Hayley Hough Sparks DWTS Controversy: “This Is a Dance Competition, Not a Memorial Service”

In the aftermath of Dancing with the Stars Season 33’s nail-biting finale, the expected celebrations have given way to one of the most heated debates in the show’s 18-year history.

The spark? A candid, unfiltered statement from Hayley Erbert Hough – professional dancer, longtime DWTS devotee, and wife of head judge Derek Hough – who declared that social-media superstar Alix Earle and two-time Mirrorball champion Valentin Chmerkovskiy were the rightful winners of the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

Speaking on the December 2025 episode of her and Derek’s podcast, Hayley did not mince words.

“I say this with all the love in the world for every single person on that season,” she began, “but this is a dance competition, not a memorial service.” Her pointed remark referred to eventual winner Robert Irwin, the 21-year-old Australian conservationist and son of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, whose journey on the show was inextricably linked to his father’s legacy.

Throughout the season, Robert and partner Rylee Arnold delivered heartfelt tributes to Steve Irwin, culminating in an emotional freestyle that left the ballroom in tears. The package routinely highlighted Robert’s desire to make his late father proud, a narrative that resonated deeply with viewers.

When Robert was crowned champion in a finale decided by the slimmest of vote margins – reportedly less than one percent separated him from runner-up Alix Earle – many celebrated the triumph of an underdog with an inspiring backstory.

Hayley, however, sees it differently.

“Robert is an unbelievable human being and he improved tremendously,” she stressed.

“But when we’re talking about who deserves to win a dance competition, we have to look at difficulty of choreography, technique, musicality, frame, footwork, artistic breakthroughs – the things the judges have asked for week after week.” According to Hayley, Alix and Val consistently hit the highest marks in those categories, delivering routines that pushed the boundaries of what a non-professional celebrity can achieve in ten weeks.

“Alix attacked every style – contemporary, jazz, salsa, Argentine tango, quickstep – with precision and fearlessness,” Hayley continued.

“She earned the season’s only perfect 30 in Week 3, tied the record for most perfect scores by a female celebrity, and closed the finale with a freestyle that many pros called one of the best they’d ever seen from a non-dancer.

If the trophy is supposed to go to the best dancing, how is that not the winner?”

The numbers appear to back her up. Alix and Val received twelve perfect 30s across the season – more than any other couple – and never placed lower than the top three on the judges’ leaderboard after Week 2.

Robert, while consistently strong and undeniably charismatic, earned eight perfect scores and occasionally lagged behind in technical critiques, particularly in ballroom frame and Latin hip action.

Hayley’s most provocative question cut straight to the heart of the controversy: “When emotion becomes the deciding factor – no matter how beautiful or tragic the story – are we being fair to the dancers who sacrificed everything for pure technical excellence?”

The fact that these words come from inside the DWTS family has amplified their impact. Hayley is not a casual viewer; she spent years as a troupe member, has guest-performed multiple times, and knows exactly what it takes to execute a competition-level routine under the brightest lights.

Her husband Derek, who awarded Alix and Val multiple 10s throughout the season, has remained publicly neutral, but sources say the couple discussed the finale extensively at home.

Fans have since flooded social media with the hashtag #DanceOverStory, while others defend Robert’s victory as proof that DWTS has always rewarded growth and heart alongside technique.

The divide is stark: some call Hayley’s comments “sore loser behavior” on behalf of the runner-up pair; others hail her as the voice of reason finally saying what many pros have whispered for years.

This is hardly the first time sentiment has influenced the Mirrorball outcome – think Amber Riley’s dominance overshadowed by emotional voting in Season 17, or the “storyline” boosts given to contestants like Noah Galloway and Nyle DiMarco.

Yet never before has a sitting judge’s spouse gone public with such direct criticism immediately after the finale.

Executive producers and ABC have declined to comment on Hayley’s remarks, but insiders suggest the controversy has already sparked internal conversations about how to balance storytelling with scoring transparency in future seasons.

Some are even calling for a return to a 50/50 judge-and-audience vote split, rather than the current pure audience vote in the finale.

For now, the Len Goodman Mirrorball sits in Robert Irwin’s hands, and his victory speech honoring his father remains one of the most-watched moments of the season. But Hayley Erbert Hough has ensured that the conversation will not end there.

As she closed her podcast episode, voice steady and unwavering: “I will always root for the person who dances the best on the night.

That’s what this show taught me when I was a little girl watching from my living room, and that’s what I still believe it should be today.”

Whether Season 34 will answer her challenge remains to be seen. One thing, however, is certain: thanks to Hayley Hough, the question “What does Dancing with the Stars actually reward?” has never felt more urgent.