Dancing's Derek Hough: Bindi Is Going to Dance Blindfolded!

Hey everyone!

Thanks for your votes!

It's been a crazy week so far. We were in New York this week, which was fun. It was really nostalgic for me being back there. But the traveling is rough. Time is of the essence and every time you have to get in the car and get to the airport and then spend six hours on a flight, you're like, "We can be working right now!" I just landed in Los Angeles this morning and we're heading to rehearsal, so it's been a long week. Monday feels like forever ago.

I was really happy with our foxtrot. The judges commented on Bindi's back and shoulders, which I understand a little. I think Bindi's shoulders naturally look up, but I think it was nitpicking at its best. Julianne said, "I can't just keep giving her 10s." I'm like, "OK, that's fair enough." The routine as a whole, I'm really proud of it. It turned out really well. It did kind of put that in your mind, like, "OK, they're gonna be a little more picky with Bindi." But that's also a good thing because it means she's doing well and they hold her to a high standard. It's not ideal, but it's also not a bad thing.

The dance-off selection was hilarious! They want it seem strategic and dramatic on live TV, but we always all talk about it beforehand. When we found out the rankings, we were like, "Who want to dance what?" Val was like, "I wanna dance cha cha." Mark and Alexa were like, "I wanna dance cha cha too." Carlos wanted to dance jive. Bindi and I wanted jive as well. And it was the same with Alek and Andy with the samba. We already worked it out, so I was like, "So who wants to do jive?" Carlos and Witney were like, "We do!" Everything went according to plan!

When we watched the dance-off back, I realized it was my fault we lost it. I forgot the judges don't watch the monitors and we were dancing for the cameras at home. I was facing that way and we were on the other side of the judges' table, kind of in the corner. You couldn't really see us and if you did, it was just the profile of us, which isn't the full effect. So I understood what the judges meant. But when I watched it back on TV, I was like, "Wait a minute! Wow! She was killing it!" We won America's vote! That's when I realized in the studio, we were in the corner and you couldn't see us. It was completely my fault. When you watch it on camera back, she did a great job.

This week we have the Viennese waltz. We're dancing to "Roses and Violets" by Alexander Jean. It's going well. When it comes to the ballroom, I taught Bindi the base so she can pick it up and she can feel comfortable with it. I've done the groundwork over the past couple months. She's also going to be blindfolded in the dance. And I don't mean those blindfolds where you can still see a little out of them. She's gonna be completely blindfolded and won't be able to see a thing. I think it'll be cool. I'm very excited about it.

Then we have the dance duet with Alexa and Mark to Chicago. It still needs a lot of work. We haven't even finished it yet and it's Saturday. We gotta get the troupe in there and see how it looks. It's a process. When we started doing jazz for Chicago, Bindi was struggling picking it up and getting frustrated. My poor little Bindi! She's reaching that point of pure exhaustion. I need to give her a pep talk and keep her rocking. It's crazy when you see her tired. You're like, "Nooo! My Bindi!" She's still happy, but she's just tired.

Have you sufficiently recovered from seeing Bindi's feet yet? I don't think feet are fun to look at in general, but her feet took it to the next level. That just goes to show you that that girl doesn't complain at all. When I say she's tired, she doesn't even say that -- you just see it in her face. I just know. She's still always like, "No, I'm fine, I'm fine." She has an amazing work ethic. She's handling this entire process with incredible grace and class, and I'd love to see her go all way. I just have to keep checking on her toes every now and then. Once they start falling off literally, then I'll start worrying!

Thanks for reading! See you Monday!

Derek