Julianne Hough was a guest judge for Monday night’s performance, and she didn’t pull any punches when the time came to critique former dance partner Mark Ballas and his routine with singer Christina Milian.
Hough–a former DWTS two-time champ–let it be known that Ballas tends to choreograph the routines so that he’s the one who stands out, and she wanted this performance to highlight Christina’s talents, too.
“I really wanted to see you shine,” she told Mliian. “I danced with Mark. You have to stand in front to make sure you’re seen.”
Milian and Ballas spoke in an interview after the show about the critique, with Milian hugging Ballas and saying they were “taking the high road” about Hough’s rough remarks.
“We take the high road. As long as we know that we did a fantastic job, that makes me happy,” she said.
Hough’s judging job also meant she had to critique her own brother, choreographer Derek Hough, who said he didn’t take it personally.
“Julianne and I are so honest with each other I understand what she meant tonight,” he said. “She said she kind of wanted there to be something she could say [to critique the performance] so that she wouldn’t seem biased. But I know that if she wanted to she would have taken much pleasure in doing that…It was great, she did a really great job, and I was really proud of her.”
Image: screenshot via Entertainment Tonight