Derek Hough
Dancing With the Stars know Derek Hough as a fan-favorite pro dancer on the show, but this past season, he had to take a break from the show. He's currently on tour with his sister Julianne Hough, with another round of dance and music for fans. He is also now a judge on World of Dance and was recently seen as a cast member on the live musical TV production of Hairspray. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hough talked about World of Dance, saying: You have the Oscars for film, the Grammys for music, and this is that for dance. Obviously it's a little different, but the stakes are very high and it's a million-dollar prize. These dancers are the best of the best ... The scale of the competition. The competition is worldwide, with dancers all over the world. There are no boundaries. It's also a competition between soloists, duos, trios and groups. When I first heard that, I was actually concerned. I [said], "How is a soloist going to compare to a group of 30 dancers?" That was put to rest very fast as a group came out to dance and then this little girl came out afterwards and she was unbelievable and silenced those fears of mine that it was going to be hard to judge or compare them. Also what's different is the way we judge. We have a rubric, and there's a scoring system that's very specific ... There hasn't been a dance competition to put its money where its mouth is. I'm a huge fan of all things dance, but what I love about this show is we're really putting a lot behind these dancers. Hough also said that Jennifer Lopez is the reason that he and the other cast members joined the show, explaining that: One of the big things was getting myself, Ne-Yo and Jenna onboard. Her being a part of the show and a dancer herself, she was a big factor in us joining. When we met with her, she was very passionate about this project and very passionate about dance. As far as gathering the dream team of not just judges but the lighting and the creative director, she was a huge part in bringing the whole team together. Hough told Entertainment Weekly that his being a competitor in the past has fueled him in his craft. (Photo by: Nino Munoz/NBC)