Witney Carson is standing up for her “Dancing With the Stars” partner Guillermo Rodriguez after Carrie Ann Inaba questioned his usual joyful energy on the dance floor.
During the Oct. 6 Mariah Carey Night episode, Carson and Rodriguez performed a samba to “Obsessed.” While Rodriguez took on a more serious attitude for the routine, Inaba felt something was missing from the performance.
“What was going on?” Inaba asked. “I’m serious. Where’s all your joy? I felt like you were dimming your light a little bit in this dance.”
The criticism quickly earned boos from the studio audience, with Inaba responding, “This is what I get paid for, people!”
She went on to tell Rodriguez that she never wanted him to “dim” what makes him special, adding, “Don’t ever not smile again. I need your light. We all do!”
After the show, however, Carson made it clear that she saw the performance differently.
Witney Carson Defends Guillermo Rodriguez’s ‘Diva’ Performance
Carson explained that Rodriguez wasn’t losing his spark during the samba. Instead, the lack of smiles was part of the character they were going for with the Mariah Carey song.
“I think it depends on the song and it depends on the character. Mariah Carey is very much a diva,” Carson told TV Insider. “I don’t think Guillermo’s light dims no matter what. His light will always shine.”
She then shared exactly how she felt about Inaba’s critique.
“I felt like that was an ‘out of pocket’ comment from Carrie Ann,” Carson said.
Rodriguez agreed that his expression was intentional. According to Us Weekly, he explained that he was simply trying to tap into his inner diva for the performance.
“I disagree because I was trying to be a diva,” he said. “It’s a samba move. It’s Mariah Carey. So I was trying to be a diva and I think I did a good job.”
Carson continued to have her partner’s back, saying his personality still comes through no matter what character he takes on.
“No matter what Guillermo does, his light will always shine,” she said. “No matter if he’s pretending to be a diva or he’s pretending to be Rihanna or he’s got a smile on his face.”
Guillermo Rodriguez Says He Did His Best With the Difficult Samba
While Rodriguez disagreed with Inaba’s comments about his energy, he admitted the samba itself was a challenge.
“You know what, samba is real hard. It’s a hard dance, it’s a lot of steps and everything,” Rodriguez told Entertainment Weekly. “And it was hard for me this week, the dance. But, I did a good job, I did my best.”
Rodriguez and Carson received a 13 out of 30, the lowest score of the night. Inaba and Derek Hough each gave the pair a 4, while Bruno Tonioli gave them a 5.
The low score didn’t end their run. Rodriguez and Carson received enough support to stay in the competition, while “Summer House” star Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong were eliminated.
Carson credited viewers with continuing to see what she sees in her partner, while Rodriguez said he was grateful to have so many people supporting him.
“I’m very happy, very excited, that we have a lot of people behind us,” Rodriguez said. “And hopefully, you know, they keep coming, they keep voting for us so we can keep going.”
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Witney Carson Defends Guillermo Rodriguez After Carrie Ann Inaba’s Tough Critique