Viewers Claim This ‘DWTS’ Judge Has ‘Favorites’ and Is ‘Not Being Fair’ — What Happened on Halloween Night?

Competitors on “Dancing with the Stars” delivered impressive dance routines on Halloween Night, but one judge, Carrie Ann Inaba, faced fan backlash, with viewers accusing her of unfair scoring and showing favoritism.

Each routine on the show embodied a personal nightmare, with themes ranging from snakes, the boogeyman, and killers to eerie dolls, the dark, and vampires.

Daniella Karagach and Dwight Howard delivered a chilling contemporary dance to “Ring Around the Rosie,” creating an eerie atmosphere that resonated with the Halloween theme. Their performance earned them their first ten of the season from Inaba.

Other tens followed, with Inaba awarding top scores to Danny Amendola and Witney Carson, Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber, Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson, and Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold.

Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli mainly opted for 9s during the evening, except Tonioli awarded Graziadei and Johnson a perfect ten, which placed them at the top of the leaderboard.

Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong wrapped up the show with their performance earning a 9 from Inaba, while both Hough and Tonioli gave them tens.

This prompted viewers to voice their frustrations over Inaba’s scoring, feeling she displayed favoritism by giving higher scores to others while ranking Kinney and Armstrong lower.

One viewer fumed, “Carrie Ann should have given Chandler a 10!! She sure has her favorites (Joey) and then expects others to be perfect or she knocks off a point. ”

Another frustrated fan echoed the sentiment, “Amazing Dance by Chandler! She should have gotten a total of 30, Carrie Ann is not being fair to her!” Others seemed equally disappointed, with one writing, “Amazing dance!! And Carrie Ann should be fired after this episode. Giving everyone but her a 10. I’m glad Derek & Bruno gave them 10s!”

Another fan voiced their suspicions, “Carey Ann picks her favorites. Dwight did not deserve a 10 or the 3 extra points.” One viewer even noticed a trend in Inaba’s scoring, saying, “It’s so obvious by the way she underscores Chandler that Carrie Ann favors the male celebs! Such a sham! Chandler is the best dancer!”

Another took the critique further, commenting, “Carrie Ann was insufferable tonight. Can we bring Mark back, please?”—a nod to Mark Ballas, a former contestant who guest-judged on a previous episode.

Some viewers held nothing back with their opinions. One fan shared their strong stance, “Like she NEEDS to go. I don’t care if she’s been there since day 1, they were fine with letting Tom go. She’s TERRIBLE.” This fan referenced Tom Bergeron who was fired from the show.

Another upset viewer declared, “This might be the most egregious incorrect judgement [sic] I’ve ever seen her make. It’s insulting to Chandler and her talent at this point, who could have been scoring tens weeks ago.”

Someone called out inconsistencies in Inaba’s scoring, “How do you give Danny a 10 and Chandler a 9, I am disappointed. Carrie Ann misjudged tonight, giving 10s to everyone in the beginning, not everyone was a 10 tonight. She needs to be reprimanded, she made the show look bad!”

Another voice of reason chimed in, “Reprimanding her is a little strong. As everyone here loves to point out she doesn’t have a ballroom background so her scores will be less in line with Derek and Bruno.”

One viewer noted that the critiques of Inaba raise an interesting point, highlighting how no one seems to mention Tonioli as being “too much,” influenced, or needing to be “checked.” They expressed their admiration for Tonioli but disliked the double standard women face.

The viewer thought the show was fantastic overall and suggested that Ilona Maher and Nedoroscik may have been underscored, though they acknowledged having no dance background compared to the judges’ years of experience. Still, they added enthusiastically, “I am excited for the next show!”

With emotions running high, fans continued to debate Inaba’s choices. Some viewers showed her support. One fan admitted, “I’m prob the minority that agrees with Carrie Ann.” Another fan appreciated her style, “Carrie Ann’s costume was really cute, luv it.”

Despite receiving criticism, Inaba expressed her enthusiasm for being a judge on “Dancing with the Stars,” “I love the talent this season. I think that there’s a lot of people that have room to grow, and I think that’s what the show’s always been about.”

The TV personality expressed her enjoyment in witnessing the growth of the contestants, believing this is why audiences remain engaged and invested in the show. Her focus on encouraging improvement often leads her to provide constructive criticism, which doesn’t always resonate well with the audience.

However, she remains unfazed by the boos she sometimes receives for her remarks, noting, “The whole point is we want people to have their opinions. The reason why people get vested in this competition is because they have an opinion, and it matters.”

Inaba emphasized that their show is one of the few where judges actually display scores, highlighting the significance of their evaluations. She noted that the audience’s reactions, including boos, reflect their investment and support for the contestants. Inaba appreciates the passionate engagement of viewers this season.

Inaba, who has been on “Dancing with the Stars” for close to 20 years, said the show was “like family” to her. She was on it since the dance competition premiered on ABC on June 1, 2005, and hasn’t missed a season.