Dancing with the Stars Fans React: “Send Them the Emmy Nomination” for Derek and Hayley’s Performance

The latest episode of Dancing with the Stars, Season 33, premiered on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, featuring a moving segment known as Dedication Night. Judge Derek Hough delivered a heartfelt performance with his wife, Hayley Erbert, who made her emotional return to the dance floor almost a year after enduring emergency surgery.

Hayley’s health took a drastic turn in December 2023 when she experienced seizures caused by a ruptured blood vessel, leading to her hospitalization. Before the couple’s poignant performance, viewers were treated to a pre-recorded segment where Derek shared insights into their harrowing ordeal, reflecting on the challenges they faced during that difficult period.

As a testament to their strength, Derek and Hayley performed to Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,”marking Hayley’s first performance post-emergency craniectomy. Fans of Dancing with the Stars expressed their admiration on X, describing Derek’s dance with Hayley as one of the evening’s most emotional highlights.

Derek and Hayley's heartfelt journey (Image via X/@softxlumax) — Derek and Hayley’s heartfelt journey (Image via X/@softxlumax)

“This Derek and Hayley story is just wow. They deserve an Emmy nomination, I didn’t even need to see the dance,”one viewer remarked.

“After sobbing through Derek and Hayley’s dance, how am I supposed to focus on the rest of the show? It was stunning,”commented another fan.

“I have no words for that; just tears,”tweeted another netizen.

The couple’s poignant dance routine truly resonated with Dancing with the Stars followers, who also praised the choreography.

“BREAKING NEWS: I just gave Derek and Hayley’s dance a standing ovation right here in my living room,”one user said.

“I’ll be thinking about that dance between Derek and Hayley for the rest of my life,”a fan expressed.

“I’m crying; that was so beautiful! I love Derek and Hayley, the song choice was perfect, I just love it all,”wrote another fan.

“Derek Hough & Hayley Erbert’s dance was one of the most powerful and emotional performances I’ve witnessed on Dancing With The Stars! She’s a true miracle and a fighter, having been told she might never walk again and now fully recovered!”tweeted one user.

Furthermore, fans were deeply moved by Derek’s tribute to Hayley, referring to her as his “beautiful miracle.”

“Derek calling Hayley his beautiful miracle, I can’t even handle this,”one individual reacted.

“The way Derek held Hayley at the end… I don’t think I’ll ever recover,”said another user.

“I was like, please don’t go”— Dancing with the Stars judge Derek Hough reflects on Hayley’s emergency surgery

During Tuesday evening’s episode, Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert took the spotlight together. They performed barefoot, dressed in soft rose pink outfits, while dancing to Boone’s “Beautiful Things,”culminating their routine with a loving kiss and embrace.

Prior to their dance, Derek recounted how just three months after their marriage in August 2023, life took a devastating turn when Hayley suffered a life-threatening cranial hematoma while they were on their Symphony of Dance tour.

Derek revealed that Hayley was supposed to perform with him but was incapacitated due to experiencing severe seizures and being in a critical condition. He described the overwhelming “pure fear”he felt during that time.

Following Hayley’s urgent brain surgery, doctors warned Derek that the chances of her survival were slim and even if she made it, her condition would be altered forever.

“I remember lying on the hospital floor, praying. I just kept saying, please don’t leave me,”Derek recalled.

Post-surgery, Derek described Hayley as “unrecognizable,”having lost 40% of her skull, yet he was comforted by the fact that her memories remained intact. The medical team was astonished by her rapid recovery; they told Derek, “This is nothing short of a miracle.”

Despite being informed by doctors that she might never walk again, let alone dance, Hayley characterized herself as “stubborn”and “determined”to defy the odds. She expressed gratitude towards Derek for being her unwavering support throughout her road to recovery and her eventual return to dancing.

Catch Dancing with the Stars every Tuesday at 8 PM ET on ABC.

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