Derek Hough is a three-time Emmy Award winner and six-time 'Dancing With the Stars' champion. The professional dancer joins Trending to discuss the talent on this season of 'DWTS' and being a part of the 'Teach the Love' contest - which aims to reward teachers and inspire future travel.

Between Bells

Derek Hough on Selma Blair Leaving 'DWTS' & The 'Teach the Love' Contest

Alright Friends, let's switch gears when Emmy award winner and Six Time Dancing with the Stars champ. Derek Hough isn't judging the hit Disney plus reality show. Well he's helping teachers across the country and the one and only Derek Hough joins us now. Derek good to have you here, how are you? Thanks for having me very well. Thank you. Very good. Alright, here we go, we'll talk all about this new contest you're part of in just a second. But first we gotta talk about this season of Dancing with the Stars and has been so good charlie d'Amelio and Mark ballots continued to dominate the dance floor and she gets tens all the time. It's insane. Are you blown away with charlie's talent? She's only 18, you know, she is um she's definitely been surprising I think, you know, I knew she was a good dancer but she's been such a great performer and a great um storyteller. I mean they did this amazing contemporary routine with Mark Ballas, beautiful choreography and amazing concepts, very bold um but she was just so emotional and so just authentic in in her performances. That was, it was very powerful and uh yeah, it's been extraordinary, it's an extraordinary season and Selma blair having to bow out of the competition was just like heartbreaking. Um but just the most beautiful and classy way beautiful send off I've ever seen on dancing stars. It was it was really, it was really special. Yeah, let's talk about that because that was a really emotional sort of episode this week with her. I mean also by the way, a medical miracle given the fact that her where she was at with her condition that she even got this far and how well she was doing. I mean nobody gets that send off of all tens on their last dance ever. What's sort of in the sentiment like amongst the cast now that she's no longer there? Well that's the thing. You know, she of all people um had every right to sort of complain about, you know, a schedule or, or being difficult or, but her reputation was impeccable. You know, you just heard from everyone in the crew to make up the hair, just what a kind gracious person she was and how excited she was to be there and how much she loved it and unfortunately, you know, um, you know, her bones just, it's a lot of people don't really realize the stress of the show, not just mentally emotionally but physically. Of course. Um, it's it's a lot it is full out. So what she was able to achieve was nothing less than a miracle in and of itself. Um, but I just think the way that she was the send off was just, you know, perfect. Um, and hopefully we'll see you in the final and we can do something we can do something special with her. That would be amazing because literally I know all you guys were in tears, but all of us at home watching this were volunteers watching that performance from her derek. Let's talk about your partnership. We mentioned earlier, you're teaming up with Southwest rapid rewards, credit cards from chase to help launch the teach the love contest. So what inspired you to sort of join this contest here? Well, yeah, I mean for me, um, well two things that I absolutely love, uh, one travel, I love traveling so much. I'm such a huge adventure. Um, but also I being a coach myself and teaching myself. Um, I'm just so thankful for all the teachers and mentors in my life that have helped me, you know, get to where I am today and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. And so, you know, teaming up with Southwest rapid rewards, credit cards from chase is a perfect sort of, You know, partnership because they are going to give back to the community, the teachers who have really been these amazing just heroes, especially the past couple of years. Um, and uh, it's a contest. It's called teach the love contests where basically anybody over 18 can nominate their favorite teacher, something that's impacted their lives. Um, even parents can nominate a teacher on behalf of their Children. Um, and to give them a chance to go on this amazing trip you know, to uh, to celebrate them, but also to um, to inspire them, you know, to go for me, travel inspires me right, when I go on when I go away and give me ideas and creativity. So to give them this opportunity to go travel, get a break, but also to be inspired, bringing that inspiration back into the classroom for the kids and, and um, it's really special. And for people to nominate their favorite teacher, uh, you just go to chase dot com slash teach the love and and nominate your favorite teachers. So for me it's travel. It's, it's teachers coming together, it's perfect. So where can, what locations can these potential winners go to here, Derek? Um, they can go to Hawaii. I mean we'll just stop at that. That sounds fantastic. Um, but there's, there's, there's lots of different amazing places I know, um, you know, it's funny actually, Washington Dc is one of the locations and you know, I actually spent a week there last year during the Kennedy honors and I've never experienced that city in such an amazing way. It was, it was a phenomenal city and my favorite restaurant of all time and I've been all around the world is in Washington D. C. I. It's crazy. I can't remember the name. It's so good. It's so good, you forgot it. It's so good. I know it's so good name. All I can see is the food in my brain. Thank you so much to dance with the stars. Judge Derek Hough for joining us