Derek Hough is giving some insight into what will actually get a celebrity chosen for Dancing with the Starsthese days.
“The formula has changed a lot these past couple seasons,” the show’s judge said on the most recent episode of “The Bossticks” podcast. “I think the people that they are looking for are people who are in it to win it, and who are going to take advantage of it every single moment.”
“They don’t want — to be completely honest — they don’t want the celebrity, even if you’ve won an Oscar,” he added.
Hough, who has taken home six Mirrorball trophies during his time on the ballroom dance competition show, agreed with the thought that enthusiasm should trump fame when it comes to being selected — especially due to the time commitment the show requires.
“I don’t care if you won an Oscar and you won a Grammy,” he said. “I’d rather have somebody who doesn’t have, you know, all those accolades, but they want to be there because that’s going to create something that you want to watch.”
Related: ‘DWTS’ Casting Director Drops New Clues About Season 35
Specifically, the podcast’s hosts and Hough chatted about Whitney Leavitt who used her platform as a Hulu reality star to score a spot on the show. Her fame has continued to skyrocket as she went to Broadway, starring as Roxie Hart in ‘Chicago: The Musical’ and has gone on to start her own production company.
“She had like, you talk about clarity, she was like ‘OK this is my goal,” he said, referencing the point in time where it became public that she only participated in the most recent season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wivesso she could be selected for DWTS. “I was like that’s awesome, somebody who also talks about their goals openly, I’m like, ‘Good on you, that’s great.’ I commended her a lot.”
For the upcoming Season 35 of DWTS, a few “stars” including Summer Houseand Traitors star Ciara Miller,Love Island star Maura Higgins and Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson have been confirmed to participate.
This story was originally published by Parade on May 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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