Emma Slater believes Dancing With the Stars judge Derek Hough is officially team Andy Richter.
“It’s funny because secretly, Derek’s been coming up to me after the show going, ‘Wow, I really love you guys. I really love you guys,’” Slater, 36, exclusively shared with Us Weekly after the ballroom competition’s Halloween Night episode on Tuesday, October 28. “And I could see him making a beeline for either me or you. And I’m like, ‘Oh, I think he likes you, Andy.’”
During Tuesday’s spooky episode, Slater and Richter, 59, danced the paso doble and earned a score of 28 out of 40. While Hough, 40, has given the pair sixes the past several weeks, he surprised Richter by awarding him a score of seven this week.
“I feel like you were trying to perform an exorcism on all the sixes I have been giving you,” Hough joked from the judges table. “My friend, done. Forgive me, for I have sinned. I saw you. What I love about you is that you are out there and you are doing it. You are committing. Well done.”
After the show, Richter couldn’t hide his excitement about receiving a higher score from Hough.
“I’m so glad. It’s sweet of him,” he told Us. “He’s been the person who has said most repeatedly that you’re what the show is about. I understand that. I think I represent something attainable to people. They can sit home and they can go, ‘Oh, if he can do it,’ whereas some of the other people here are like world-class athletes and not everyone at home can think about that.”
Although Richter and Slater have found themselves in the bottom three multiple times on Dancing With the Stars, Tuesday’s show was a different story as they were declared safe early on.
Cohosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro ultimately announced Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik would be leaving the competition.
“Honestly, I was expecting to hear our name less than I was last week, but I mean by 10 percent,” Richter told Us. “It’s crazy that we’re still going on. … I mean, I would be sad if I was done, and I would be disappointed if I was done, but good Lord, I’m still here.”
As the competition continues with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, Richter is trying his best to focus on dance moves while also incorporating his comedic side.
“Emma’s perfect at showcasing me and the things that I can do,” he said. “That part’s the easy part, and that part we can just — that almost kind of comes up naturally as we’re rehearsing. But no, it’s the dancing. That s***’s hard.”
While some viewers may still question how Richter remains on the reality show as competitors like Whitney Leavitt, Robert Irwin and Alix Earle earn much higher scores, the comedian isn’t paying attention to the noise.
Instead, he’s focused on putting his best foot forward — literally.
“I have been on social media for about 15 or 16 years now, and I don’t care,” he declared. “I have heard the worst of the worst about me, and I don’t care. Bring it. I don’t care.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
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