'Dancing with the Stars' pro Derek Hough: Bethany Mota and I hid things from the show's cameras

Dancing with the Stars contestant Bethany Mota apparently dealt with some issues during the competition that were not broadcast on television.


When Mota's professional partner Derek Hough was asked where the YouTube fashionista ranks in comparison to all his previous partners, he refused to answer but shared some surprising details in the process.

"I will never answer that question, but I will say this. With Bethany, it was just a different experience, such a unique experience. I was so proud of her and she came such a long way," Hough told Access Hollywood following the couple's elimination Monday night.

"When she came over, she overcame a lot of adversity that we didn't even show on TV and camera. We didn't play to the camera and show that. She really hid it and we kept it to ourselves, and she was so strong. She was a warrior! She was amazing, and I was just really, really proud of her for that and just showcasing [positivity]. She's an amazing role model for this generation."

When asked for elaboration, the couple playfully bickered.


"We don't want to talk about it," Hough joked, saying they were just "keeping it real."

Mota said she had "so many bruises," but that didn't seem to be all.

"We found out she has -- she actually has something that...," Hough began.

"No we did not find that out!" Mota interjected.

"No, no. Trust me! We found out," Hough corrected her with a laugh.


"It's not official yet," Mota insisted.

"It's official, but don't worry about it. You don't have to say it," Hough told his partner.

Regardless, Mota said she'll be okay and "everything is all good."

"We're all good," Hough agreed.

Mota made it to the finals of Dancing with the Stars' nineteenth season, completely surpassing her initial expectations of getting ousted in Week 2. 


"I think I prepared myself [for elimination] every night. But to me, tonight was about really going out there and just showing everything that I've learned throughout the competition and just putting it out there and having a good time," Mota told Access Hollywood.

But Hough, a five-time show champion, fired back, "I was like, 'Give me some credit girl! I'll get you past Week 2. I promise.'"

"No doubt I have the best partner," Mota clarified. "I was just like, 'Oh my gosh, I don't know if I can do this!' So to make it this far has been truly amazing."

Mota's greatest accomplishment in the competition was spreading her anti-bullying message to youth.

"Being in this competition showed I was in this really dark place years ago and I never thought that I would be here. So, to show people that I have made it here and I got past that and I overcame that, I just hope that can inspire other people," Mota said.


"And the best thing is when people say that it has inspired them -- getting tweets or doing meet-and-greets and girls coming up to me and saying that I've helped inspire and give them confidence and to love themselves, that's my overall goal."

As for what's next, Mota said Dancing with the Stars was "time consuming" but "very fun" and she's "ready to get back into the [YouTube] space."

Dancing with the Stars' finale airs Tuesday night on ABC and will feature the remaining three couples battling it out for the title and mirror-ball trophy: Alfonso Ribeiro and partner Witney Carson, Janel Parrish and partner Val Chmerkovskiy, and Sadie Robertson and partner Mark Ballas.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski