Heavy/Getty Derek Hough shared ideas for an upcoming season.
As “Dancing with the Stars” fans eagerly wait for casting news on season 32, judge Derek Hough is thinking ahead a bit. He recently opened up about his interest in seeing another “All-Stars” season of DWTS, and he already has a dream cast list forming in his mind.
“Dancing with the Stars” has previously done an “All-Stars” season, but not for quite some time. Season 15, which aired in 2012, featured contestants who had all competed previously. Contestants included Melissa Rycroft, Shawn Johnson, Apolo Anton Ohno, Bristol Palin, Drew Lachey, and a handful of others. As ABC detailed, several previous mirror-ball trophy winners were included. For a future “All-Stars” season, however, Hough thinks casting should be done a little differently.
Here’s what you need to know:
Derek Hough Wants to Bring Back Some ‘OG’ Contestants
Hough talked with Variety about what he envisioned for another “Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars” season. He referenced his experience with Shawn Johnson during season 15, and he admitted, “That was honestly one of my favorite seasons.” Hough and Johnson landed in second place, though, and he admitted he was “so devastated” over it.
If another “All-Stars” season were developed, Hough noted he would like to see “some of the OGs” to be included as contestants. In his mind, this could include former “Dancing with the Stars” contestants like Hough’s former partner, Amy Purdy, or perhaps season 3 finalist Mario Lopez.
The “Dancing with the Stars” judge thinks producers should consider a season of all previous winners, an idea he thinks would turn out “fantastic.” He noted, “I think that it’d be a really, really competitive season.”
Hough’s Ideas Sparked Plenty of Others From DWTS Fans
While Hough has brainstormed some ideas for a “Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars” season himself, he noted he didn’t know how serious production might be considering such a thing. He had plenty of suggestions for an all-winners format, though.
Hough suggested the show include a couple of his former partners, Nicole Scherzinger and Bindi Irwin, and he had a few other ideas too. “I think Rashad Jennings would love to come back. Donny Osmond, I know he’d probably love to come back too. Even Jordan Fisher, who was fantastic.”
The “Dancing with the Stars” entertainer does not see himself rejoining an “All-Star” season as a pro, though. “I feel like I’ve done that: I really squeezed the juice out of that, if you will.” At the same time, he admitted, “I never say never because at the end of the day, I love to entertain, I love to perform and if it is something that audiences want to see…”
“Dancing with the Stars” fans seemed all-in on the idea of doing another “All-Stars” season.
One fan suggested on Instagram, “I’ve been waiting for an all winner’s season. Better yet, a runner’s up season. That way they get a chance at the mirror ball!”
“I would also like to see a season of the ones who went home first, to see who can learn rhythm and dance,” suggested someone else.
“With all due respect, I do not want to see winners compete again. Let’s have the finale contestants that didn’t win have a chance. No ‘celeb’ needs two trophies,” commented another fan.
Another idea from a fan was that “Dancing with the Stars” fans get input on which celebrities would be brought back, as well as pro and celebrity pairings, via a poll.
“I’d love to see a redemption season – all the celebs who had the talent to win it all but were eliminated early,” proposed a different viewer.