Derek Hough Teases This Week's 'I Love Lucy'-Themed Routine On 'Dancing With The Stars'

Derek Hough is stepping up his game when it comes to the choreography this season on Dancing with the Stars. As we enter Week 8 in Season 19 of the dancing series, the pro is revealing what he's got in store for the "Dynamic Duos" night: an I Love Lucy theme!

"I have some fun ideas for it that I haven't completely settled on yet. I'm also starting to make the routines a little harder for her," Derek teased on his TV Guide blog about this week's I Love Lucy dance.

"You have two choices. You can do a routine that's not the most difficult one to do, but your partner would look solid, and I've done that. It's not that they're not difficult, but they're not as intricate as they could be," he added.

So what exactly does he have in mind for the tougher choreography for his YouTube star partner Bethany Mota?

"This week, I'm gonna step up the intricacy and add some more things and more tricks. Dangerous is not the right word, but it's a risk you have to take. And at this point in the show, it's time to step it up and challenge yourself, and I know Bethany can handle it," the DWTS pro revealed.

A photo posted by Derek Hough (@derekhough) on Oct 10, 2014 at 6:30pm PDT

After last week's strong paso doble routine, the duo is at the top of the leader board, so the stakes are even higher. Their group routine also won over the judges, so Derek knows he has a lot to live up to this week.

"It's always difficult when you're on top of the leaderboard because it's hard to stay on the top the next week," the 29-year-old admitted.

Their salsa routine will have to be on point in order to escape elimination Monday. Despite the added pressure of being on top, Derek is trying to keep the routine light-hearted to match the chemistry Lucy and Ricky had on their TV series.

"And yes, we've been working on our Lucy and Ricky impressions all week. She goes, 'Oh, Ricky!' And I'm like, 'Lucy! You got some 'splaining to do!' I think my Ricky is pretty good if I do say so myself!" Derek explained.

Tune in Monday to see if Derek and Bethany can stay at the top of the leader board.

That duet tho