I’ve been watching Dancing with the Stars on and off for almost all of my life, and for decades I’ve known one thing to be true: Carrie Ann Inaba will call out a lift when it’s not allowed. However, oftentimes, when she does this, it causes quite the commotion online. That happened in a big way when the Super Bowl episode of Season 35 aired on the 2026 TV schedule, and she aggressively called out a lift included in Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.’s dance.
So, as I’ve witnessed a passionate and wild discourse play out online, I decided to look up what exactly the lift rules are on Dancing with the Stars.
What Carrie Ann Said About Lifts On Super Bowl Night
While Super Bowl Night sparked lots of conversations online that ranged from Guillermo’s elimination to Julia Stiles' Save the Last Dance tribute, the lift debacle has been the main thing I’ve been thinking about. That’s because while I know Carrie Ann is a stickler about lifts, I wasn’t expecting her to end her very critical comments with:
A lift is, I just need to say it, ‘Any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor with the assistance of their partner.’ Yeah, lift.
Now, when Carrie Ann first said there was a lift, Jenna Johnson responded in shock by saying, “A lift?” and you can see that play out by watching the episode with a Disney+ subscription. Then, when the pro got up to the skybox, she explained that the comment shocked her because she thought the rule was that “if you lifted your partner,” and it was the troupe who lifted Harry, not her.
Overall, it was an awkward situation, and it’s left me with questions about what exactly the rules are when it comes to lifts.
What Are The Rules For Lifts?
As I mentioned, this is not the first time Carrie Ann Inaba’s strict feelings about lifts and her judging in general have caused intense discourse. So, yes, she has addressed the rules and how she applies them to the show multiple times before. For example, in 2015, she wrote a blog for Parade that stated:
The producers have had this rule in place since the first season. I know it upsets people but it is a rule. I think there is some confusion on what a lift is: according to the National Dance Council of America Rule Book, ‘A lift is any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support of their partner.’
I double-checked the National Dance Council of America Rule Book as well, and that definition (which is also the one she read while critiquing Harry and Jenna) is still the exact one that’s used today. However, this rule does not apply to all dances. Sometimes lifts are allowed, and other times they are not, as Inaba explained:
They can’t do lifts in any of the standard dances or the Latin dances, but lifts are allowed in Jazz, Contemporary, Charleston, Salsa, Argentine Tango and the non-ballroom dances. Just to clarify, I do not get any joy in docking a point for breaking a rule. Rules are rules and I do my best to enforce them.
So, to make it clearer, lifts are not allowed in styles like:
- Cha-Cha
- Samba
- Paso Doble
- Tango
- Waltz
- Viennese Waltz
- Foxtrot
- Quickstep
- Rumba
- Jive
However, as Inaba wrote, they are allowed in styles like:
- Jazz
- Contemporary
- Charleston
- Salsa
- Argentine Tango
Now you know why she’ll compliment lifts sometimes and call them out other times. It also explains why she had the reaction she did to Harry and Jenna’s dance.
So, as we move forward with this season of Dancing with the Stars, keep this rule in mind, because it explains why Carrie Ann Inaba reacts the way she does to lifts. Now, with all that explained and out of the way, you can catch new episodes of DWTS every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC or Disney+.
