Dancing With the Stars" delivered an emotional “Dedication Night” on October 15, with the remaining nine couples performing heartfelt routines dedicated to influential people in their lives. Former “DWTS” pro Mark Ballas joined the judges’ panel alongside Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli.
One of the most touching moments of the evening came when Derek Hough and his wife, Hayley Erbert Hough, performed a deeply moving dance to Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things (Acoustic).” The dance marked Hayley’s return to the ballroom after her near-fatal brain injury and recovery, leaving the judges, hosts, and audience in tears.
In a pre-performance video, Derek reflected on the couple’s terrifying experience. He described Hayley’s remarkable recovery, from “learning to walk again, building her strength back up, not having a skull for a couple of weeks, walking around with a helmet,” and her constant positivity through the ordeal.
“It was hard. I was struggling, but every time I walked in that room, Hayley had a smile on her face,” Derek said, calling her “my beautiful miracle.”
Hayley spoke about her own determination during recovery, sharing how doctors were unsure if she’d walk again. “But I like to say that I’m a very stubborn person, so I was determined to push myself to the limit to be able to dance again,” she said.
While Derek and Hayley’s performance was the emotional highlight of the night, the episode also saw the shocking elimination of Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchencko, despite not being at the bottom of the leaderboard.
“It’s been amazing, and we’ve had so much fun,” said a surprised Nader after their elimination, with Savchencko adding, “I thought we were going to win.
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