Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars premiered on Monday night on ABC and, along with the scantily-clad professional dancers, judge Julianne Hough also showed up baring skin for all to see.
The 26-year-old professional ballroom dancer appeared on seasons four through eight of DWTS and is a two-time professional champion of the show. But now Hough is sitting in one of four judges seats alongside Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli.
“I’m so excited to be back with my Dancing With the Stars family again on a regular basis,” Hough said in a recent press release.
On Monday night, Hough sat behind the table in a glitzy silver-beaded gown by Lorena Sarbu with a plunging neckline and high slit side. Her blonde hair was pinned up retro-style and her jewelry was simple.
“I loved my look tonight!” Hough told People. “I felt sexy, confident, and as though I went back in time!”
Hough stylist, Anita Patrickson said, “For the premiere episode we wanted to come out with a bang. This beaded gown felt sophisticated but sexy. It exudes Old Hollywood glamour but with a modern edge, which we found with the simple jewelry [by Norman Silverman and Le Vian] and clean pointed-toe pumps [by Casadei]. The moment we put it on, we knew it was the one! It felt like a modern-day Marilyn Monroe moment.”
Hairstylist Riawna Capri agreed. “We were inspired by the dress to recreate an Old Hollywood glamour look, especially with her short blonde hair. As soon as she put it on, we knew it had to have a Marilyn Monroe feel — polished but a little undone!”
“Julianne’s look was a fresh-faced version on a classic Marilyn look,” makeup artist Spencer Barnes said. “Fluttery lashes, light eyes and a pale baby-pink lip.”
.@juliannehough's #DWTS Photo Diary: http://t.co/X3haWihRiW via @stylewatch @AnitaPatrickson @RiawnaCapri pic.twitter.com/dGPLEdEfU1
— The Wall Group (@TheWallGroup) September 16, 2014
But, no matter how glamorous Hough looked, fans and critics took to Twitter to talk about her wardrobe – or lack thereof.
Julianne Hough's cleavage is the fifth judge. #dwts #DWTS19
— Joe 'Monk' Pardavila (@joepardavila) September 16, 2014
Ya'll, I effing love @xoBetseyJohnson ..Now, they just need to her let breathe some life into Julianne Hough's "Marilyn's corpse" look #dwts
— Ryan Speakman (@Ryspeaks) September 16, 2014
It's like @ABC knew that having @juliannehough as a judge on @DancingABC would mean husbands would start watching too #SmartyPants
— Jeff Raymond (@IMJeffRaymond) September 12, 2014
Others have been wondering if having Hough for a judge will skew the scores since her brother, Derek Hough, is a dancer on the show. Can she truly be critical of he and his partner, Youtube sensation Bethany Mota? Hough says she can.
“It’s not me judging my brother,” she told HollywoodLife.com. “It’s me judging the collaboration and connection that he has with his partner and the growth that I see [Mota] do. If I see something where I’m like, ‘Yo Derek, you didn’t up your game with your partner, she could have done better this week,’ then I will call him out for sure. I’m not afraid of that. But he knows and hopefully everybody else knows too, it’s never to diss anybody or call anybody out, it’s because I really do want to see the people improve.”
The next episode of DWTS airs on Monday, September 22 at 8:00 p.m.