carrie ann inaba harsh judging© Photo: Getty Images

DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba clears the air on harsh critiques

It's about pushing through

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
October 7, 2021

Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba has taken to her Instagram Stories to address some of the controversies and confusing judging choices that were made on the show's latest episode.

MORE: Carrie Ann Inaba's then-and-now photos with DWTS judges will blow you away

The television personality shared a series of videos discussing the comments and scores handed out to a few specific duos from the season.

Primarily, she spoke about Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke, who were both down with COVID-19 during their last performance and had to dance separately.

WATCH: Carrie Ann Inaba addresses judges' harsh critiques on DWTS

The performance wasn't well received by the judges, who commended them for their efforts and strength, but ultimately gave them an 18 out of 30, the lowest score of the night.

Carrie used the video to express how much admiration she had for the pair, even mentioning that Cheryl was dancing on more slippery ceramic tiles while Cody was on wood flooring.

However, she stated that considering they'd been relegated to performing side by side, the lack of synchronization between the two was evident.

MORE: Bruno Tonioli's judging future discussed by his co-star and good friend

That, coupled with some styling choices, meant that the two couldn't be graded as high as all the other couples that night.

© Photo: Getty Images

Cody and Cheryl performed for the panel virtually and separately

"That doesn't mean Cody isn't a great dancer, because Cody is a very good dancer," Carrie did add, stating that getting the sync right was harder for the two given the fact that they couldn't rehearse together.

She optimistically mentioned that she was excited to see how the two would perform in the following week, once they're back in the studio.

Carrie also brought up the two couples in the bottom two, Christine Chiu and Pasha Pashkov alongwith Kenya Moore and Brandon Armstrong, applauding them both for their journeys.

MORE: DWTS' Kenya Moore's 'crazy' connection to the Kardashians revealed

MORE: DWTS' Mel C's post-show routine is definitely not what you'd think

She mentioned that she'd saved Kenya because she saw the fire and the passion in her, and she just wanted her to finesse the technique.

The former The Talk star also brought up a specific comment she made to country singer Jimmie Allen, saying: "I think real men do cry," mentioning that she'd received some flak for it.

© Photo: Getty Images

The judging panel has been criticized for their harsh scoring

"I meant that as a compliment because you were talking about being sensitive," Carrie said. "And I think sensitivity and emotionality are key components to artistic expression."

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