Julianne Hough received a rebuke from the defiant Dancing With The Stars champion on Monday after she said they were “not the best dancers” that year.
The 36-year-old professional dancer turned DWTS co-host unleashed them after appearing on Sunday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live.
After Andy Cohen answered questions from viewers, Julianne had to weigh in on a past champion she “totally disagreed with.”
She initially passed the question off to fellow houseguest Mickey Guyton, who said he thought Bobby Bones didn’t deserve to win season 27 in 2018, which turned out to be exactly the person Julianne was thinking of.
But on Monday, the 44-year-old country music radio host shared a short video on Instagram applauding the two women and defending his controversial achievement, which he said made him not just a winner, but the “biggest champion” in DWTS history.
Julianne Hough received a rebuke from a defiant Dancing With The Stars champion on Monday after she said they were “not the best dancers” that year.
Country music radio host Bobby Bones, 44, took to Instagram on Monday to applaud Julianne and fellow guest Mickey Guyton; pictured with dance partner Sharna Burgess after winning season 27 of DWTS in 2018
In a video filmed in his car, Bobby admitted: “I was the worst dancer,” although he said he was “proud” of that designation.
“I’ve tried as hard as anyone in the history of the show, but I can’t dance now (and) I couldn’t dance then either,” he explained.
“But you know who brought down the big evil dance empire; well, it’s not evil or an empire, it’s you and me,” Bobby said, addressing the voters who put him and his professional dance partner Sharna Burgess ahead of the more talented competition.
“We did it together,” he continued, calling himself “the greatest champion of all time.”
“I didn’t say I was the best dancer, but I said I was the best champion of all time, because I am the man of the people,” the radio host said. “I am the man you elected.”
He also seemed to be proud of his win, as DWTS producers later changed the fan voting rules to make it harder for a competitor who was clearly less skilled than his co-stars to win solely based on fan support.
“I’m a terrible dancer, I was a terrible dancer,” Bobby continued. “But they changed the rules after I left because the fan vote was so good.”
According Newsweek MagazineRule changes following her win prevent fans from voting for dancers in the season opener.
Bobby admitted he was the “worst” dancer, but was proud of how his fans supported him.
The judges still score the dancers, but no one is eliminated at the beginning of the season.
The rules also reduce the chances of advancing or winning for stars who have massive fan bases.
Previously, fans could vote after the episode aired, meaning they could vote for their favorites even if they hadn’t bothered to check out how well they performed.
Now, votes can only be cast while the episode is airing live, increasing the likelihood that voters will have seen the performances and making concerted campaigns to support a particular celebrity competitor more difficult.
Despite the passionate tone of his video, Bobby clarified that he had no personal animosity toward Julianne, whom he called “amazing” and “cool” and mentioned that he had met her a few times in the past.
However, it caused difficulties for Mickey Guyton, possibly due to their shared connection to country music.
“Mickey Guyton, what the…?” he said jokingly before falling silent.
Julianne opened Pandora’s box when WWHL host Andy Cohen shared a fan’s question about DWTS.
—Julianne, Carter V. wants to know if there’s ever been a Dancing With The Stars winner that you totally disagreed with? —Andy asked.
“Ummm,” Julianne said as Mickey walked over and tapped her on the arm while clearing his throat.
The radio host even bragged about how DWTS had to change its voting rules in response to his controversial win as he consistently scored lower than his competitors; pictured in 2018 with Sharna Burgess
Julianne, 36, was asked who the least deserving DWTS winner was after Andy Cohen shared a fan’s question on Sunday’s episode of WWHL (pictured)
“I think she has an answer for that,” Julianne said as she turned her attention to Mickey.
Andy asked Mickey who had told him and Mickey replied, “I just said Bobby Bones.”
“I really agree with you,” Julianne said.
“And I think it’s because of the fan base. On that show, it’s all about the fan base,” Julianne said. “He wasn’t the best dancer.”
Julianne and Mickey gave each other high-fives for agreeing with each other, but also acknowledged that Bobby was “great” on DWTS.
Radio personality Bobby, 44, won season 27 of DWTS in 2018 with professional partner Sharna Burgess, 39, despite earning lower scores from the judges than the other finalists, Evanna Lynch, Milo Manheim and Alexis Ren.
Bobby won the Mirrorball Trophy thanks to public voting, angering some fans of the show who felt it should have been awarded to a more deserving dancer.
Neil Patrick Harris, 51, tweeted after the finale: “Dancing With the Stars just confirmed why I don’t watch Dancing With the Stars.”
Julianne was on the Bravo talk show to promote her new debut novel, Everything We Never Knew. During a Q&A segment of ‘One For The Books,’ Julianne was asked about her best first date.
She recalled going to the Santa Monica Pier on a first date, but couldn’t remember her date’s name.
Mickey cleared his throat and gave his answer: Bobby Bones, but Julianne admitted she was thinking of the same person.
During a Q&A segment of ‘One For The Books,’ Julianne was asked about her best first date.
Andy asked her about her first date with her ex Ryan Seacrest, 49, and Julianne revealed that they went to the Polo Lounge for a private date.
He was also asked about the most challenging experience he had to face in his career.
“Wow, that’s a tough question. I think because I do so many different things, I’m a little bit confusing. People wonder, ‘What does she do? Does she dance? Does she sing? Does she act? What does she do?’ But I think I’m a storyteller, and I think by nature everything I do is tell stories, whether it’s through my body, my voice, my acting, and now my writing,” Julianne said.
Julianne will return as co-host of Dancing With The Stars when it returns for season 33 in September on ABC and the Disney+ service.