EXCLUSIVE: Julianne Hough Talks 'Dancing With the Stars' Standouts, Says Nick Viall Deserves a 'Fair Platform'

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Julianne Hough already has an idea of who might be taking home a mirror ball trophy!

The 28-year-old dancer caught up with ET on Thursday to promote her Get in the Know About Me in EndoMEtriosis campaign, where she revealed who she thinks are the standouts on this season of Dancing With the Stars.


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"It's so crazy because I think that where somebody is at the beginning of the season to where they can go is a huge drastic change," Hough, who is a judge on the dance competition show, explained. "So that's kind of the whole purpose of the show too is to watch someone grow."

"But the two people that really stood out the most to me were probably Rashad [Jennings] and Simone [Biles]," she continued. "Those were probably the two [stars] that were like, 'Wow! Those were the best dances of the night.'"

Even though the NFL star and the Olympic gymnast are clear frontrunners, Hough told ET she really loves watching the underdogs "grow" as well.

"That's the whole purpose of the show in general -- is to have somebody start somewhere and really progress," she reiterated. "I'm always rooting for those people."


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On the other hand, Hough is also rooting for former Glee star Heather Morris, who is paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. The 30-year-old actress has received some backlash from fans who are saying she has an "unfair" advantage in the competition as she's a trained jazz dancer -- she competed during season two of So You Think You Can Dance and has danced for Beyoncé. But while speaking with ET, Hough explained that ballroom is "very, very different" from jazz in terms of technique.

"The technique that you have to be a hip-hop dancer and a jazz dancer, when you go to do ballroom, it's almost like unlearning everything that you just did for however many years you did jazz and hip hop because the body placement is different," Hough said. "You're with a partner. You're in heels. It's a whole new dynamic."

"So yes, there's maybe a more natural ability, but it's very different when you really put in the technique and everything," she continued. "But also, just in general, Dancing With the Stars is awesome. The standard just has grown so much, and it's more fun to watch when people really are competitive and they have an interest in dancing. I've seen that in the last few years. I think this season's really strong, and it's not just Heather -- Nancy [Kerrigan] and Simone and Normani too. The women are really, really strong."


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Hough also admitted that she loves seeing Nick Viall and his pro partner, Peta Murgatroyd, on the dance floor, as she's a huge fan of The Bachelor.

"I definitely watched The Bachelor this season with all my girlfriends, it was really fun," she gushed. "Everybody should have a fair platform in front of them to do the best that they can do for the show. Again, that's why I like this show, because it kind of gives people a chance to show their character and who they are. I'm rooting for everybody. I love everyone!"

Speaking of love, during Monday's season 24 premiere of DWTS, many fans took to Twitter to discuss the stunning BERTA dress she wore on the show. Many said it was giving them major bridal vibes, which is fitting, as Hough and her fiancé, Brooks Laich, are preparing for their upcoming nuptials.

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"Honestly, I don't even know what I'm wearing," she said, when asked if the dress is any indication of what she'll be wearing on her big day. "It's so far out that I haven't even got a dress yet."


-Reporting by Rachel McRady


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