Audience members booed Dancing with the Stars judges after Guillermo Rodriguez, Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night sidekick, earned one of the lowest scores of all time during Tuesday’s Season 35 premiere.
Rodriguez, 55, and his partner, Witney Carson, 32, received a 10 out of 30 from the judges after their Cha-Cha dance to “Mr. Big Stuff,” marking the second-lowest score in DWTS history after Master P and his partner, Ashly DelGrosso, earned an 8 out of 30 in 2006.
“Listen, Guillermo, listen,” judge Derek Hough said. “Listen. OK, my friend. That was spicy. That was spicy. Listen, was the technique there? No. Was the effort there? Absolutely.”
A passionate Judge Bruno Toniolo said that “nobody will ever, ever forget this,” adding that one of Guillermo’s moves looked like a “crazy, sexy grasshopper.”
“It’s got nothing to do with the cha-cha,” he said effusively. “It will go viral!”
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba spoke last. Unlike Hough and Toniolo, her review of the dance skewed more positive.
“It was super entertaining, and every movement that you did was super clearly defined,” she said. “Like, I could have taken pictures of you throughout that routine, and I knew what you were doing. Every movement was executed with the intention that was proper. Everyone’s like, ‘Really?’ Yes. Yes, it was.”
The audience erupted in good-natured laughter at her statement, prompting Inaba to stand up and declare her next point.
“The entertainment value and how the audience responds to what you’re doing matters,” she concluded. “They were big, bold movements, and they were executed fine!”
The audience’s and judges’ affection for Rodriguez couldn’t, however, counteract his dance skills—or lack thereof. Inaba gave him a score of four out of 10, and Hough and Toniolo gave him a three, leading to collective boos from the audience. Rodriguez escaped elimination, though, after viewers voted to send home Conner Leavitt and his professional partner, Adele Zaikman, instead.
Carson admitted Rodriguez was “a little bit off,” but defended his efforts.
“He followed my lead, and he performed, and he had fun, so honestly, that’s all I can ask for,” she said. “I’m so proud. The judges’ scores were lame.”
Ahead of the season premiere, Rodriguez was nervous.
“I’m hoping for another pandemic so I can get out of this,” he quipped.
