Witney Carson is sharing a “controversial” take about Dancing With the Stars.
“Just from seeing everything online, I just wanted to give my two cents after being on this show for over a decade and watching it since I was 11,” Carson, 32, said in a video on her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, September 16, one day after she and dance partner Guillermo Rodriguez received the lowest score of the DWTS season 35 premiere.
“This is not a dance competition,” the choreographer continued. “Yes, of course, us pros take pride in, like, making the best dance possible, and we want our celebrities to become better. If it were truly a dance competition, every single celebrity would come into the competition with the same level of dance experience.”
Carson pointed out that Rodriguez, 55, entered the show with zero dance experience, while cast members like Jenna Dewan and Harry Shum Jr. have a background in the sport.
“So it isn’t fair, and that’s the point. The point is to vote for your favorite, and that’s why the voting system is in place,” she argued. “So, just wanted to give my two cents. Remember, it is [to] vote for your favorite. If you love to watch dance and you love to watch good dancing, that’s what you’re gonna vote for.”
During the premiere on Tuesday, September 15, Carson — who announced her pregnancy with her and Carson McCallister’s third baby one month before the season began — danced the cha-cha with Rodriguez to Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff.” Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough gave the duo a combined score of 10 out of 30.
Though Carson and Rodriguez, who is known for being Jimmy Kimmel’s late night sidekick, were in the bottom three and at risk of elimination, audience votes saved the pair from going home. It was ultimately The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Conner Leavitt and partner Adele Zaikman whose journey on the show came to an end. (Influencer Connor Wood and partner Rylee Arnold were the other couple safe from elimination.)
After the live episode, Carson and Rodriguez exclusively told Us how disappointed they were in the low score.
“I think, [for] this cha-cha, we worked on so much,” Carson said. “We really worked on the timing and not rushing it. I think that you know there were bits where we were a little bit off, but he got right back on it and he listened to what I said.”
She continued, “He followed my lead and he performed and he had fun, so honestly, that’s all I can ask for. I’m so proud. The judge’s scores were lame.”
Rodriguez added, “I’m not too happy with the score, but listen, I listened to Witney. I felt like I’m at home. I gotta listen to my wife, I gotta listen to my partner. She said, ‘Look at me. Smile. Don’t rush it. Have fun. Enjoy.’ I say Dancing With the Stars is hard, but I passed the first week, so I don’t have nothing else to lose, nothing to prove. I’m here to stay. I’m here to work hard and do my best.”
The two-night premiere of Dancing With the Stars continues on ABC and Disney+ on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
