Dancing with the Stars 25: Julianne Hough leaving as full-time judge
This news was confirmed in a statement via ABC, who made it clear that there is still a chance for some other guest judges to stop by here and here:
“We are thrilled to have Len, Bruno and Carrie Ann back in the ballroom and look forward to welcoming guest judges wherever possible.”
CarterMatt always felt as though Hough did a good job in the role of judge, given that she was articulate, funny at times, and she was incredibly knowledgeable on some of what she was talking about. However, we also are well aware that four judges is a lot of judges for a show that only has two hours a week, and there were already times when one of the judges wouldn’t really get to say much because the show was running out of time. At the time in which Hough was first hired, head judge Len Goodman was balancing commitments between doing this show and Strictly Come Dancing in the UK, and he took substantial periods of time off in order to take on that gig overseas. However, he has since retired from doing Strictly, which means that the American show is his only gig and he can be here consistently. We feel like that may have been a part of the decision; while we can’t say if ABC thought this way, but having only three judges instead of four probably is a way to trim a little money off of the budget.
The full cast for the Stars taking part in the show this season has been revealed, and we anticipate that Monday night’s premiere episode should prove to be a whole lot of fun. There will be some surprises in the ballroom, but beyond that so much of what we love about this show in the first place: The sense of discovery that comes with seeing someone realize that they can dance for the first time, and aren’t just destined to come out on the show as a complete flop without any rhythm. This is why that one All-Star season experiment really didn’t work, as the show was trying to rely more on star power at the expensive of that special sense of discovery CarterMatt loves to watch for.
What do you think about Julianne Hough leaving Dancing with the Stars 25?
Do you think that this move is a good or a bad one for the series, and will you personally miss her? Be sure to share some of your thoughts on that subject in the comments below. (Photo: ABC.)