You can add security guard to Derek Hough's list of Dancing With the Stars duties.
The season 23 premiere of the ABC reality hit was rattled on Monday night, when Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte was rushed by protesters during the live taping, just after his debut performance with Cheryl Burke. And while Ryan told E! News that the incident was "hard" to deal with, he can take comfort in knowing the DWTS family has his back, especially Derek, who rushed out from backstage and actually kicked the other protesters out of the ballroom.
"I actually kicked him out," Derek told E! News' Sibley Scoles backstage after Monday's show. "Well, the security tackled the guy on the floor, and they were still chanting and wearing shirts...I actually came out and said, 'You all need to leave because this is our home, this is our house. This is a positive place, we don't need that here, so you just need to leave.'"
Saying Ryan did "a great job," Derek, who is partnered with Taxi Marliu Henner this season, had a message for the protesters, who were chanting "Liar" during the incident, clearly referencing the gold medalist's recent Rio robbery scandal: "Honestly, get over it, people. Get over it," Derek said. "This is a good place. This message is like, listen, in this world right now, we don't need negativity."
After the show, Ryan told us it felt like "Someone reached inside and ripped my heart out and stepped on it."
Following the taping, E! News has confirmed with the Los Angeles Police Department that two individuals who rushed the stage, Barzeen Soroudi, 25, and Sam Sotoodeh, 59, were placed under arrest for trespassing at CBS studios on the set of Dancing with the Stars. They were processed at Metropolitan Detention Center in DTLA.
DWTS airs Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC.