Derek Hough Reacts to Gleb Savchenko Comparing Him to Len Goodman

Derek Hough is flattered that Dancing With the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko thinks his judging style is similar to the late, great Len Goodman, but he’s not sure he agrees.

“I wish I was as good as Len,” Hough, 39, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 18, one day after the season 33 premiere of DWTS. “[He’s] absolutely irreplaceable. … His phrases and his ‘Lenisms’ were just iconic.”

Goodman died at age 78 in April 2023, less than one year after retiring from his role as head judge on DWTS. Savchenko, 41, made the comparison between Hough and Goodman while speaking exclusively with Us after the Tuesday, September 17, season premiere.

“Derek is very technical. He reminds me of Len a little bit. And I like that,” Savchenko said, adding that judge Carrie Ann Inaba values “performance” while Bruno Tonioli is “all about being sexy and [getting] the juices going.”

Hough told Us that he tries to “talk a little bit more about the details” like Goodman did, but it can be challenging given the short amount of time he has to speak to each pair.

“It’s always hard, especially in these first couple of weeks, because there’s so little time to say something,” he said. “I feel like I’m rushing it trying to get it in.”

Hough competed on DWTS alongside various celebrity partners for 17 seasons before joining the judges’ panel during season 29 in 2020. He told Us that he does “miss a little bit of the coaching aspects” of competing, and he recently asked producers whether they can move the judges’ mentoring sessions to earlier in the season.

“I just want to get in there with them a little bit, because sometimes just having 10 seconds to say something isn’t quite enough,” he said.

Hough also shared who he thinks are some of the season’s frontrunners so far. He called The Bachelor alum Joey Graziadei a “natural” who is “confident” and “smooth,” praised Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik’s “athleticism” and “personality” and said actress Chandler Kinney is “going to be really hard to beat” technically speaking.

“I think she’s just at a different level. But again, it’s what’s so great about the show is that it’s not just about that,” Hough said. “There’s so many different levels that we’re looking for and what we’re trying to see and find. So, it’s going to be interesting.”

As Hough juggles Dancing With the Stars and preparing for his upcoming Dance for the Holidays tour, which kicks off in November, stress can ramp up. That’s why he likes to relax by snacking and streaming and should he get heartburn, rely on Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint.

“It works fast [and] lasts all night,” Hough said of the acid reducer. “I have a strict regimen in what I do athletically to stay in shape, but I also like to enjoy myself and go home, relax on the couch and snack and stream my favorite show [with] lots of snacks [like] salsa, popcorn and candies. But sometimes those don’t always agree with me. So, having that Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint allows me to enjoy myself and relax a little bit so I can get myself prepared for the next day and go hit it hard.”

Dancing With the Stars airs simultaneously on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. You can stream episodes on Disney+ the next day.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi