Dancing with the Stars has recently made its return for Season 35. However, the judges aren’t going too easy on the dancers, already giving out some low scores. Recently, Derek Hough weighed in on what’s going on.
Derek Hough Has Been Both A Pro Dancer & A Judge On Dancing With The Stars
Hough was a pro dancer on Dancing with the Stars from 2007 to 2016. Following this, he served as a judge on NBC’s World of Dance from 2017 to 2020. He also started hosting Extra in 2025 with Season 32.
Hough would later make his return to Dancing with the Stars with Season 29 as a judge. He recently returned as a judge for Season 35, which premiered earlier this month, alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
With the new season, fans have noticed that the judges have been handing out low scores. Several of the season’s stars haven’t even broken 15 points throughout the two-night premiere.
Since then, Hough has been speaking out after he and his co-judges have been receiving backlash over it. At one point, even Jimmy Kimmel got involved, joking the judges were “out of control.”
Speaking with Us Weekly, Hough felt that the lower scores were actually a good sign. He shared, “I think it’s changing the value of the numbers.” He continued, “It’s going to be a little bit of a shock to the system because it’s the first week and stuff, but for me, my hope is that over time, if [a contestant gets] a 5, you’re like, ‘I got a 5.’ Like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I got a 5’ versus like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s insulting. Oh, my gosh, that’s crazy.’”
In Spite Of The Low Scores, Hough Admitted To Seeing ‘Big Growth’ From This Season’s Dancers
Hough explained, “It’s not a reflection on them, [but] it’s a reflection on the hope to change the value of what a number means. I think when you actually look at the score, you look at where everybody ended up being placed. When you actually look at it, it felt pretty accurate.”
The judge stressed, “To be honest, it’s good for us as … judges, [so we’re not] working with two numbers. I mean, now we actually have some numbers to work with throughout the season. And now when somebody gets an 8, it’s going to mean something. I think that that’s really important.”
Looking at the current lineup of contestants, Hough admitted that he could see “big growth” from the season’s dancing teams. He also summed up that it’s going to “mean something” when fans see higher scores this season.
What is your reaction to Derek Hough’s recent share? Have you been following this story? Are you keeping up with Dancing with the Stars? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest reality TV and celebrity news.
John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.