American Idol is holding its annual Disney Night on Sunday night’s episode.
As fans of the show know, this means that the singers in the top 10 will all set out to visit Disneyland and get some inspiration.
They will then take the stage on Sunday night and perform songs from Disney movies, both the classics and the more modern releases.
However, it also means there will be a guest mentor, and this year it is someone who knows a lot about Disney Night.
Derek Hough to guest mentor on American Idol
The guest mentor for American Idol’s Disney Night is Derek Hough.
Reality TV fans know Derek as one of the judges on Dancing with the Stars, as well as a former pro dancer on the show. Hough won more Mirrorball trophies than any other contestant on DWTS.
Now, he will mentor singers on American Idol.
American Idol, announced it on Instagram by posting a photo of Derek at Disneyland with the caption, “the multitalented @derekhough is our #DisneyNight mentor from @Disneyland!”
This was confusing because someone very different was scheduled to mentor the singers on Sunday night.
Ben Platt was supposed to be the original mentor for Disney Night on May 1. However, Ben had to pull out of the appearance and could no longer take part.
The good news is that Ben will be back later this season when he will perform on the May 22 finale.
Ben is a Broadway star who has appeared in The Sound of Music, The Book of Mormon, and Dear Evan Hansen.
But what are Derek Hough’s qualifications?
Derek Hough on American Idol
It was easy to get Derek Hough for the fill-in spot since he works for Dancing with the Stars, another Disney property. American Idol is on ABC and DWTS will be moving to Disney+ for its next season.
While the world knows Derek as one of the best dancers on the planet, he is also known for singing.
He appeared in both 2020s The Disney Family Singalong and The Disney Holiday Singalong.
Derek has also danced in musical productions, where he had to sing, including Footloose and Hairspray. He also had a 2017 music single called Hold On that he released in a band with fellow pro dancer Mark Ballas.
Last year, John Stamos was the guest mentor, so it isn’t really a big step down.
American Idol airs on Sunday and Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC.