DWTS’ Derek Hough takes swipe at Shirley Ballas over her scoring on Halloween night

DWTS’ Derek Hough celebrated Julia Stiles’ comeback before making an apparent dig at Shirley Ballas.

The judge praised Julia’s recovery from the four she received during Shirley’s guest appearance.

Shirley had given that mark for Julia’s Argentine tango tribute to The Omen on Horror Movie Night.

Derek took a pop at DWTS (Credit: Watt/AFF-USA/Shutterstock)

Derek Hough’s Disney Night dig at Shirley Ballas

Julia returned with professional partner Ezra Sosa for a paso doble to Satisfied from Hamilton.

Derek praised her comeback, then turned to the tiny shoes Shirley had used while critiquing the couples.

“Shirley left her shoes here. But listen, they’ll be no 4s, okay?” he told them, before tossing the shoes.

The miniature footwear landed on the dance floor. The prop gave Derek a way to revisit that difficult score while celebrating Julia’s latest performance.

Shirley Ballas had already explained her scoring

Before Disney Night, Shirley had discussed her judging approach during an interview with Good Morning America.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge explained that consistently awarding top marks could leave contestants little room to improve.

She said she wanted to encourage dancers while giving them an honest assessment of their current ability.

Shirley also described a difference between British and American expectations, suggesting lower marks were received more positively in Britain.

“I mean, a 4 for me is a great score,” she told Good Morning America.

Julia wasn’t the only contestant to receive a four: Shirley gave Tatyana Ali the same mark. At the other end of her scale, she awarded Harry Shum Jr a 10.

Those comments followed her guest appearance; they were not a response to Derek’s subsequent joke.

Her stint had also attracted support. Some viewers called for Shirley to become a full-time Dancing With the Stars judge after Horror Movie Night.

They praised her willingness to use a wider range of scores, alongside her constructive criticism.

Derek Hough had previously agreed with Shirley Ballas

Speaking to Shirley on Extra after Horror Movie Night, Derek had also agreed that lower marks deserved more value.

During that conversation, Shirley explained how her experience informed the distinction between scores. She reserved a 10 for perfection, with marks from seven to nine reflecting performances that still needed improvement.

Derek acknowledged that American contestants were accustomed to reacting badly to a five. However, he also saw merit in Shirley’s approach.

He told her: “I agree that those scores — we should give more value to those numbers.”

Read more: DWTS’ Julia Stiles breaks silence on elimination: ‘I was just getting started’

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