Carrie Ann Inaba Under Fire As 'DWTS' Fans Push For Her Exit

Longtime "Dancing with the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba may be at risk of losing her spot on the judge's panel as fans call for her to be replaced due to her reportedly bias opinions against female dancers.

The recent Halloween episode intensified the discussion around Carrie Ann Inaba's judging approach, as she awarded lower-than-expected scores to Olympian Ilona Maher and actress Chandler Kinney, despite their demanding and highly praised routines from the other judges.

For Halloween Nightmares Night, contestants confronted their fears through dance routines inspired by their personal nightmares. Chandler Kinney wowed the audience with her Viennese waltz inspired by her nightmares, set to none other than the iconic "Pretty Little Liars" theme song, “Secret” by Denmark + Winter.

Judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli were visibly impressed, each awarding the duo a perfect score of 10. This was a season first for Chandler and her partner, Brandon Armstrong, who had yet to receive 10s prior to this performance.

However, Carrie Ann Inaba caused an uproar, giving Chandler a 9, explaining, “That wasn’t perfection.” She acknowledged that Chandler tackled some of the night’s most complex choreography, alongside Ilona Maher’s intricate tango, which she scored an 8.

However, what left fans baffled was the fact that Inaba went on to award perfect scores to performances with less demanding routines, further fueling fan criticism and calls for change on the judging panel.

According to The Sun, sources suggest that fellow judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli have grown increasingly frustrated with what they describe as her unpredictable critiques and inconsistent scoring patterns, particularly toward female contestants, especially with the recent Halloween episode.

The situation has reportedly sparked internal conversations about potentially replacing Inaba, with former contestant and occasional guest judge Mark Ballas emerging as a possible successor.

Inaba, a star on the show since its 2005 debut, is well-regarded for her empathetic judging style and thorough evaluations. However, recent feedback from both viewers and colleagues has cast doubt on her future with the program.

After seeing Carrie Ann continue scoring female dancers lower than male dancers, social media users decided to take a stand and speak out via social media.

"At this point, Carrie Ann Inaba is just a certified hater," one "DWTS" fan said.

"Carrie Ann Inaba going to get technical with Chandler when Derek (the most technical judge there) isn't even pointing out the same things," another expressed. "Omg it's giving jealous hag kinda."

"Carrie Ann Inaba getting dragged to Hell and back finally after being a garbage judge for years brings me joy," a third wrote.

After Halloween night on "DWTS," Chandler opened up about Carrie Ann's critiques and scoring during a post-show interview with Entertainment Weekly.

The judges do push me really, really hard because they have high expectations," she said. "I understand, and I take the criticism. But tonight, it was probably showing a bit, I was getting a little frustrated because I wanted to know what to do. Otherwise, when I get to rehearsal, I'm a little lost."

However, she is trying to be optimistic, as she added, "We're going find it. We're going to keep working hard. I just use it as fuel and motivation to go for that perfect score because I want it."

Last year, Carrie Ann Inaba, the sole female judge on "Dancing With the Stars," spoke openly about the unique challenges that come with her role.

At the 2023 Variety "Women of Reality TV" event, the 55-year-old shared that being the only woman on the judging panel often means she has to “fight harder” to have her perspective heard.

According to Variety, Inaba admitted that the experience has been so difficult at times that she’s even considered stepping away from the show. “Yes, there have been times when I have almost walked away,” she revealed. “As the only female judge for most of the seasons, I get a lot more hate than the men do and people doubt what I say. Oh I’m going to get emotional.”

“I’m the judge who cries,” Inaba added, referring to her emotions when critiquing the dances. “Yes that’s true, but it’s also because I feel like I have to fight harder for my opinion to be honored.”