Dancing with the Stars headed into its seventh week of competition with a timely Halloween-themed Villains Night. The Bachelorette alum Kaitlyn Bristowe and her pro dance partner Artem Chigvintsev performed the paso doble with Bristowe dressed as the iconic Cruella De Vil. However, while the judges collectively gave the dancing couple a low score, Carrie Ann Inaba's comments in particular did not sit agreeably with Bristowe after the episode.
Following Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev’s performance, Carrie Ann Inaba told Bristowe that it felt like the celeb's “spirit dropped” and that she gave up at various moments throughout the performance. Inaba also added that Bristowe’s lift and dance form weren’t up to par. The former Bachelorette took the criticism amicably, but later bristled at Inaba’s suggestion that she had given up because it’s not in her nature to do so. Here’s what Bristowe told People:
I’m starting to believe that it wasn’t just me. I came off and so many people were like, 'What? I don’t remember that. So people aren’t just sugarcoating it for me, because I want the feedback. I want to know if that’s what people saw. But to hear her say that, my soul was crushed, because I feel like this was one of the dances where I went out there and was like, 'I’m going to hit this so hard and I’m not giving up.'
To be fair, Carrie Ann Inaba did tell Kaitlyn Bristowe that she didn’t want to discourage her from dancing, and also apologized for adding that it just wasn’t a good dance. As judges, Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Len Goodman (who has been replaced with Derek Hough in Season 29) have always been honest about the contestants’ dances. Ultimately, it’s a matter of opinion and, while Bristowe and her partner may not have felt like her spirit dropped during the dance, Inaba was convinced that it had.
Kaitlyn Bristowe added that she felt defeated after hearing Carrie Ann Inaba’s comments because she gave her all to the Villains Week performance. Speaking with ET, Bristowe had some of her own amusing feedback to give Inaba as well. Here’s what she said:
I would like to say, 'Carrie Ann, LensCrafters called and your prescription is in.'
Ouch! Being on Dancing with the Stars has been a long-time dream for Kaitlyn Bristowe, so hearing any kind of negative critique has to be a bummer. The Bachelorette was approached about competing on the show in 2015, but things didn’t pan out the way she had hoped at the time. However, during the second episode of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons Ever, Chris Harrison surprised Bristowe with the announcement that she would join Dancing with the Stars in Season 29. Suffice it to say that her reaction was the best part of the episode at the time.
Luckily, Kaitlyn Bristowe was not Cruella-ly eliminated, and she'll keep showing her skills off when Dancing with the Stars returns with a new episode on Monday, November 2 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. For more on what to watch in the meantime, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere guide.
