'Dancing With the Stars' Season 23 Rumors: Derek Hough Officially Returning As Pro? [VIDEO]
The Houghs are officially returning to ABC's Dancing With the Stars!
Derek and Julianne Hough are both expected to be part of the upcoming 23rd season of Dancing With the Stars. This was confirmed by multiple sources, according to a new People report, which also clarifies that Derek is returning as a pro while Julianne is returning as a judge.
Derek is the winningest pro in Dancing With the Stars history, with six Mirrorball trophies. The pro won with Brooke Burke in season 7, Nicole Scherzinger in season 10, Jennifer Grey in season 11, Kellie Pickler in season 16, Amber Riley in season 17 and Bindi Irwin in season 21. He is widely considered one of the more desirable pro dancers to have as a partner, considering he has never placed below sixth. Derek took off season 22 this past spring.
Many DWTS fans have expressed their excitement over the return of Derek.
As for Julianne, the dancer/actress is returning for her fourth season as a judge. She previously judged seasons 19-21 and has won the show as a pro two times, with Apolo Anton Ohno in season 4 and Hélio Castroneves in season 5.
This is shaping up to be an epic season of Dancing With the Stars, with the return of Derek and Julianne as well as Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Chmerkovskiy had retired from Dancing With the Stars after finally winning the Mirrorball trophy with Meryl Davis in season 18. Chmerkovskiy's brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, will also be dancing in the ballroom this fall.
Other pros confirmed to be dancing this fall include Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson, Sharna Burgess, Allison Holker, Emma Slater, Artem Chigvintsev, Gleb Savchenko, Sasha Farber and Jenna Johnson.
As for the celebrity cast, there are reports of controversial Olympian Ryan Lochte competing on this season, as well as model Amber Rose. The official cast will be revealed on Good Morning America on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
Dancing With the Stars season 23 premieres Monday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
