Connor Wood has no time for fans booing the Dancing With the Stars judges over their honest opinions.
“As much as I feel like sometimes the critique could be a little overkill, I think the boos are a little overkill as well,” Wood, 31, exclusively told Us after Super Bowl Night on Tuesday, October 13. “They’re doing their job.”
After Wood and pro partner Rylee Arnold danced a sizzling samba to Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” the judges gave the routine 25 out of 40 points and doled out tips to improve the comedian’s techniques. After sharing constructive criticism, judge Carrie Ann Inaba was promptly booed by the studio audience.
“They have a great vantage point. It’s great feedback,” Wood stated, maintaining that the advice is helpful to hear. “I like the feedback. It helps me [going] into the next week. So everyone, do your job … and be kind.”
Despite the judges’ critiques, Arnold, 21, is proud of her dance partner’s samba attempt.
“Honestly, Connor killed it, and that’s all I have to say,” she gushed on Tuesday. “Like, you did that freaking samba, and you nailed it, and that was the best time you’ve ever done it.”
Wood also enjoyed their “fun dance,” and he’s focused on making even more progress for the upcoming Dedication Night.
“I’m my harshest critic, and I watch back our video, and I am a little confused where the score was coming from,” he acknowledged. “Usually, I’ve looked at our good dances and been like, ‘Oh, I misstepped. Oh, that was tough.’ Like, ‘Oh, my God, we didn’t [do this].’ And this one, I was like, ‘Oh, I actually don’t agree,’ but I’m not the judge, so whatever.”
Wood and Arnold — twinning in orange fringe pants — brought tons of energy to their samba, which will contrast their performance next week.
“It’s gonna be very sweet, it’s gonna be heartfelt [and] it’s gonna tug on the heartstrings,” Wood teased to Us. “It’s also a little slower. It’s gonna be very technique-heavy, and it’ll give us some time. This is a tough dance. The samba’s a tough dance to work on technique. This next one, we’ll have time to really hone in on it.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
