Alexa PenaVega says husband Carlos felt tension with “Grease Live” costar Julianne Hough after “DWTS”: 'She's not saying hi'

The PenaVegas competed against each other on "DWTS" season 21, but felt the most heat from the judges' table.

Alexa PenaVega recalls her time competing against husband Carlos on Dancing With the Stars as rocky, but ultimately positive. One figure from the DWTS-verse who certainly didn't help was Julianne Hough.

"I will say what was really hard for Carlos was, you know, he's being judged by Jules the whole time while he's on the show," Alexa explained on a recent episode of Cheryl Burke's Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast. "But then he has to go work with her right after. And he was like, this is so weird because she won't even say hi."

PenaVega continued, "Carlos had to go work with Jules right after Dancing with the Stars on Grease Live because he played Kenickie. So, literally, he's like, 'She's not saying hi, this is super weird. I don't know the dynamic, but I'm just gonna be nice.'"

Hough first appeared on Dancing With the Stars in 2007 as one of season 4's pros. She took home the gold with partners Apollo Ohno and Hélio Castroneves her first two seasons, and became a judge on season 19, after dancing in only five total competitions. By season 21, she sat alongside longtime judges Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba on the judge's table, where she offered both PenaVegas critiques.

Both Alexa and Carlos did reasonably well, placing sixth and fourth respectively with their partners Mark Ballas and Witney Carson. Alexa didn't push back on on Hough's behavior toward them while filming DWTS, only shared Carlos's experience with Hough during their transition from judge and judged to equals after they were cast in Fox's live televised remake of Grease.

Even though both PenaVegas noted Hough's behavior as unexpected, Alexa said they harbor no negativity or resentment toward her. "I'm sure it's just a judge thing," she reasoned. "She wasn't mean or anything, she just couldn't interact with us at all."

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Behind the scenes of DWTS was a whole other story, one PenaVega recalls as filled with pressure, drama, and jealousy. "For Carlos at that season of his of his life, he was such a jealous man that even though he understood the dynamic, it was still hard for him," she told Burke, who danced as a pro on 25 seasons. "And you know how it is. It is incredibly flirty."

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She continued, "I love Mark. I absolutely, we got along great. But, if it was ever flirty, I'd just be like, 'Don't do that'. I was kinda a little mean, but it was only to set good boundaries. Then we figured it out and we ended up having a really great partnership... But when we went on the show, we literally said, 'Look, we're a married couple. You guys are our partners, and we are so excited to team up with you. But that doesn't mean we ditch our marriage and this becomes our number one. Our marriage is still first."

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While the DWTS family did suffer one recent high-profile separation, that of pros Emma Slater and Sasha Farber, the series has produced far more couples and marriages than it's torn apart. There's season 27's Alan Bersten and Alexis Ren, who fell in love as they advanced through the competition together, pros Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson, who married in 2019, Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff's brief relationship, and more.

PenaVega feels now that, "If I could go back, it doesn't even matter. It just should be fun. You should just go out there and have fun." Even though "the behind the scenes can be tough," Dancing With the Stars "is just so fun to watch, and it feels good. Who doesn't love a good feel-good story?"