‘Dancing with the Stars’ 19: Derek Hough on working with Sadie Robertson

Monday night, “Dancing with the Stars” returns with another new episode, and it is one of the most challenging ones out there, at least if you’re a pro.

We don’t like the whole switch-up twist, mostly because it takes away from what we feel is the real joy of the show: The organic bonds and relationships that form between a celebrity and a dancer. While Derek Hough and Bethany Mota had a good thing going, for example, he now is switching over to Mark Ballas’ partner Sadie Robertson for a week. This is a chance to see how another star lives and rehearses, but it can be quite the challenge. In his new TV Guide blog, Derek detailed some of what he’s up to:

“If you haven’t heard, my switch-up partner is Sadie! Bethany is with Mark, so we had a straight swap! I’ve been staying at Sadie’s family farm in Louisiana and it’s amazing here. We’ve been riding four-wheelers and having a good time. We have the Charleston and Sadie’s doing great so far. She’s a really terrific dancer and she’s not afraid to try things. I think she’s been really impressive so far on the show, so hopefully I won’t let her down! I was joking that I should grow my blonde beard out and it’ll be Albino Duck Dynasty. I don’t think we’ve had that yet!”

We don’t feel like either Sadie or Bethany are in any real danger this week. They are two of the better dancers in the competition, and also each have popular pros and large followings. We’re more worried about the low-scorers like Michael Waltrip, and then the ones with Jonathan Bennett who may have a questionable fan base.

We’ll have the latest updates on the elimination tomorrow night, but if you haven’t seen the performance spoilers yet, head over here. You can also sign up today if you’re interested in further TV news on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo via ABC.)