Derek Hough was caught off guard when his first dance teacher, Rick Robinson, showed up on his first day hosting Extra.
In an exclusive clip shared with Us Weekly, Hough, 40, made his Extra debut — and to celebrate, they told him they had a “little surprise” for him from someone who knows him from “way back when in Salt Lake City.”
“Rick!” Hough said when Robinson, 69, showed up on a screen in front of him. “My man. Hey dude!”
Robinson replied, “What’s up, Derek?” before Hough appeared confused and added, “Wait, is this live?”
After Hough got confirmation that Robinson was indeed on Zoom, Hough excitedly started to introduce his former dance coach.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Rick Robinson. This is the man who is responsible for me being a dancer,” he explained. “He was the man that [when] I walked into that dance studio, called me ‘Heavy D,’ gave me a nickname, made dance cool and was such a cool mentor in my life.”
@derekhough Whiskin it all with my first dance teacher ever Rick Robinson !
Robinson went on to say “congratulations” to Hough — and how “amazing” it is to see how far the Dancing With the Stars host has come.
“It’s amazing what you’ve already done and what you now get to do being a host of Extra,” Robinson gushed.
All of a sudden, Robinson disappeared from the screen, leaving Hough confused.
“Rick, where’d you go?” he said. “Rick! Slick Rick!”
After a few seconds, Robinson surprised Hough by walking in from offscreen. The pair appeared instantly excited and shared a sweet hug.
“That’s crazy you’re here!” Hough exclaimed.
Robinson noted that he “could not miss this opportunity” to see Hough as the new host of Extra. To celebrate their reunion, the pair started dancing together.
Last month, Hough shared that he would be taking over Billy Bush’s role as the host of Extra.
Daytime TV has gone through many changes — including heartbreaking cancellations and surprising casting swaps — ahead of the fall season. One major shakeup took place at ABC, when DeMarco Morgan and Eva Pilgrim both left GMA3. Pilgrim then moved to Inside Edition, which came after ABC News grouped its overnight programming and GMA3 with […]
“The ballroom has been my stage, my home, and my launchpad,” Hough said in a statement to Deadline at the time. “Now, I’m stepping into an exciting new spotlight as the host of Extra. I’m truly looking forward to collaborating with this incredible team, diving into this next creative chapter, and connecting with fans and audiences in a whole new way.”
Hough, who will still continue to judge DWTS, added that it is “an honor to join a show that’s been a cornerstone of entertainment news for over 30 years.”
“I’m ready to help lead it into a bold, fresh new era for Season 32 and beyond,” he said.
Tune into the season 32 premiere of Extra with Derek Hough tonight. Check local listings for stations and times.
