"Heavily bronzed" doesn't evenbegin to describe how severe this fake tan was. It's as if Maughan applied several coats and then didn't follow the instructions to wash off the excess tan after four hours as recommended.
His darker hue became even more accentuated when he stood next to his fellow contestants.
Unsure if it was all a joke, fans took to Twitter in their droves to create hilarious memes with many comparing it to Ross's epic tan fail on Friends and others joking that his face was an ad for wood stain.
Another said: "#DancingWiththeStars #Hughie ... what tanning brand is being used backstage? I need my decking done."
At one point, host and former Westlife star Nicky Byrne addressed the issue, joking: "Hughie, you are trending on Twitter ... we don't know why."
Many questioned why the reality TV star was allowed to go out on the dancefloor with so much tan on his face but insiders told The Irish Sun Hughie was determined to go with his bronzed look.
An insider revealed: "As hard as we tried Hughie had a solid grasp on his bronzer and there was no releasing it'."
And the source said lacquered Hughie told colleagues: "You can't have enough tan."
