Julianne Hough was slammed by a defiant Dancing With The Stars champion on Monday after she said that this year’s contestants were “not the best dancers.”
The 36-year-old dance pro and now DWTS co-host got them thinking after he gave his opinion on Sunday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live.
After Andy Cohen answered questions from viewers, Julianne was asked to give her opinion on a former champion she “strongly disagreed” with.
She initially posed the question to fellow guest Mickey Guyton, who said Bobby Bones didn’t deserve to win season 27 in 2018. Coincidentally, that was exactly the person Julianne was thinking of.
But on Monday, the 44-year-old country music host shared a short video on Instagram in which he complimented the two women and defended his controversial performance, saying it made him not only a winner, but the “biggest champion” in DWTS history.
Julianne Hough was slammed by a defiant Dancing With The Stars champion on Monday after she said she was ‘not the best dancers’ that year
Country music radio host Bobby Bones, 44, took to Instagram on Monday to give a shout-out to Julianne and fellow guest Mickey Guyton; pictured with dance partner Sharna Burgess after winning DWTS season 27 in 2018
In a video shot in his car, Bobby admitted, “I was the worst dancer,” though she said he was “proud” of that title.
‘I tried as hard as anyone in the history of the show, but I can’t dance right now [and] “I couldn’t dance then,” he explained.
“But you know who brought down the big, evil dance empire? Well, it wasn’t evil or an empire, it was you and me,” Bobby said, addressing voters who chose him and his professional dance partner Sharna Burgess over more talented competition.
“We did it together,” he continued, calling himself “the greatest champion ever.”
“I didn’t say I was the best dancer, I said I was the best champion ever, because I’m the man of the people,” the radio host opined. “I’m the man you chose.”
He also seemed proud of his win, as the DWTS producers subsequently changed the rules for fan voting, making it harder for a contestant who was clearly less skilled than his fellow competitors to win based on fan support alone.
“I’m a terrible dancer, I was a terrible dancer,” Bobby continued. “But they changed the rules after I left because the fan votes were so good.”
According to NewsweekThe rules that were changed after his win mean that fans can no longer vote for dancers in the first episode of the season.
Bobby admitted he was the ‘worst’ dancer, but he was proud of the way his fans supported him
The jury still judges the dancers, but no one is eliminated at the beginning of the season.
The rules also reduce the chances of promotion or winning for stars with large fan bases.
Previously, fans were able to vote after the episode aired. This meant that fans could vote for their favorites even if they hadn’t watched their performance.
Nowadays, voting can only take place while the episode is broadcast live, making it more likely that voters will have seen the performances and making it harder for concerted campaigns to support a particular celebrity contestant.
Despite the passionate tone of his video, Bobby made it clear that he held no personal grudge against Julianne, whom he called “awesome” and “cool” and whom he had met a few times in the past.
However, he made things difficult for Mickey Guyton, possibly because of their shared bond with country music.
“Mickey Guyton, what’s…” he said jokingly before stopping talking.
Julianne opened Pandora’s box when WWHL host Andy Cohen shared a fan question about DWTS.
“Julianne, Carter V. wants to know if there’s ever been a winner of Dancing With The Stars that you strongly disagreed with,” Andy asked.
“Uh,” Julianne said as Mickey reached over and tapped her on the arm while clearing her throat.
The radio host even bragged about how DWTS had to change its voting rules in response to his controversial win, as he consistently received lower scores than his competitors; pictured in 2018 with Sharna Burgess
Julianne, 36, was asked about the least deserving DWTS winner after Andy Cohen shared a fan question on Sunday’s episode of WWHL (pictured)
“I think she has an answer for that,” Julianne said, turning her attention to Mickey.
Andy asked Mickey who she meant and Mickey replied, “I just said Bobby Bones.”
“I actually agree with you,” Julianne said.
“And I think it’s the fan base. It’s all about the fan base on that show,” Julianne said. “He wasn’t the best dancer.”
Julianne and Mickey high-fived each other in agreement, but also acknowledged that Bobby was “awesome” on DWTS.
Radio personality Bobby, 44, won season 27 of DWTS in 2018 with his professional partner Sharna Burgess, 39, despite receiving lower judges’ scores than the other finalists, Evanna Lynch, Milo Manheim and Alexis Ren.
Bobby won the Mirrorball Trophy thanks to the public vote, angering some fans of the show who felt the award should have gone to a dancer who could have done better.
Neil Patrick Harris, 51, tweeted after the finale: “Dancing With the Stars confirmed why I don’t watch Dancing With the Stars.”
Julianne was a guest on the Bravo talk show to promote her new debut novel Everything We Never Knew. During a “One For The Books” Q&A segment, Julianne was asked about her best first date.
She remembered going on a first date to the Santa Monica Pier, but she couldn’t remember her date’s name.
Mickey cleared her throat and gave her answer – Bobby Bones – but Julianne admitted she was thinking of the same person
During a ‘One For The Books’ Q&A segment, Julianne was asked about her best first date
Andy asked about her first date with her ex Ryan Seacrest, 49, and Julianne revealed they went to the Polo Lounge for a private date.
She was also asked what the most challenging experience she has had for her career was.
“Wow, that’s a tough question. You know, I think I’m a little bit confusing because I do so many different things. People are like, what does she do? Does she dance? Is she a singer? Is she an actress? What does she do? But I think I’m a storyteller and I think that inherently everything I do is storytelling, whether it’s through my body, whether it’s through my voice, whether it’s through my acting, and now through my writing,” Julianne said.
Julianne will return as co-host of Dancing With The Stars when the series returns for Season 33 in September on ABC and the Disney+ service.
