hough and Mark Ballas have been best friends since childhood. Naturally, Derek and Hayley Hough tuned in each week to watch Mark compete on “The Traitors” season 4.
Now, Derek Hough is strongly considering his own run on the show.
“I think ‘Traitors’ would be fun,” the DWTS judge shared with EntertainmentNow. “I actually wouldn’t mind being on ‘Traitors’ one of these days. Again, I don’t know how good I would be. I would 1000% have to be a faithful because I would just tell everybody I was a traitor the second I opened my eyes.”
Derek admitted he is a terrible liar, which would hinder his chances of winning as a traitor. He added that the other contestants would feel safe with him because they could easily detect his lying.
“So I’m pretty trusted in that regard. Maybe that makes me the best traitor of all,” he quipped.
Although the Houghs thoroughly enjoy “The Traitors,” Derek has a fondness for any show that has physical challenges, puzzles, and other types of obstacles.
“I love all that kind of stuff,” he shared with us.
The Houghs Enjoyed a ‘Survivor’ Style Bachelor/ette Party
Derek and Hayley Hough tied the knot in August 2023. But before they said “I do,” they had a joint bachelor/ette party with all their friends. Of course, the friends incorporated the couple’s love for competition shows into the weekend.
The action-packed party lasted three days. Everyone made memories to last lifetimes.
“We did a giant escape room,” Derek Hough remembered the event. “When I tell you how elaborate this thing was, I’ll just say this. There’s three different teams. We had puzzles, we had clues, it was all over this property. We had to get on boats and go to a deserted island in the middle of the night.”
The DWTS judge revealed it was more adventurous than anyone could have imagined.
“We had to use compasses, we had to use walkie-talkies to direct people on the island to follow this buried treasure to dig up the buried treasure, to take the treasure on the boat, then to drive it back to this other location. This thing was the most elaborate game/’Survivor‘/puzzles and brawn and all. It was incredible,” Hough described the weekend.
There was also a mole among the group. If no one identified the mole, they received extra prize money. Derek Hough shared that he documented the trip and plans to release the footage someday. He joked that he could make his own reality television show of the weekend, entitled “Epic Wedding Adventure.”
Derek Hough heads back to the judges’ table when “Dancing With the Stars” season 35 premieres on ABC this fall. “The Next Pro” airs on the network on Monday, July 13.
