Julianne Hough Returns to 'Dancing With the Stars'
Julianne Hough is returning to her roots on "Dancing With the Stars" and will actually make her first reappearance tonight, when she joins fellow judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli. For Hough, it's a most welcome homecoming- one that she has looked for some time.
"I'm very excited," Hough told People. "It's my home away from home. This season everybody is so great. We're in the fourth week and everybody is really intriguing."
Of course, Hough has some nerves about returning to the role of judge and having influence over the fate of the competitors.
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"You go in trying to give constructive criticism, but when the nerves get to you, you sometimes put your foot in your mouth, which I have done in the past. So this is my do-over," Hough explained.
Last season she was heavily criticized for appearing to come down hard on Mark Ballas and Christina Milian. Hough told Milian not to stay in the background, as sometimes Ballas can overshadow his partners, given that he is the professional dancer. Needless to say, Ballas was not pleased with Hough's comment but put everything aside for the show and worked things out with his friend, Hough.
"The one comment for me that was a little funny is that I make it all about me … all the critiques were at me, and not at Milian. So I thought that was a little hypocritical comment," Ballas told Us Weekly the night of the incident. "I think Hough was very insightful tonight though and gave great tips on lines and how to express. We've had a lot of guest judges and I thought out of all of them she was one of the best. So that part, I love. I was the one who kind of got the heat, but you know what, that's OK! It's fine."
According to Hough, she and Ballas, who have been friends since youth, "went to dinner that night." Nothing changed in their relationship, although the public jumped all over the incident and claimed there was a feud between the two.
Hough is thrilled to make her return to the ABC series that airs Monday nights.
