After the absolute nightmare that played out on “Halloween Nightmares” night on Dancing With The Stars, judge Carrie Ann Inaba seemed to get right back on track for the special 500th episode. The OG judge has faced a lot of backlash since her scoring on “Halloween Nightmares,” with some fans going as far as suggesting she be booted from the show. Many viewers, including myself think her scoring was unfair, biased, and just plain confusing – handing out 10s like Halloween candy to male contestants for doing the bare minimum, while being harsher on the more talented female contestants. In particular, she snubbed Zombies star Chandler Kinney for a perfect score, arguably the most talented dancer this season. However, it looks like Carrie Ann took fans feedback, and proved that she’s been a judge for 500 episodes for a reason.
For the special 500th episode of Dancing With The Stars, the pairs were tasked with performing an iconic dance from the past. I’m not going to lie, this worried me a little bit – maybe Carrie Ann would carry her biases about who originally performed those dances into her scoring, but to my surprise, she did not. Out of all three judges on the panel, I thought that Carrie Ann gave the most fair scores. She gave constructive feedback to the stars that they could take and work on for next week, versus simply saying a dance “wasn’t perfect” and giving them a lower score (sorry Chandler).
DWTS Judge Carrie Ann Inaba Called it Fair
The night started with The Bachelor star Joey Grazadei and Jenna Johnson’s rendition of a contemporary piece to Hozier’s “Work Song.” Although Derek Hough gave the piece a 10, Bruno Tonioli matched Carrie Ann’s 9. She explained that Joey didn’t get a 10 because the piece lacked rawness – which I agree with. I think he could’ve thrown himself into the piece more and been more vulnerable with his emotions – it seemed a little safe.
Professional athletes Danny Amendola and Dwight Howard had their own set of problems from the night, which I’m glad Carrie Ann wasn’t afraid to recognize. Danny and his partner Whitney Carson performed an upbeat quickstep, which was a nice change from their previous performances. However, the judges, including Carrie Ann, pointed out some technical issues including his timing and frame. He did still receive 9s across the board. For his instant dance round, he performed a jive, which Carrie Ann described perfectly as “safe and clean.” It wasn’t a super technical dance, but it worked.
‘DWTS’ Carrie Has Won Back The Fans
Dwight, on the other hand, was saved by his partner Daniella Karagach’s innovative choreography in the first round, recreating a spicy Argentine tango. Carrie Ann pointed out that the piece didn’t include a whole lot of dancing, which I think anyone can agree with. Let’s be real – the whole dance was lifts. She gave the pair an 8. Their instant dance round is really what did the pair in for the night. Dwight forgot some of the choreography, and struggled with some of the technical aspects of the paso doble.
I think Carrie Ann was right on the money giving Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedorosik and Disney star Chandler Kinney 10s to complete their first perfect scores. Stephen and partner Riley Arnold performed a beautiful Viennese waltz to Joji’s “Glimpse of Us” (it gave me goosebumps), and Chandler and Brandon Armstrong performed a silky smooth version of Derek’s Argentine tango. Those are the kind of performances you can’t give criticism for.
The one score I can’t get on board with is Carrie Ann dishing out a 10 to Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher. Their reinvented quickstep was by far her best performance. However, I agree with Derek and Bruno’s 9s. I think she still has some refining to do when it comes to her technique. But all in all, I think Carrie Ann redeemed her spot as a top judge. Looks like a wake-up call from fans broke last week’s Halloween curse, and now she is right back on track.
Carrie Ann Inaba Responds To The Haters
Carrie Ann didn’t just redeem her scoring, it looks like she also threw some shade here and there to the haters. While scoring Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola, she received boos from the crowd after giving him criticism for being out of sync with his partner. She snapped back at the boos, saying “I’m going to tell like it is, and I’m always going to.” What a way to put people in their place!
The OG judge also appeared on Good Morning America, responding to the backlash she’s been receiving online. She acknowledged the hate but knows that it comes with the territory, saying “sometimes people come after me about my opinion … it’s okay, they can come after me. I’m a judge. I’m used to it.” Carrie Ann admitted that it sometimes “hurts” when people criticize her for judging, but that she has “thick skin.” She added that fans being involved in the show is what she loves about it so much. What a graceful way to respond to the haters. I thought it was the best response she could have given.
I think Carrie Ann proved on Dancing With The Stars special 500th episode that there is a reason she’s been a judge since the first episode aired in 2005. She adds personality and experience to the panel that I don’t think anyone could replace. Has she had her moments? Absolutely – but she listens to fan feedback and applies it. I think she got the redemption she needed, and I hope it continues into the semi-finals next week. You can stream Dancing With The Stars on Disney+ in the U.S.