The 2024 TV schedule gave fans the spectacular 33rd season of Dancing With the Stars and the newest recipients of the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. However, the three-hour finale not only crowned Jenna Johnson and Bachelor alum Joey Graziadei as the winners, but it was filled with special performances, including one from former pro Mark Ballas and current judge Derek Hough, who opened up about its importance and the power of seeing two men dance together.
While Dancing With the Stars had its first-ever same-sex couple in Season 30 with JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson, Season 33 was the first time two men ever danced together on the ballroom floor. According to Deadline, the idea came after Ballas partnered with Hough on some routines while helping him practice for his live tour. When Hough’s wife, Hayley Erbert, filmed the performances and put them on social media, they became a hit, leading the judge to approach DWTS about doing their same-sex Argentine tango for the season finale.
In regards to this hopefully not being a one-time thing, Hough told the outlet:
We wanted to soft launch the idea of two men dancing together on Dancing with the Stars, you know what I mean? It became sort of like an introduction, if you will, and left the door open a little bit for some future partnerships on the show.
Considering that DWTS has had a same-sex couple and is continuing to push the envelope by including Ballas and Hough’s performance, it will hopefully be just a matter of time before another same-sex couple graces the competition. As the former pro said, many of us are hoping this epic routine was a "soft launch" for more same-sex couples on the show.
Overall, it’s still hard to believe it’s taken this long for two men to be dancing together, and Hough feels the same way, as he explained:
This hasn’t been done on the show before in 33 seasons, which is actually kind of crazy if you think about it. And we were like, you know what? It feels like one, it’s the right time.
Not only was it the first time that two men danced together on Dancing With the Stars, but fans also learned something, as the Argentine tango originated as a dance between working-class men in South America in the 19th Century. And since the man usually takes the lead in dances, these two beloved performers took turns leading, as Hough explained:
People often say the man is the leader and the female is the follower. The truth is when you’re dancing, you’re constantly switching between leader and follower, no matter what gender. It doesn’t really matter. Even in this dance, with us being two males, we switched often.
While the Argentine tango is a common style on Dancing With the Stars, this one was certainly different, but it made quite a big impact.
Mark Ballas, who was a pro from Season 5 through Season 31, believed that the performance “hit harder” because he and Derek Hough were able to keep the focus on the footwork as well as the authenticity. He noted that making it “slick and fast and more about power and speed would be more effective,” as opposed to being thrown in the air and spinning around.
Based on how viral the routine has gone (as you can see below), I think he was right.
As of now, there is no end in sight for Dancing With the Stars, and the series will return on the 2025 TV schedule but likely later in the year for the fall. Whether or not there are plans in place to have another same-sex couple is unknown, but Hough revealed that he has already heard interest from friends, because of the dance he did with Ballas:
It’s funny. I actually have a few friends who have been approached to be on the show and they’ve actually said, ‘well, I don’t want to do it until I can dance with another guy. We wanted to be able to introduce this concept in a way that if there’s anybody out there who might feel a certain way about it, we’re like, ‘hey, check this out.’ I think that it opens up a lot of opportunities and doors for the show to have that.
Whatever happens in Season 34 of DWTS, it will still be exciting to watch. At the very least, hopefully, this won’t be the last time that Ballas and Hough dance together on the show, because not only are they longtime friends, but they are clearly great partners.
Overall, their dance has certainly opened up some doors and it’s exciting to think about the possibilities in the future for Dancing With the Stars. Now, here's hoping we get to see more pairings like this in the near future!