Derek Hough Reveals Who 'Surprised' Him the Most During Season Premiere of 'DWTS': 'Going to Be Competitive'

It's safe to say Derek Hough is thrilled about this season of Dancing With the Stars, which premiered on Tuesday, September 17.

"Joey Graziadei actually surprised me a lot. I wasn't expecting that. Danny Amendola was pretty good, too. He was actually pretty great. He needs to work on the performance and the character of the dance a little bit, but he's got the work ethic. Witney Carson is a great coach, but I was pretty impressed with the guys," the 39-year-old, who has teamed up with Pepcid so he doesn’t have to worry about heartburn getting in the way while he’s chilling out, exclusively tells OK!.

"There were some big surprises," the dancer says of night one. "I wasn't expecting so many good dances actually. It was really good for week one. Joey and Jenna [Johnson] were fantastic and so were Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong. She's phenomenal and a fantastic dancer. She's beautiful. She's going to be a hard one to beat. Dwight Howard's performance was off the charts. He's going to be so charming and exciting to watch. I'm curious to see how they're going to tackle the challenges and the more reserved dances and technical dances. I thought Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber were great. She's got potential."

Though Hough is rooting for everyone, he notes that he's "excited about everybody for different reasons."

"The first night is like, 'Who's got the potential here? What are we doing here?' It's a bit of a love fest, like welcome to the show, and then as the weeks progress, it's going to get tougher, so we'll see how they do next week!" he continues.

Since this season — which also features Tori Spelling, Brooks Nader, Eric Roberts, Phaedra Parks, Anna Delvey, Stephen Nedoroscik, Reginald VelJohnson and Ilona Maher — has a lot of athletes, Hough believes that could be an advantage on the others since they have the work ethic down. "They have the mindset of like, 'I have to work. This is what I have to do. I'm all in. Let's do this thing.' That mindset can take them so far," he notes. "They're used to being in front of crowds and being in that high pressure situation. It's going to be a competitive season!"

"I encourage the other contestants to learn from the others. When people ask me who my biggest inspirations are as a dancer, it was my competitors, the people I compete against. I would just watch them," he continues. "It'll be interesting to see how they all evolve and grow together as a cast — but keep it competitive!"

Additionally, Hough loves being reunited with his sister Julianne Hough, who co-hosts the show alongside Alfonso Ribeiro.

"It's great. We're in such a unique position to be able to have such parallel careers and to have all these amazing opportunities and to be there for each other," Derek, who is married to Hayley Erbert, gushes. "We can talk about things together. It's awesome. We never take it for granted. We've had such great opportunities with Dancing With the Stars. It was really the catalyst for much of our career! To be on the show together again in different roles is really special."

"I looked back at old videos, I was like looking back on my first meeting with Jennie Garth. I was like, 'I've had seven different lives since then!' Now, here we are in the same studio, in the same room, but as completely different people. It's amazing."

The siblings have a secret language that only they can understand. "If I'm stressed, she's the calm one. If she's frantic, I am calm. We switch roles, but it's been wonderful to be together," he shares. "It's been really good!"

Since Derek is constantly on the go and busy, he turns to Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint for fast relief that lasts all night* — unlike antacids — and provides an instant cooling sensation when snacking and streaming at the end of the day.

"Being a performer, I'm on stage or live tours a lot. I have the Dance for the Holidays tour or I'm on Dancing With the Stars. I'm singing on stage, performing, and if I'm going out there, I'm eating something. When I get that heartburn or burning sensation, it's great to have Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint on hand because it works super fast," he explains of the product. "It lasts all night, and it gives an instant cooling sensation, which is really helpful to go out there and perform and sing and talk and judge and do whatever I have to do. I have a very regimented routine, especially when I go on tour."

"But when I get really busy, I like to come home and grab a snack or stream my favorite show and relax and chill with the animals and my wife and eat a lot of snacks, honestly. I love popcorn, chips and salsa, etc., but they don't always love me back," he quips. "They give me heartburn, so in order to manage that, I have Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint around, and it's great. It works and allows me to enjoy myself a bit more."

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