"Dancing with the Stars" favorite Derek Hough is leaving the show to join NBC's new dancing project, "World of Dance," alongside Jennifer Lopez and Ne-Yo. The professional dancer confirmed during an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Wednesday, Nov. 30, that he won't be back for "Dancing with the Stars" season 24.
"I won't be back next season. I'm going to be part of a new show called 'World of Dance' with Jennifer Lopez and Ne-Yo and it's going to be a fun show. It's going to be a great show," Hough said to Ellen in the talk show. He also discussed his role in the NBC's upcoming live musical TV-production, "Hairspray Live!"
On the other hand, Derek expressed his excitement for the upcoming project. "Here's the exciting news I've been hinting at. Thrilled to be joining Jennifer Lopez and NE-YO with the amazing new show 'WORLD OF DANCE,'" he wrote in a Facebook post. He added that he can't wait to discover talents and go on a new adventure through the show.
"World of Dance" is an upcoming reality dance competition produced by Lopez's company, Nuyorican Productions. Hough will be sitting as a judge with Lopez and Ne-Yo while Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo will be featured as choreographers. The competition has no limit to genre -- the contestants may dance ballroom, hiphop, break dancing, tap, krumping and any other styles. The grand prize winner will be given $1 million.
It is not the first time that Derek is skipping "Dancing with the Stars." The 31-year-old dancer missed season 12 to take the lead role for the America-South Korea collaboration movie, "Make Your Move" opposite K-pop star BoA. He also missed season 22 after claiming his sixth win on the show during season 21. Hough ranked 6th in the recently ended "Dancing with the Stars" season 23. Meanwhile, "World of Dance" is temporarily scheduled to air in summer 2017.
