Witney Carson calls out “Dancing With the Stars ”judges for partner Guillermo Rodriguez’s low scores: ‘Lame’

Key Points:

• Witney Carson criticized the Dancing With the Stars judges for giving her and partner Guillermo Rodriguez a low score of 10 out of 30 during the season 35 premiere, calling the scores "lame."
• Despite some minor dance imperfections, Carson emphasized the effort and fun in their cha-cha performance, which was choreographed to Jean Knight's "Mr. Big Stuff," a song from Rodriguez's birth year.
• Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli gave Rodriguez low marks, leading to boos from the audience, but he was not eliminated; instead, Conner Leavitt was the first contestant to leave the competition.
• Rodriguez shared with Entertainment Weekly that the routine was physically challenging, especially maintaining control after sliding on his knees, and joked about not losing weight despite the intense dance training.
• Dancing With the Stars season 35 continues with its two-night premiere, with female contestants competing on September 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.