Within moments of the episode airing, social media exploded with outrage. Thousands of posts accused Derek of “sending a message” with his scoring, calling it “unfair,” “biased,” and “a total slap in the face” to Robert’s hard work and fan-favorite performances.
Some viewers even claimed Derek’s controversial score may have been influenced by his close connections within the show — sparking wild speculation across fan pages and forums. Others argued that because of Robert’s rising popularity, Derek may have overcorrected to avoid showing favoritism, which only made things worse.
One viral tweet read: “Derek Hough giving Robert an 8 when the performance was clearly a 10? This is getting ridiculous. The audience isn’t blind.” The comment quickly gained over 200K likes, showing just how divided fans have become.
As the debate grew, hashtags like #JusticeForRobert and #DWTSDrama began trending worldwide. Fans flooded Derek’s recent posts with comments demanding answers and transparency from the judges.
After several days of total silence, Derek finally broke his silence during a press Q&A, saying firmly: “I’ll be clear — it’s never personal. My scores reflect performance, not popularity.” But that only seemed to pour more fuel on the fire.
Many fans weren’t satisfied, pointing out that Robert’s routine with Witney Carson had been praised by the other judges and had even received a standing ovation from the audience. “You can’t call that anything less than a 10,” one viewer wrote.
Meanwhile, Robert has stayed gracefully silent amid the controversy, posting only a single photo from rehearsal with the caption: “Always learning, always grateful.” Fans quickly flooded the comments with support, calling him “a class act through it all.”
Behind the scenes, production insiders hinted that the tension among judges has been growing all season — and Derek’s score may have been the final spark that lit the powder keg.
Whether it was strategy, principle, or pure misunderstanding, one thing’s for sure — the ballroom has never been hotter, and the fans are louder than ever
