ABC Derek and Julianne Hough of DWTS.
”Dancing with the Stars” judge Derek Hough opened up about his longtime rivalry with his sister, Julianne. The pro dancers have both been competitors and judges in the long-running celebrity ballroom competition, and both are multi-mirrorball trophy winners.
But in a January 2023 interview, Derek, 37, revealed why his 34-year-old sister claims to have bragging rights for more DWTS wins – even though the math doesn’t totally add up.
Here’s what you need to know:
Derek Hough Said His Sister Julianne Claims Her DWTS “Ratio” Is Better Than His
ABCDerek Hough and Julianne Hough.
Derek Hough was a guest host on the January 5, 2023 episode of “The Talk.” While chatting with the other co-hosts, he addressed his long-running rivalry with his younger sister on “Dancing With the Stars.”
“My sister and I, people always put us as being competitive together,” Derek said. “Even so much to when she won the show, ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ twice and I won it six times.“
“But this is her rebuttal,” he added of Julianne. “She goes ‘But I won two, I but only did five seasons, you won six out of 17, so my ratio is better!’”
“So we have a little competitiveness there,” Derek said. “Competition is good. Comparison isn’t good. I think competition all helps us raise the bar a little bit, it’s healthy. But comparing yourself, that’s an unhealthy place to be.”
Julianne joined the cast of “Dancing with the Stars” in season 4 and continued on the show through season 8, according to Us Weekly. During that time she won two mirrorball trophies. Her back-to-back wins came in seasons 4 and 5, with celebrity partners Apolo Ohno and Helio Castroneves, respectively.
Derek Hough joined “Dancing with the Stars” as a pro dancer in season 5 and competed on the show for 17 on-and-off seasons. He won 6 mirrorball trophies during his time on the show. Derek won DWTS alongside partners Brooke Burke, Nicole Scherzinger, Bindi Irwin, Amber Riley, Jennifer Grey, and Kellie Pickler.
The rival siblings also went on to become judges on “Dancing With the Stars,” with Julianne getting the honor first.
In 2015, the siblings also went head to head for a round on the show “Lip Sync Battle.” According to Billboard, Julianne beat her brother in the karaoke-themed competition, upping her winning “ratio” against him even further.
Derek & Julianne Hough Have Been Talking About Their Rivalry for Years
ABC
Derek and Julianne Hough have been dancing since their childhood in Utah. “We started dancing in our living room with our family when we were kids,” Derek told Deseret News in 2017. They went on to train with esteemed professional dancers in England.
In 2007, when Derek joined DWTS for Julianne’s final season as a pro dancer, the two siblings joked about their rivalry.
“For me, it’s more ‘Hey, you’ve won already, give me a chance, girl,'” Derek told ABC News at the time, with Julianne chiming in with, “And of course, I want to beat my older brother.”
And during a 2021 appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Derek also addressed his rivalry with his sister. “I’m not going to lie, my sister and I, people often ask us about a sibling rivalry and teasing each other,” he said. “I’m like, I tease her more now than I did when we were kids.”
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