Warning: Spoilers regarding the latest elimination on Dancing with the Stars are discussed below.
The latest contestant to be eliminated from Dancing with the Stars has said that he does not believe the judges were on his side. Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown is opening up on his shocking elimination from the ballroom competition. During this week’s episode, Dancing with the Stars revealed another surprising bottom two.
Karamo Brown and The Office’s Kate Flannery were the two left in jeopardy under Dancing with the Stars’ red lights. It was up to the judges to decide which contestant would stay, thanks to those format changes. Carrie Ann Inaba opted to save Brown, while fellow judge Bruno Tonioli voted for Flannery. It would take a tie-breaker to decide!
At that point, it was up to head judge Len Goodman to cast that tie-breaking vote. Goodman decided to save the Office star. Following the decision, Karamo Brown acknowledged that he did not think the judges had been on his side since Dancing with the Stars Season 28 started. Brown told EW:
I think the judges, from day 1, thought that I had dance experience and I think that they thought that I was supposed to be better than I was. And I think that kind of set us off on the wrong path. I think they saw my stature and they were like, 'Oh, look how tall he is. He must be athletic.'
Karamo Brown is shining a light on Dancing with the Stars’ judges having preconceived expectations for some contestants. Brown continued explaining why those expectations were not ideal for the competition. In essence, the judges had set Brown up to perform at another level due to their conceptions. Brown continued, saying:
I think that set us up because they were watching, you know, Jenna create this amazing choreography, and push me, and me rising to her challenge, and thinking, like, 'Oh, well, you did that on night 1, you should be able to do more.' And I’m, like, 'You just didn’t see the struggles!' But, you know, it is what it is.
Regardless of how he feels about the expectations the judges set him up with, Karamo Brown still gives the trio high marks. He especially points out their critiques as being useful. Explaining how the judges’ assessments impacted his efforts on Dancing with the Stars, Brown said:
I think the judges on Dancing With the Stars are some of the best judges in reality television. And I’m not saying that just because I was on the show, I’m saying it just because being a fan of the show. They actually give real critiques. They give you things that can push you, that can motivate you. ABC has done a really great job of casting people who are going to be fun but also stern. It’s like it’s like your parents. Len was that, you know. I took all of his critiques to heart. I took it as, this is somebody who wants me to be better and I’m going to try to be better, you know?
Will the judges (and viewers) get to see Karamo Brown perform again for the finale? That has been a tradition in previous Dancing with the Stars seasons. Viewers will have to stay tuned to find out for sure. In the meantime, Brown’s Netflix series is returning soon!
Karamo Brown finished his Dancing with the Stars run strong. In what turned out to be his final performance (not counting the group dance), Karamo Brown performed the Paso doble. He earned a 25 out of 30 for his Halloween Night dance. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba gave Brown a 9, while Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman both scored him with 8s.
Those scores put Karamo Brown only two points behind the four-way tie at the top of Dancing with the Stars’ leaderboard. Kel Mitchell, James Van Der Beek, Ally Brooke, and Lauren Alaina all tied with a 27 out of 30. The judges' scoring has been criticized this season.
Will the judging improve before another shocking elimination happens? Stay tuned! New episodes of Dancing with the Stars will continue airing Mondays this fall at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
