ABC "Dancing With the Stars" judges.
A “Dancing With the Stars” contestant called out the show’s toughest judge.
Following disappointing critique for his “Monster Night” Viennese waltz, “Brady Bunch” star, Barry Williams spoke out about one judge whom he didn’t please.
Williams, who is partnered with Peta Murgatroyd on the 32nd season of the celebrity ballroom competition, is still eyeing the mirrorball trophy. But while the 69-year-old actor is competing against other stars who are more than 50 years younger than him, there is no judges’ “curve” – and definitely no slack from Derek Hough.
Here’s what you need to know:
Barry Williams Thinks Derek Hough is a ‘Tough Judge’
Williams got into character as the Big Bad Wolf for his Monster Night spooky dance, but he was a little delayed in letting out lip sync “howl.” Still, judge Carrie Ann Inaba praised the dance and told Williams she thought it was “incredible.”
But Hough had some criticism over Williams’ form, saying he lost his frame during the dance. “The character of the dance took over a little bit and the dance suffered,” Hough said, adding that Williams should try to focus on “a little more content” next time around. The beloved DWTS veteran received a rare round of boos from the audience.
Williams ended up getting a total score of 31 out of 40 points – Hough was the only judge to give him a 7, while Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and guest Niecy Nash gave him 8s – landing third from the bottom on the leaderboard.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Williams said Hough was a little “tough.”
“Derek has his preferences,” Williams said. “He wanted to see maybe a slightly different interpretation of the song. I thought we had quite a bit of Viennese waltz in it, and it was lovely to do, so I listened to him because I respect him so much. I thought he tends to be a little bit tough. He’s a tough judge.”
In addition to Williams, Sasha Farber has called out Hough as tough. In 2022, the pro dancer told Us that Hough is the “most intimidating” of the judges.
“You never know what he’s thinking. He’s always got this stone cold look and then [his score] could be, like, really bad. [Or] then he’s like, ‘That was great,’” Farber shared. “It’s just his face.”
Peta Murgatroyd Appeared Upset at a Low Score Given To Barry Williams
Hough isn’t the first judge that has been tough on Williams. For his Latin Night cha cha, he only scored 15 points total – fives from all three judges.
According to Entertainment Weekly, when the low scores were revealed, Murgatroyd expressed her dissatisfaction by saying “s***” as the live show aired. The outlet noted that Murgatroyd could be seen mouthing the curse word in the ballroom and the broadcast was bleeped as she cursed.
While he survived Monster Night, Williams still has a long way to go for a “Dancing with the Stars” win. If he were to make it to the finals, he would be the oldest contestant ever – by a lot. As of season 32, the oldest “Dancing With the Stars” winner in history is Donny Osmond. The “Puppy Love” singer won season 9 at age 51.
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