Julianne Hough reveals ‘DWTS’ champion who shouldn’t have won
Julianne Hough agrees with many “Dancing With the Stars” fans who believe Bobby Bones should never have won the 27th season of the dance competition series.
During her appearance on Sunday’s episode of “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen,” the professional dancer was asked if there had ever been a celebrity on the show that she “completely disagreed with” taking home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
Hough – who currently co-hosts “DWTS” with Alfonso Ribeiro – initially hesitated to answer before her “WWHL” co-star Mickey Guyton nudged her and whispered, “Bobby Bones.”
“Oh, I actually agree with you! And I think it’s because of the fandom, right? This show is all about the fandom,” Hough explained. “He wasn’t the best dancer, I agree.”
But both Hough, 36, and Guyton, 41, were quick to respond, applauding Bones for his “amazing” fans who “love” him.
Bones responded to the subtle innuendo in an Instagram video later Monday, but had nothing negative to say about the “amazing” Hough and even admitted to being a “terrible dancer.”
“I was the worst dancer. I’m proud of that. I tried as hard as anyone in the history of the show, but I can’t dance now, I couldn’t dance then. But you know who brought down the big bad empire of dance? Well, it’s not evil, and it’s not an empire – it’s me!” Bones said in a selfie video.
The host of the “Bobby Bones Show” defended his role as the “greatest champion of all time” because he is a “man of the people”.
Bones won season 27 of DWTS in 2018 with his professional partner Sharna Burgess after consistently receiving high votes from fans and making headlines with his cheeky “flossing” moves.
The victory was controversial, however, as he received the lowest judges’ scores each week, eventually beating out other high-scoring competitors such as Alexis Ren, Evanna Lynch, and Milo Manheim.
Even Neil Patrick Harris tweeted at the time: “Dancing With the Stars just confirmed why I don’t watch Dancing With the Stars.”
In an interview with Good Housekeeping before his win, Bones, 44, admitted that his lack of skills and training put him at a “disadvantage” compared to the other contestants.
“I think they (the judges’ ratings and reviews) are fair. Honestly, I don’t think they want me to win. I think the judges want someone with more dance experience to win,” he told the outlet in November 2018, referring to then-judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
“But that’s why the show is not just about the judges, it’s about the people. I don’t think the show has ever had a winner like me, and I don’t know what that means to them.”
He added: “I don’t think they want me to win, but that’s OK.”
Bones has since proudly shrugged off the hate comments – and even encouraged other candidates to do the same.
Last season, the radio host exclusively sent a video to former “Too Hot to Handle” star Harry Jowsey via Page Six while fans wanted to evict him due to his low scores. The reality star was dating Rylee Arnold and left the competition before the season 32 finale.
“I see you getting a little sloppy online, and, yeah, welcome to the club, buddy. People hate us because they’re not us and they don’t work like us,” Bones told him last year.