‘Dancing With the Stars:’ Watch Julianne Hough’s Surprise Performance During the Semifinals

Julianne Hough may co-host Dancing With the Stars now, but she’s still got moves that could crush the competition.

The former Dancing With the Stars pro, who returned as co-host to Alfonso Ribeiro in 2023, shocked the audience with a surprise dance number during the Tuesday, Nov. 19 Season 33 semifinals.

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A post shared by Julianne Hough (@juleshough)

During a conversation with current contestant Stephen Nedoroscik and his pro partner Rylee Arnold, Hough began to look back on her dancing days, saying that she wanted to get back on the ballroom floor herself. “You know what, let’s do that right now,” she reasoned, stripping off her loose-fitting gown to reveal a sparkly top and fringe pants.

From there, she took over the ballroom with a routine to the song “Man in Finance,” roping in Season 33 pros including Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, and Pasha Pashkov. Hough had the audience on their feet as she performed impressive lifts and overhead splits while reminding everyone just how good she still is.

Upon their return from a commercial break, Hough was back in her gown, and Ribeiro noted that it was “great to see you out on the floor with the guys.” Hough joked of the song choice that she is currently single and looking to date, with Ribeiro quipping, “If you’d like a date, text Julianne’s first name, message and data rates apply.” But despite her co-host’s ribbing, Hough chimed in, “That won’t work.”

Following Hough’s impressive performance, the dancer took to TikTok to show how she was able to make her quick change happen. As soon as cameras cut to commercial, Hough had less than three minutes to change out of her gown and into a replica tear-away costume, but she made it look easy before taking the stage once again.

@juleshough

Bet you didn’t see that one coming! 💃🏼 #dwts @Dancing with the Stars #DWTS

♬ Looking for a man tima remix – Tima Pages

“Happy to be back on the ballroom floor where it all began,” she later captioned a post of the dance on Instagram. “… and yes, I’m still looking for a guy with….. integrity.”

Hough first joined Dancing With the Stars as a pro dancer in 2007 and would go on to win two Mirrorball Trophies with Season 4 partner Apolo Ohno and Season 5 partner Hélio Castroneves. Hough exited the show in 2009 but returned as a judge from 2014 to 2017 before eventually making her way to the co-hosting role.

Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.