Dancing with the Stars judge Derek Hough is glad the show got rid of the Judges' Save, and he doesn't want the power to decide which couples go home again.

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Derek, 41, admitted he's happy to leave eliminations up to viewers, even if that means strong dancers sometimes get sent home earlier than expected.

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"By the way, can I just say something right now? I'm so glad we don't have that anymore," Derek said during a Wednesday, October 28 interview with Extra.

"I'm so glad we don't have that."

When Dancing with the Stars guest judge Shirley Ballas argued that the show should bring back the Judges' Save, Derek immediately disagreed.

"I don't want it," Derek insisted.

Derek explained that unexpected eliminations are part of what makes Dancing with the Stars exciting and unpredictable.

"Things happen and it's shocking and you're like, 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe they went home,'" Derek explained.

"It's a shocking moment and it's surprising."

Derek also confessed that he doesn't want to be responsible for crushing a celebrity's dreams of winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

"Also, I'm good. I don't want that responsibility," Derek said.

"I don't want to be the one to be like, 'Sorry, bro, you're going home.' I'm good. That's up to you guys at home."

The Judges' Save was introduced on Dancing with the Stars in Season 28 in 2019 following Bobby Bones' controversial victory in Season 27 the year prior.

The twist allowed the judges to decide which of the bottom-two couples, determined by a combination of judges' scores and viewers' votes, would remain in the competition. The Judges' Save was used for four seasons before being eliminated ahead of Season 32 in 2023.

Dancing with the Stars executive producer Deena Katz explained in February 2024 that producers had eliminated the Judges' Save because they wanted viewers to have more influence over the competition's results.

"I think it should be about America," Deena told TV Line at the time, adding that the judges' decisions sometimes went against what viewers wanted.

Shirley, however, maintained that judges should have some say in which celebrities get to continue competing, especially when talented dancers find themselves in jeopardy.

The 66-year-old professional dancer serves as a judge on the U.K.'s Strictly Come Dancing, which allows viewers to determine the bottom-two couples before the judges decide which pair to save.

"I think it's good that the audience choose. They put two in the bottom. That was their choice," Shirley explained.

"And then, at the end of the day, we get to save the dancer that we think is the best."

Shirley pointed out that the current voting system on Dancing with the Stars could potentially result in the strongest dancers getting eliminated before the finale.

"Because sometimes, on your kind of show, let's just say [there's] a scenario [where] they could send all the good dancers home," Shirley reasoned.

"And then, you know, you're left with a different final. So it's important that there's something for everybody."

Shirley's comments came after she served as a guest judge during "Horror Movie Night" on Dancing with the Stars' Tuesday, October 27 episode.

Shirley raised eyebrows with her unusually low scores, including 4s for Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa as well as Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik. She also gave Tyler Cameron and his professional partner Sharna Burgess a 5.

Tyler and Sharna were ultimately eliminated from the competition that night, along with Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, in a double elimination.

Following the episode, Shirley appeared surprised to learn that she'd handed out some of the lowest scores ever seen during Week 7 of Dancing with the Stars.

"Really? Oh my goodness," Shirley told On The Red Carpet.

Shirley explained that she didn't consider her scores particularly harsh because she views 4s, 5s and 6s as respectable marks for contestants who are still improving.

"Those scores are actually still quite good because they're not 2s and 3s," Shirley said.

She added that scores of 7, 8 and 9 indicate a dancer has truly mastered his or her craft.

When Shirley was informed that Dancing with the Stars judges have only handed out a handful of 2s throughout the show's history, she joked, "It's a good [thing] I'm not a full-time judge on this then, isn't it?"

Dancing with the Stars' 35th season currently airs on Tuesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.




About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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