Derek Hough and the DWTS winner have the same prediction about which star will make the finale. (and I completely agree)

While there is clearly Season leader dance with the stars On air 2026 TV scheduleI always thought Connor Wood could do great things on the show. First of all, never underestimate the power of your Internet personality. Second, and more importantly, he is so committed to the process and has made so much progress that it’s easy to see him follow through. With Derek Hough DWTS The champion predicted that someone who knew Fibula online would make it to the end.

Derek Hough really thinks Connor Wood will be in the finale.

I think it’s really great for a judge to make a prediction. dance with the starsSo I don’t take Derek Hough’s words lightly. being interviewed TV InsiderHe boldly claimed that Connor Wood and his partner Rylee Arnold would be in the finale, saying:

I believe he will make it to the finals. There is light around them. I think they’re a really great partnership.

Wood and Arnold really are a great pair, and it’s very clear that they like each other. They are also very fun and adorable, which makes them really likeable. That may be, and will continue to be, one of the reasons people vote for him. Hough made that clear:

People love him. i love him He is a really good friend. We have the same friend and he is a good person. i love him

Well, Derek Hough really thinks Connor Wood will make it to the end, but he’s not the only one.

Joey Graziadei thinks it’s ‘almost guaranteed’ that Connor Wood will make the finale.

While Derek Hough says Wood could make it to the finals, there’s another celebrity he thinks has what it takes to be a comedian. That person Joey Graziadei, Season 33 Winner. speaking TV Insider The winner with Jenna Johnson had this to say about the podcast host:

I would almost guarantee he would make it to the finale. I think he can do it. I think the perfect coordination of the dance has improved, but I would be shocked if there were no tickets. He seems to have a really big army behind him and Rylee online. He’s doing it very well.

Joey went on to say that he thinks people can see how committed Wood is to the process and his development. Simply put, “he’s what this show is about.” And you know what? Graziadei would know. He won the season. dance with the starsAnd he also had very little experience. bachelor’s degree The star also brought up the story and explained it as follows.

That’s the kind of path I fell into. No one expected me to do well, and I got better overall, and I think that’s part of what people look for in that show.

I think Graziadei makes a very good point here. Besides, he knows from experience. He wasn’t the person with the most dance experience in his season. But he was very solid throughout the season. He improved greatly and won. This is also why Connor Wood was able to advance to the finale.

Why I Think These People Are Right About Connor Wood

The co-host is Brooke and Connor create a podcast Over a few weeks he has seen tremendous improvement, and the joy he and his partner get from the process is contagious. I mean, I wanted to scream with excitement like I did when they first got a 10 (and like when Shirley Ballas got an 8). She scored lower than other contestants) on Halloween night.

Also, passionate fans of Wood and Arnold cannot be overlooked. He has 1.4 million followers on TikTok and she has 2.1 million. Their videos continue to garner millions of views, and we can’t forget the hyperviral situation he sparked with his following: He has a crush on Jennifer Lawrence And she responded that she saw him drinking a smoothie on 8th Avenue and that he didn’t pay any attention to her.

What I’m saying here is that it’s clear that people are riding for Papa (a nickname that Wood has had to try and explain several times), and his dedication to the show combined with improvement is a recipe made for a finalist.

Now watch to see if he can go far. dance with the stars Every Tuesday at 8pm ET on ABC or Disney+ Subscription.