Carrie Ann Inaba found herself battling more than just disagreement from her fellow judges during Dancing With the Stars’ Mariah Carey Night.
The longtime judge was met with loud boos from the studio audience after questioning Guillermo Rodriguez’s performance with pregnant professional partner Witney Carson — and even her attempt to explain what she meant did little to immediately quiet the crowd.
Guillermo and Witney performed a Samba to Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed” during the October 6 episode.
The routine leaned heavily into the humor and personality that have made Guillermo one of Season 35’s most popular contestants, but technically, the judges believed he was still struggling.
Bruno Tonioli approached the critique playfully, essentially suggesting that Guillermo had become difficult to judge by ordinary ballroom standards because his personality was such a huge part of the performance.
Carrie Ann, however, noticed something different.
“What was going on?” she asked Guillermo before questioning where his usual joy had gone.
The comment immediately triggered loud boos from the ballroom audience.
Carrie Ann tried to continue explaining herself, but the crowd remained firmly behind Guillermo.
At one point, she reminded the audience that giving critiques was part of her job, telling them, “This is what I get paid for, people.”
But Carrie Ann then clarified that she wasn’t trying to tear Guillermo down.
Instead, she explained that his natural happiness, humor and unmistakable personality are among his greatest strengths — and she felt he had been holding some of that back during the performance.
Her message was essentially that Guillermo should stop “dimming his light” and allow the joy that made audiences connect with him in the first place to come through even more strongly.
The explanation still did not completely win over the studio audience.
According to reports from inside the episode, the booing was so enthusiastic that even some children in the crowd joined in.
The judges ultimately backed up their criticism with Guillermo and Witney’s lowest result of the evening.
Carrie Ann and Derek Hough each awarded the Samba a 4, while Bruno gave it a 5, leaving the pair with just 13 out of 30.
It was the lowest judges’ score of Mariah Carey Night.
The reaction highlighted the unusual position Guillermo has found himself in this season.
Week after week, he has remained near the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, but his humor, personality and determination have helped make him enormously popular with viewers.
That support mattered again on Mariah Carey Night.
Despite finishing last on the judges’ leaderboard, Guillermo and Witney survived the elimination, while Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong were sent home after earning a significantly higher 21 out of 30.
Witney has also recently pushed back against online speculation surrounding their partnership, making it clear that she is happy to remain in the competition with Guillermo and doesn’t appreciate false narratives suggesting otherwise.
The 32-year-old pro is currently dancing while pregnant with her third child, adding another unusual challenge to their Season 35 journey.
But on Mariah Carey Night, it was Guillermo who inspired the ballroom’s loudest protective reaction.
Carrie Ann may have intended her comments as encouragement, but the audience clearly heard them differently at first.
And their immediate response made one thing obvious: judges may continue questioning Guillermo’s technique, but anyone criticizing the season’s lovable underdog should probably expect the ballroom crowd to have something to say about it.
