Derek Hough picks his ideal ‘DWTS’ contestant for next season — and fans are totally on board

Derek Hough just name-dropped a teen idol he would love on the next season, but it's his wife who is more interested.
PUBLISHED MAY 17, 2025
Screenshot of judge Derek Hough from 'Dancing with the Stars'(Cover Image Source: YouTube | From 'Dancing with the Stars’)
Screenshot of judge Derek Hough from 'Dancing with the Stars'(Cover Image Source: YouTube | From 'Dancing with the Stars’)

Seasoned pro and now judge Derek Hough is still the record holder for winning the maximum mirror ball trophies. In a recent interview with Parade, he opened up about which celebrity he would like to see competing on the show. Without missing a beat, he said, "Taylor Lautner would be good. He would be great. He would be fantastic. Competitive, athletic,” as reported by The Express.


 
 
 
 
 
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Turns out, it's not only Hough who is rooting for Launter; many fans have expressed interest in seeing him on the show as well. On a Reddit thread, one Internet user wrote, "I could see Taylor Lautner on DWTS." Another one said, "What little I’ve seen and heard about Mr. Taylor Lautner… Though he says he doesn’t dance, he seems super charming, so I’d be down to watch him for a few weeks at the least, lol." The third also expressed the same desire: "Hopefully I’ve always loved him, and she seems completely delightful and nice." The third chimed in, "Taylor Lautner has been making a comeback, of sorts, the past couple of months, so I could see him being offered a spot on DWTS. Especially since he's now hanging with DWTS alumni."



 

What gave fire to the speculation was when the winner of 'DWTS' season 33, Jenna Johnson, appeared on their podcast with her husband, also a 'DWTS' pro, Valentin Chmerkovskiy. The quartet couldn't resist breaking out into a dance performance, which the actor posted on TikTok, captioned "DWTS legends join the Taylors for a conversation about mental health, relationships, parenting, and more!"

L-R) Taylor Lautner and Tay Lautner attend the Cameron Boyce Foundation's 3rd Annual Cam for a Cause Gala at The Beehive on June 02, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Image source: | Getty Images/ (Photo by Kevin Winter)
L-R) Taylor Lautner and Tay Lautner attend the Cameron Boyce Foundation's 3rd Annual Cam for a Cause Gala at The Beehive on June 02, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Image source: | Getty Images/ (Photo by Kevin Winter)

The 'Twilight' actor hasn't spoken anything about joining the show-but his wife has. Last year, in a podcast, 'The Squeeze,' the husband-wife host, Launder's wife, shared how much the show means to her. She told the listeners that she grew up watching the show with her grandmother, and if given a chance to participate, she’d love to be able to share it with her. "It would just be a really crazy, full-circle moment." She added, “Getting to bring my nana and being like, ‘Hey nana, I’m not a pro. I’m a star on this.’ Like, how crazy is that?” While fans were excited about the idea of seeing Lautner on the dance floor, many quickly switched gears, saying she should be the one in the spotlight.



 

Another Reddit user said, "Yeah, she seems nice, but I wouldn’t want her. It’d just be weird; it's so obvious when someone is only on because of their relative (Charli & Heidi). Pointing out a major difference between the two. And she has dance experience, so I think it'd get to a weird spot where she keeps getting saved but doesn’t have the fanbase to pull her out of the bottom. Men can come in with no fanbase and grow one, but women, especially if there isn’t a specific storyline, usually don’t." One person said, "I’m all for Taylor competing. Not so much his wife." There is only one who neither wanted Taylor nor his wife on the show. "No, thanks. Nothing against them, but I feel like it would be wasting two perfectly good spots that could go to more interesting people," a Reddit user wrote.

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