Flavor Flav Causes Immense Backlash After 'Diabolical' 'DWTS' Judging Scores

Flavor Flav’s debut as a guest judge on "Dancing With the Stars" had fans ready for fun, but by the end of Tuesday night’s broadcast, the founding member of Public Enemy was facing massive backlash over what viewers are calling one of the most “confusing” scoring moments of the season. During the November 4 episode of ABC’s hit competition series, the 66-year-old hip-hop legend joined judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night. “Tonight, I’m hoping to see graceness, smoothness, you know what I’m saying? Preciseness,” Flav told co-host Alfonso Ribeiro before the show kicked off. But as the night went on, viewers were left stunned, not by the dancing, but by Flav’s scores.

When influencer Alix Earle and pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy closed out the night with a crowd-pleasing routine, the judges seemed unanimous in their praise, until Flavor Flav held up a 9 instead of a 10. That one-point difference cost Earle her perfect score, and fans were furious.

“FLAVA FLAV RUINING THEIR PERFECT SCORE HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW WHERE HE IS!!!!!!!!!!” one viewer wrote. Another added, “Not Flavor Flav giving Alix a 9, but Dylan a 10.”

A third fan wrote, “Flav out here giving Andy and Alix the same score is diabolical,” while another begged producers to intervene, asking, “Can we remove the guest judge during the next commercial break?”

Following the live broadcast, Flav spoke to PEOPLE to clear up the controversy and admitted the score was a mistake. “I gave them a nine, which was an accident,” he told the outlet. “I really wanted to give them a 10, but they wouldn’t let me change it.”

He added, "I went, 'No. No, that was an accident. I don't want to give them a nine. I want to give them a 10.' But they was like, 'Flavor, it's already locked in. You can't change it.' I'm like, 'Oh man.'"

Despite the clarification, social media was already flooded with reactions, theories, and memes. Some fans accused him of intentionally holding back a perfect score so Whitney Leavitt's routine could make history later in the season, writing, “Starting a conspiracy, Flav gave her a 9 so Whitney can get the first perfect score of the season. #rigged.”

The comments kept pouring in, with thousands calling out the “Flavor of Love” star’s uneven judging. “Flava Flav should not be judging!!! This is insane! This dance was deserving of a perfect score!” one viewer ranted, while another summed up the sentiment bluntly, “He doesn’t even know where he is.”

Others, however, defended the guest judge’s chaotic charm. “It’s Flavor Flav, what did y’all expect?” one fan quipped.

While Flavor Flav’s scoring drama dominated headlines, the night ended on a bittersweet note as "Boy Meets World" alum Danielle Fishel and her partner Pasha Pashkov were eliminated from the competition.

The pair delivered a heartfelt Contemporary routine to “Dream On” by Aerosmith, earning a total of 34 out of 40 after Carrie Ann Inaba and Flavor Flav awarded 9s, and Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli gave 8s. Fishel, who has been one of the season’s most beloved contestants, reflected on the journey with gratitude.

“This experience meant everything,” she said following her exit. “It’s truly been life-changing, and every single moment, including this one, has been joyous.”

Next week promises to be one for the history books. Five years after his emotional exit, beloved original host Tom Bergeron is making his grand return to "Dancing With the Stars," this time, at the judges’ table.

Bergeron will serve as a guest judge for the show’s 20th anniversary special, airing Tuesday, November 11. “It feels really good,” Bergeron shared on Good Morning America. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

After this week’s chaos with Flavor Flav, viewers say they’re ready for a little nostalgia to bring balance back to the ballroom.