ABC Hayley Erbert & Derek Hough
On the heels of Derek Hough’s “Step Into… The Movies” ABC special on March 20 where he and his sister Julianne Hough and a cavalcade of special guests re-created iconic movie dance scenes, some “Dancing With the Stars” fans had harsh words for the judge and his longtime girlfriend Hayley Erbert.
Here is what they are saying about the couple.
Some Fans Think Derek & Hayley Have Zero Chemistry Together
During the “Step Into… The Movies With Derek and Julianne Hough” special, Derek and Hayley, who have been together for almost seven years, re-created “El Tango De Roxanne” from “Moulin Rouge” while Derek’s season 17 Mirrorball champion partner Amber Riley sang the iconic “Police” song.
But some fans thought Derek should have performed the number with someone else because they think “Dayley,” their couple name, “have better chemistry with other dancers.”
On Reddit, a fan wrote, “Unpopular Opinion: I don’t like watching Derek and Hayley dance together. They have better chemistry with other dancers than they do with each other when performing.”
The commenter went on to say that they full support “Dayley” as a couple, writing, “I have dreams of the inevitable Dayley wedding,” but during the “Step Into the Movies” special, the fan “didn’t enjoy watching Dayley dance together.”
“[They are] both exceptional dancers however I like watching them dance with other partners besides each other,” the fan wrote.
And many other fans agreed. One even said that Derek has more chemistry with his sister Julianne than with Hayley.
“This should be a popular opinion. I have said over and over again when they dance together I get nothin’, no heat no chemistry. Derek has more chemistry dancing with his own sister if we want to be completely honest,” wrote the poster. “I think the reason this couple is popular is because they [are] cute together because they have nothin’ else.”
Another fan wrote, “[B]eing in a relationship doesn’t necessarily mean your gonna have insane chemistry on the dance floor and they honestly don’t.”
“Derek had more chemistry with all of his [‘Dancing With the Stars’] partnesr than he does with Hayley,” wrote a third.
Some Fans Think The Problem Is Their Contrasting Styles
One fan in the Reddit thread said that they think the problem is that Derek is “super passionate” and Hayley doesn’t match his energy because she’s “so boring to watch dance.”
But another fan argued it’s because she’s a contemporary dancer, not a ballroom dancer like Derek is.
“I think because at heart she is still a contemporary dancer. I wish she would go back to her roots!” wrote the fan.
Another added, “Completely agree. I never found her particularly remarkable and I think were it not for Derek, she’d have faded into obscurity long ago.”
A third fan wrote, “Hayley just seems so bland and boring. I glanced at some of their videos once or twice and I get nothing … to be honest, Hayley was similarly uninteresting and not very memorable when she competed on [‘So You Think You Can Dance’].”
Despite what some fans may think, “Dancing With the Stars” keeps bringing Hayley on the show to dance with Derek. They performed a paso doble in 2020 and a tango in 2021, both of which a lot of fans really enjoyed.
What do you think? Do Derek and Hayley have good chemistry together or do they leave you cold?
“Dancing With the Stars” has not yet been renewed for season 31. If it is renewed, it will return in September 2022.
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