Weinstein factor aside, I feel like not only they were looking for Hough to star (which was harder back then as DWTS was 2 seasons per cycle instead of 1 like now), but also they wanted the Palace and obviously the Palace had been angling for renovations. The palace does seem like a nice grand venue for this type of classic show.
As Hough is now a judge on DWTS, he could in theory open the show in the Spring and do a contract for a few months, before leaving entirely or taking an LOA. (As he does additional segments and routines on the show in addition to judging, he would likely be tied up for the whole season - not to mention the jet lag if he worked bicoastally for 3 months)
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