Derek Hough & Mark Ballas Hope Their Tango On ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Spurs Change By “Leaving Door Open” For Future Male Duos On Show

deadline.com:

Derek Hough and Mark Ballas didn’t set out to be change agents for Dancing with the Stars. While helping Hough practice for his live tour this fall, Ballas ended up partnering with his longtime pal on a few routines while Hough’s wife Hayley Erbert filmed their performances and posted them on social media.

The videos of the two partnering were such a hit with fans, Hough approached DWTS about incorporating their same-sex Argentine tango into the November 26 finale.

What resulted was a historic moment for the 19-year-old franchise: for the first time, two men performed hand-in-hand under the mirror ball.

Hough and Ballas hope it won’t be a one-off for ABC’s long-running variety show. “We wanted to soft launch the idea of two men dancing together on Dancing with the Stars, you know what I mean?” Hough tells Deadline. “It became sort of like an introduction, if you will, and left the door open a little bit for some future partnerships on the show.” DWTS has always tried to be inclusive with its casting, but has stuck with heterosexual partnerships since its start on ABC in 2005 (aside from a fleeting moment in season 22 when Nyle DiMarco and Jodie Sweetin briefly switched partners during an Argentine tango, that is).