Guillermo Rodriguez may have been “Mr. Big Stuff” in his Dancing With the Stars debut, but he didn’t have the judges’ scores to match.
“I think, [for] this cha-cha, we worked on so much,” Rodriguez’s pro partner, Witney Carson, exclusively told Us after the Tuesday, September 15, live premiere. “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.”
Carson, 32, and Rodriguez, 55, performed a high-energy cha-cha to Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” on Tuesday, earning a total score of 10 out of 30 from the judges. (Carrie Ann Inaba gave the Jimmy Kimmel Live! star a 4, while both Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each scored the routine a 3.)
“I was not happy with the score because I think I did good and everything,” Rodriguez told Us of the final tally, joking that Hough, 41, was “dead to us” before realizing that he will return to judge the pair’s Week 2 routine next week. “Oh, never mind. … We love you. We love you. You’re great, man. You’re so sexy.”
While Rodriguez admittedly wasn’t pleased by his leaderboard placement, he was still proud of his performance.
“I’m not too happy with the score, but listen, I listened to Witney. I felt like I’m at home,” he stressed. “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.’”
He continued, “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.”
Despite the low scores, the fans — including one celebrity VIP — have rallied around Rodriguez.
“[Jimmy Kimmel] just told me, ‘Go with it, have fun, give yourself 100% [and] no matter what happens, you should be proud of yourself, and the most important, after you dance, you gotta have a drink,’” Rodriguez quipped on Tuesday. “That’s what he told me.”
Rodriguez and Carson’s ballroom journey is also a weekly trio performance, as the choreographer is pregnant with her third baby.
“I’m feeling good. It feels different, for sure, but I honestly feel really good this second trimester,” Carson, who is also mom of two sons with husband Carson McAllister, told Us of her pregnancy. “I have more energy. Guillermo’s really taking care of me. He’s making sure I get all my snacks and water.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
