Carrie Ann Inaba is speaking out after one of the most surprising eliminations of Dancing With the Stars Season 35, and her reaction makes it clear that she didn’t expect Britt Stewart and Taylor Hanson’s journey to end this early.
Taylor and Britt were eliminated at the conclusion of Yacht Rock Night after performing a foxtrot to The Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes.”
The routine earned 18 out of 30, with Carrie Ann, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli each awarding the pair a 6.
Carrie Ann had positive things to say about Taylor’s dancing before the scores were revealed. She praised the lyrical and poetic quality he brought to the ballroom, while also encouraging him to strengthen his core so he could maintain his frame more consistently.
Derek went even further, calling it Taylor’s best dance of the season and specifically recognizing how much work he had done to apply the judges’ previous corrections.
That made what happened during the results even harder to predict.
Taylor and Britt were left standing alongside Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson and Jackson Olson and Emma Slater before host Alfonso Ribeiro revealed that Taylor and Britt had been eliminated.
The result surprised viewers, especially because Guillermo and Witney had scored only 15 points that night. But with viewer votes combined with judges’ scores, Taylor’s stronger position on the leaderboard wasn’t enough to guarantee his safety.
Carrie Ann later reacted to a video highlighting Britt’s history on the show and didn’t hide how she felt about the latest elimination.
“This hurt. Britt is so talented,” she wrote.
Carrie Ann also recalled appearing on Robert Irwin’s aftershow earlier in the season, where she had described Britt and Taylor as “the ones to watch” following their first week together. That earlier prediction made their Week 3 departure feel even more abrupt.
Britt herself appeared stunned when the result was announced, while Taylor later said he felt they were only beginning to find their momentum together. Their fellow cast members and many viewers also expressed disappointment that the partnership had ended so soon.
Carrie Ann’s response ultimately reflected what made the elimination so surprising: Taylor appeared to be improving, Britt had produced a partnership the judge believed was worth watching, and their latest routine had earned encouraging feedback. Yet only three weeks into the competition, their run was already over.
