Dancing With the Stars pro Karina Smirnoff is a huge fan of her longtime competitor and colleague Julianne Hough, but she’s not sure about her DWTS return.
She’s the first to openly pose the question of whether it’s ethical for Julianne to judge her brother Derek, who is still a competing pro dancer this fall.
“I think she is a great girl, I’ve known her for many years,” Smirnoff said.
“I think that she is wonderful, gorgeous, and talented,” she adds of Hough, “but I don’t know if it’s ethical that she is judging while her brother is competing.”
Julianne Hough is returning to Dancing With the Stars this fall after appearing as a dancer and winning two titles in the show’s earlier ABC seasons.
She joins Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli.
“I may be the most fair person in the world, but if my mom is dancing and she trips, I would be like, ‘Well, I didn’t see that…'” Karina Smirnoff continued.
“That is my mother, and I will go stand by her side and support her regardless. Do I think it’s fair? No. But it is a TV show. That is what we have to remember.
“It’s not necessarily the Bible, it’s just a TV show.”
Derek Hough may not need any family biases. His telegenic personality and talent both rake in votes, carrying him to five titles (Seasons 7, 10, 11, 16 and 17).
Other returning dancers among the pros this season include Mark Ballas, Cheryl Burke, and Valentin Chmerkovskiy. Celebrities will be announced Thursday.
Rumored star cast members this fall include Andi Dorfman and Josh Murray, Jessie James Decker, Janel Parrish, Lolo Jones and Kandi Burruss.
