Julianne Hough is returning to Dancing With the Stars! But not as a dancer this time – she will be sitting on the judges’ panel as a possible recurring guest for DWTS season 17.

The 25-year-old is slated to fill the shoes of head judge Len Goodman when Len is unable to tend to matters himself because he is also judging the British series Strictly Come Dancing.

Hough has been busy shooting movies lately but she made it in the entertainment business first by dancing on DWTS seasons 4 through 8. She won two mirrorball trophies during her run, one with Apolo Anton Ohno in Season 4 and another with Helio Castroneves  in Season 5.

Professional DWTS dancer and close friend Mark Ballas loves the idea. “She’s just as, if not more knowledgeable than what’s going on over there,” Mark said. “She’ll be honest, whether you’re family, a friend, or whatever to her.”

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Julianne’s brother and DWTS pro Derek Hough joked that he fears his sister would mark him down for having pulled her hair decades ago. “She’s gonna kill me. She’s gonna absolutely kill me,” Derek said. “She’s gonna be all like, ‘Remember that time when we were kids when you pulled the head of my Barbie? Guess what? 4! That’s what you get!'”

Karina Smirnoff isn’t too keen on the idea. While she said that in the professional ballroom world family judging family is a no-no, she admitted, “hey, it’s a TV show.”

Julianne said, “I really just wanna feel those paddles. Don’t be surprised if the 4s are kicked out and just gone.”

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