Derek Hough tested positive for COVID-19 last Monday night, just hours after appearing on Dancing with the Stars.
While he was vaccinated, he did not pass protocols to appear on the finals tonight as a judge.
However, unlike the last time that Derek stayed at home after a COVID scare, the finals will still see four judges, with a very familiar face replacing Derek at the table.
Derek Hough to miss Dancing with the Stars finale
Derek Hough will not be back tonight for Dancing with the Stars after testing positive for COVID-19 last Monday night.
Even though Derek is vaccinated, DWTS did what is best for its judging panel, especially since Len Goodman had his cancer scare and Carrie Ann Inuba has an autoimmune disease.
That means that Derek will stay at home and not judge the final four competitors in this season’s competition.
The good news is that Derek will still be a part of the show and he will appear virtually to talk to the fans, and possibly the dancers.
However, he will not be judging the final dances tonight.
Instead, Dancing with the Stars announced that they are bringing in another pro to sit at the table and judge the final dances.
Derek’s sister, Julianne Hough, will step up and take his place as the fourth judge alongside Len, Carrie Ann, and Bruno tonight for the DWTS finals.
Julianne Hough on Dancing with the Stars
While Derek Hough won more seasons of Dancing with the Stars than any other pro, with six wins over his career there, Julianne was successful as well.
Julianne only appeared as a pro on Dancing with the Stars five total times, one less than Derek won the show, but she won two of those seasons.
Julianne won her first two seasons on DWTS with speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and race car driver Hello Castroneves.
She then competed in three more seasons with Adam Carolla (9th place), Cody Linley (4th place), and Chuck Wicks (6th place) before stepping away from the show.
In 2014, Julianne Hough became a judge on Dancing with the Stars from 2014 until 2017. She has earned three Emmy nominations for her work on the show and won the Emmy in 2015 for Outstanding Choreography.
In 2019, Julianne was a judge on America’s Got Talent.
Dancing with the Stars airs on Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC.