On Tuesday, November 28, during the Dancing With the Stars semifinals, Derek Hough became emotional while praising contestant Xochitl Gomez, age 17, after her Waltz performance with partner Val Chmerkovskiy to “La Vie En Rose” by Lady Gaga. Hough, 38, spoke about the significance of the season, particularly because it is the first time the Len Goodman trophy is being awarded. He expressed that Len would have loved Gomez’s dance and fought back tears while calling it “absolutely perfect.” Len Goodman, who passed away at 78 in April, served as a judge on DWTS from 2005 to 2022.
In their September season, DWTS renamed their grand prize, the Mirrorball Trophy, in honor of Len Goodman. Executive producer Conrad Green shared, “The Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy will now be lifted on Dancing With the Stars like the Vince Lombardi trophy is lifted at the Super Bowl.”
The show further celebrated Goodman’s legacy with a tribute dance to the late judge, featuring former DWTS pros such as Maks Chmerkovskiy, Mark Ballas, and Karina Smirnoff. During the show, the judges shared memories of Goodman in a pre-recorded video.
After Hough invoked Goodman while praising Gomez, the other judges also provided positive feedback. Bruno Tonioli told Gomez, “You have an amazing future in front of you,” while Carrie Ann Inaba shared that Gomez’s performance touched her heart and transported her to another world.
Gomez was the only contestant of the night to receive perfect scores for both of her dances, ultimately securing a spot in the DWTS finale. The finale airs on ABC Tuesday, December 5, at 8 p.m. ET.