‘Dancing With the Stars’: Julianne Hough Seemingly Outs Couple as ‘Lovebirds’

Julianne Hough seems to have spilled the tea on the “lovebirds” of Dancing With the Stars Season 32. During Tuesday’s episode of the ABC dance competition show, Hough, who co-hosts the series alongside Alfonso Ribeiro, seemingly added fuel to the fire of the romance rumors between Too Hot to Handle star Harry Jowsey and his pro dance partner Rylee Arnold.

After the duo performed a quickstep to “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” from Toy Story on Disney 100 Night, Hough referred to them as “lovebirds” while welcoming them up for their scores. Not only did the cast behind them look shocked as Hough dropped her telling comment, but Jowsey and Arnold’s relationship has raised eyebrows in the past, as they were recently spotted holding hands together in Los Angeles and in posts they’ve made on Instagram. 

Neither the Netflix reality personality nor the pro dancer has confirmed relationship speculation, but Arnold did credit their improvement on the dance floor, which led to them getting all 7s for a score of 21/30 Tuesday, on their “chemistry.” Meanwhile, Jowsey told PEOPLE last week that the speculation surrounding his relationship with Arnold was “a little unfair,” especially during her first season as a pro.

“I think that it’s a little bit unfair on Rylee so early on,” Jowsey said of the rumors. “She’s so green to this whole world and everyone having an opinion, and stuff like that.” He continued, “And it is week three, we’re trying our best to focus on the dance, and whatever happens, happens. We’re just enjoying being together.” However, he also said that their chemistry was what helped him through a difficult routine. “Whenever I look at Rylee, I know it’s a safe space, and I know that whatever’s going on outside doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s just us there.”

Despite concerns for Jowsey’s longevity in this season, the Who Wore It Best? host stayed away from the bottom on Disney 100 Night. This left Adrian Peterson and his pro partner Britt Stewart, Barry Williams and his pro partner Peta Murgatroyd, and Lele Pons and Brandon Armstrong in the bottom three spots. At the end of it all, Peterson and Stewart were ultimately eliminated. “You really pushed me and brought the best out of me,” the NFL player told his pro partner in the final moments of this week’s episode. “I really enjoyed this journey.”