ABC "Dancing with the Stars" stars Carrie Ann Inaba.
One “Dancing With the Stars” season 30 contestant has confessed she wishes Carrie Ann Inaba were more impartial on the show. In an interview with Parade, contestant Amanda Kloots said that she hopes Carrie Ann is not giving her preferential treatment because of their friendship outside of the show.
Amanda Said She Hopes Carrie Ann Can Be An Impartial Judge
Amanda joined CBS talk show “The Talk” back in September 2020 for season 11. She and Carrie Ann only overlapped as co-hosts for one season, but they did become friends and Amanda told Parade that she thinks Carrie Ann can’t be impartial toward her.
“I wish she would be an impartial judge. No, Carrie Ann is a dancer, and she knows that I want tough love. She knows that I want corrections. She knows that I want her to be hard on me,” said Amanda, adding that she doesn’t think there will be any “special treatment” between them.
Amanda added that the whole “Talk” family has been “so supportive” of her time on “Dancing With the Stars.”
“‘The Talk’ has been so supportive of us and encouraging everyone to vote and rooting for me. That family over there is so wonderful. I’m so grateful to be able to go to work there every day and then to come here and get to work with this cast and crew. I honestly feel like I’m so blessed right now,” said Amanda.
Carrie Ann and her fellow judges have come under a bit of fire recently for perceived bias in favor of the white dancers. In particular, Carrie Ann was criticized by viewers for referring to Jimmie Allen having “monkey fists” when he dances.
Amanda Also Said The Differences Between Broadway Dancing and Ballroom Dancing Are Night and Day
Amanda’s background is on Broadway. She is also a former Radio City Rockette, so obviously, she has some dance background. But she told Parade that it does not exactly translate to the ballroom.
“Ballroom dancing and the Broadway dancing that I used to do are, honestly, like English and Japanese. I am learning a completely new language. I have to throw everything I know out the window and it’s like starting from day one. I think the only thing that’s similar is the grueling rehearsals, the blisters, the sore body, the sore muscles, and the want to learn and the drive to just do better,” said Amanda.
She also said she doesn’t think it gives her that much of an advantage — first of all, because there are “a lot” of dancers this year with dance backgrounds and secondly because “ballroom dancing is a completely different world.”
“Ballroom dancing is a completely different world, a completely different style, so detailed. I’ve also never partnered with a man on Broadway. I was always dancing on my own or as a Rockette, you dance on your own, so this whole being held by a man, being led by a man, is completely different, a whole new world. I wish I had an advantage there, but I don’t,” said Amanda.
Some fans might beg to differ. When the cast was announced, some fans thought it was rather unfair that several of the dancers have extensive training.
One fan in particular said of Amanda that her background as a Rockette puts her “at level 1000” compared to the contestants with no dance experience.
“I LOVE Amanda, but isn’t a bit unfair to have professional dancers on the show like Amanda and JoJo? She was a Rockette! I know they are professional dancers who haven’t done ballroom, but they are still starting at level 1000 in comparison to others,” wrote that fan on Instagram.
“Dancing With the Stars” season 30 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times on ABC.