Dancing With the Stars cohost Alfonso Ribeiro spoke out after Alexa PenaVega shared a story involving claims the show is rigged.
In a clip from the Thursday, October 22, episode of her “LEXLOS” podcast with husband Carlos PenaVega, Alexa, 38, recalled a conversation she had with fellow contestant Hayes Grier when they were competing on season 21 of the hit ABC show.
“For instance, Hayes is only 15 years old and he’s the sweetest kid. He’s back there with us and I just remember all of us being in the bottom and he’s like, ‘Man, I think this show’s rigged. I have more votes than anybody,'” she recalled Grier, 26, saying at the time.
Alexa, however, disagreed with Grier’s assumption that votes from viewers didn’t matter, adding, “I’m like, ‘I know you have more votes than anybody here because of the millions and millions of followers. 100 percent, it is so easy for them to send in a little text.'”
She continued: “This is what I always tell people. I think the votes matter. I do. But the show’s also produced.”
In the comments section, Ribeiro, 55, weighed in on Alexa’s video.
“No chance. We want everyone who’s popular to stay on,” he replied. “It’s basic logic.”
Alexa urged Ribeiro to watch the entire clip from her podcast for context, writing, “The clip picks up mid story and then goes back to the top. Watch the whole clip and episode. I’m telling a story about sweet Hayes.”
Alexa and Carlos, 37, competed against each other on DWTS season 21 in 2015 with Mark Ballas and Witney Carson, respectively. While the Spy Kids star and Ballas, 40, finished in sixth place, Carlos and Carson, 33, made it to the finale. They eventually lost to Derek Hough and Bindi Irwin.
The couple have since looked back at their complicated DWTS experience.
“At the time, Witney and Mark were not getting along at all,” Alexa claimed on their podcast. “They refused to be in the same room together. It was really hard because we’re married and the whole point of doing the show was, ‘We’re gonna do this together as much as possible.’ The second we go in, boom, Mark and Witney refuse to be in a room together.”
Carlos said the pros’ alleged feud was “hard” to navigate.
“Witney, her and I had so much fun. … I was there to win, [but] Mark was there to win,” he said. “He’s very creative and he wants to do things outside the box, which requires a lot of work. Listen, I had a great work ethic with Witney [and] she put up with a lot ‘cause it was really hard, but we had a lot of fun.”
Ballas and Carson have not publicly addressed their alleged rift.
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
