he remaining nine couples honored influential and special people in their lives with heartfelt performances on the Oct. 15 episode. Former “DWTS” pro Mark Ballas joined as special guest judge, joining Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
Derek Hough and his wife, Hayley Erbert Hough, had the judges, hosts and audience in tears with their moving performance to “Beautiful Things (Acoustic)” by Benson Boone. The dance celebrated her return to the ballroom after her brain surgery.
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In honor of Hayley Erbert Hough returning to the “Dancing With the Stars” ballroom on Tuesday night, her husband Derek Hough shared an update on her health scare last year that very nearly could have killed her.
The two were on tour with “DWTS” in December 2023 when Hayley began having a seizure offstage. “It’s really hard to even put into words,” the dancing champ-turned-judge tears up in the clip. “We rushed her to the hospital. She was still in her costume. And the doctor came to me and he said that she has a severe brain bleed, so they had to operate right now.”
The doctor also told Hough, “She might not make it, and even if she does make it, she won’t be the same person.”
In a special video, Derek Hough recalled their terrifying experience and his wife “learning to walk again, building her strength back up, not having a skull for a couple weeks, walking around with a helmet.”
“It was hard. I was struggling, but every time I walked in that room, Haley had a smile on her face,” he said. “I was just so impressed by her strength. She’s my beautiful miracle.”
The dancer then spoke about her recovery, sharing how doctor’s didn’t know if she would walk again. “But I like to say that I’m a very stubborn person, so I was determined to push myself to the limit to be able to dance again,” she said.
Their dance was just one of the many heartfelt moments of the episode. See more below, including who got eliminated.
A former member of the DWTS dance troupe, Erbert Hough was suddenly hospitalized in December 2023 for a cranial hematoma, which is characterized by blood collecting in the skull. At the time, she and Hough were on their joint Symphony of Dance tour before she had to be rushed into surgery.
“At the end of last night’s tour performance in Washington, D.C., my wife Hayley became disoriented and was taken to the hospital,” Hough wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “She was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniectomy. She is in stable condition.”
What did each star dance to and what was their score?
- Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong: Contemporary to “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack and dedicated to Chandler’s mother — Score: 32/40
- Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold: Argentine Tango to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes and dedicated to men’s gymnastics — Score: 33/40
- Danny Amendola and Witney Carson: Contemporary to “Unsteady (Erich Lee Gravity Remix)” by X Ambassadors and dedicated to former NCAA head football coach Mike Leach — Score: 36/40
- Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach: Rumba to “Shoot For The Stars” by Dwight Howard and dedicated to his children — Score: 29/40
- Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy: Rumba to “Because You Loved Me” by Céline Dion and dedicated to Phaedra’s mother — Score: 32/40
- Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko: Salsa to “Mi Gente” by J Balvin & Willy William and dedicated to Brooks’ sisters — Score: 32/40
- Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson: Viennese Waltz to “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims and dedicated to his fiancée, Kelsey Anderson — Score: 36/40
- Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten: Rumba to “My Way” by Yseult and dedicating the routine to Ilona’s U.S. women’s national rugby sevens team — Score: 32/40
- Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber: Foxtrot to “The Archer” by Taylor Swift and dedicated to Taylor Swift — Score: 32/40
Who was eliminated this week?
While not at the bottom of the leaderboard, Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchencko were eliminated.
“It’s been amazing and we’ve had so much fun,” Nader said, shocked about the results.
Savchencko added, “I want to thank you for an amazing season I’ve had,” adding that he thought they were going to win.
Hayley was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma due to a burst blood vessel. Doctors performed a craniectomy, which involved removing part of her skull, to relieve the pressure on her brain.
Which celebrities are left in the competition?
The following competitors still have a chance at the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
- Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy
- Danny Amendola and Witney Carson
- Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson
- Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten
- Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong
- Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchencko
- Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber
- Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach
- Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold
