Derek Hough Shares DWTS Predictions & Update on Wife Hayley Erbert Nearly One Year After Brain Surgery (Exclusive)

From reality star Phaedra Parks to Bachelor Nation’s Joey Graziadei and Jenn Tran, to NBA star Dwight Howard and Summer Olympians Ilona Maher and “pommel horse guy” Stephen Nedoroscik, as well Disney’s Chandler Kinney, and perhaps the most controversial contestant of the group — convicted con artist Anna Delvey — Derek Hough is weighing in on them all.

Speaking with TooFab after the show’s premiere Tuesday, he dished on those first performances and who he thinks has the potential to go all way.

“My first impressions were very positive, honestly,” Hough said. “I think for a first week dance, I think that there was some amazing performances, a lot of potential out there. And it’s gonna be a really competitive season, I think — for different reasons too.”

He continued, “There were some dancers who were technically really beautiful and fantastic. I think Chandler was great. But Joey and Jenna — Joey looks really comfortable in his skin and feels confident out there, and he’s got some natural movement and some rhythm and some timing. Dwight is just larger than life, not just physically, but his personality, his charisma is amazing. Stephen — his athleticism. He was just so fun to watch. It’s gonna be a hard one, honestly. It’s going to be really competitive and again, for different reasons, but it’s exciting.”

As for who he thinks has the chance to take home the highly-coveted Mirrorball Trophy his year, while it’s still too early to say, Hough has a few early predictions.

“Well, I think again, from technically, I think Chandler, she’s a superstar. I mean, she really is. Just the performance, and just the way she moves, it’s already there and it’s week one, so to see where she goes. However, that does create a little bit of expectation, so that could work in her favor or work against her,” the DWTS judge explained. “But I don’t know. Again, I think Joey’s good. I think Jenn Tran was great. Stephen…”

“… I love Phaedra, but I just love her too. Great personality. She’s a great performer. She was slipping around last night. I wanted to, like, teach her about the shoes,” Hough quipped. “She needed to brush her shoes and wet the bottoms of them because it gives them a bit more friction. But she’s wonderful. She’s great, man. She’s witty. She’s quick. She’s smart. So she’ll be one to watch as well.”

When asked about Delvey, who has been the contestant on the tip of everyone’s tongue this season, Hough said he thought she did “great.”

While some thought it odd for the fraudster to be allowed to compete on the show amid her house arrest and ICE deportation case, Hough said Delvey went out there and did her thing on the dancefloor.

“I thought she did great last night. Considering seeing some of the interviews beforehand, I wasn’t too sure what to expect, to be honest with you. But I was like, ‘She went out there. She hit some nice little lines.’ And yeah, I kind of was at a loss for words, honestly, last night. But yeah, I think it was interesting.”

Delvey famously rocked her ankle monitor as part of a condition of her house arrest while competing, and bedazzled it to match her performance outfit — something not out of the norm on DWTS.

“I mean, we’ve had bedazzled things in the past where I danced with a Paralympian, with Amy Purdy, and we bedazzled her prosthetic legs — anything we can bedazzle, we bedazzle,” Hough quipped.

While Hough is no longer dancing on DWTS, the former dance pro-turned judge says he’s happy to be at the judges table. Every once in a while, however, he does get the urge to grab a celebrity and coach them through some of these dance moves.

“I’m comfortable at the judges table. I enjoy that. I did 17 seasons. And so I feel like, I feel very like satiated in that space,” Hough said. “I’m really fortunate because I get to perform on Dancing with the Stars, in the past several seasons with these special one-off performances. So I kind of feel fortunate I get the best of both worlds. I will say, do I get the urge and the almost frustration where I want to just grab a celebrity that I’m watching right there and take him away for an hour and work with them? Yes, I get that a lot where I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just want you to work on this hand, this foot, just change this move, change that.”

“I actually asked the producers, I said, ‘Hey, usually we do these judging mentor sessions at the end, but can we do them at the beginning or in the middle of the season so we can actually work with them a little bit more?'” He added. “‘Cause I do miss that. I miss being a coach and getting my hands in there and being like, ‘Let’s work on this and work on this.’ So yes, I do miss that part of it for sure. But also, I am happy at the judges table.”

Working with sister, Julianne Hough, has it’s perks too, with the fellow dancer working as a co-host on the show, the pair have each other to lean on and talk shop with throughout the season.

“It’s really special to be able to do something to have such parallel careers where we can sort of be a shoulder not to cry on, but to sort of like rely on, I should say,” Hough explained. “And just to communicate and talk to each other and to encourage each other. It’s pretty special.”

Hough also shared a health update on his wife, Hayley Erbert, nearly one year she was forced to undergo brain surgery after suffering a scary medical emergency while the married couple were on tour last December.

The 29-year-old was diagnosed with a cranial hematoma, which required an emergency craniectomy. That was then followed by another surgery, cranioplasty, to repair her skull.

“She’s she’s doing wonderful. It truly is a miracle. I don’t think that we haven’t really fully shared the extent of the severity of everything,” Hough said of his wife’s health scare. “I mean, I think people understand it was severe, but it even goes further than, than what we’ve actually shared. And so to see where she’s now is — it’s nothing short of a miracle. It really truly is, and she’ll be joining me on tour this, this holiday season. We’re going to 40 different cities, and seems fitting because she really is a miracle. And so to go out there during the season of miracles, if you will, it’s very fitting.”

But she’s incredible,” he added, before teasing a documentary the pair worked on detailing the journey they’ve been on since that fateful day. “We actually shot a documentary that we’re, we’re just finishing up and it really tells that story and the journey. And she’s, she’s just has inspired me so much. And so many as well. We’ve had people come to our shows who’ve had brain injuries and things, and it’s been really cool to see them, that connection. And so she’s amazing.”

TooFab spoke with Hough while he promoted his partnership with Pepcid. Whether choreographing a new dance for his tour or at the judge’s table — or even at home snacking, Hough said having Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint has come in handy in those moments he has had to quell heartburn on the go.

“Being a performer, going out on the road and touring, for me, it’s, important that, if I go out there and sing or I’m judging on Dancing With the Stars, if I eat something, if I have that, sort of heartburn, it’s important that I have something on hand to help that. And that’s where, having Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint is perfect because it works fast. It lasts all night, unlike the antacids. And it has an instantly cooling sensation, which is great because it allows me to go out there and to perform, to sing, to judge, so it’s really great to have that,” Hough explained.

“And also too, to balance my life out, because I think that having such a strict regimen or a busy lifestyle, where I’m choreographing my brand new dance, my tour or, whatever I’m doing, it’s important to also have those nights where I like to just go home and relax, you know what I mean, or go on the bus and snack and stream my favorite show,” he added. “I love my chips and salsa. I love my popcorn, but it doesn’t always love me. You know how that feels. So to have Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint on hand, allowing me to just enjoy myself, it helps balance it out as well. And it helps me switch off from such a busy time, so it’s a great partnership.”

Dancing with the Stars continues with an Oscars theme and double elimination next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.