For guest judge Shirley Ballas, her low Dancing With the Stars scores were not meant to put a fright in the season 35 contestants.
After the Tuesday, October 27, Horror Movie Night episode, Ballas, 66, appeared surprised when she was informed that she gave “some of the worst scores” the show has ever seen for week 7 of the competition.
“Really? Oh my goodness. Now to me, those scores are actually still quite good because they’re not 2s and 3s,” Ballas told On The Red Carpet. “So 4s, 5s and 6s for me is a generally good score. You’re on a good track. And then when you get to 7s, 8s and 9s, you’ve really mastered your craft.”
When she was told there had only been a “couple” of 2 paddles given by judges on DWTS through the years, Ballas replied, “Oh my goodness. It’s a good job I’m not a full-time judge on this then, isn’t it?”
“I’ve still given out 3s on week 7 in Strictly [Come Dancing],” she explained, referring to the U.K. competition show. “But it’s acceptable over there. We want them to grow. I’ve never been a great person of fluff, which is you’re all great and I like people to get some knowledge.”
She continued, “Even though I did struggle a little bit with the amount of time we had to speak, I wanted to embrace and give more knowledge. But I like to give them a few nuggets that they can use to move forward. And trust me, those 4s are from a good heart. And they are a good score.”
When Ballas took her seat at the judges table on Tuesday, she warned the contestants that she would be “diving deep” with her critiques.
“I’ll be looking for choreography that’s styled well for the partner. I’ll be looking at feet, leg action, coordination, synchronization, posture. All those elements I’ll be looking for. So neglect the technique at your own peril. And please don’t make me bring my little friend out,” Ballas said before the performances, while holding up her 2 paddle.
Ballas’ scoring raised eyebrows in the ballroom as she handed out 4s to Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa as well as Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik and a 5 to Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess — but she also rewarded other contestants with 9s and 10s. (Tyler and Sharna, as well as Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, were ultimately sent home in a double-elimination.)
For son Mark Ballas’ performance with Maura Higgins, Shirley gave the pair a 7. Mark, for his part, shared that he’s “used to” his mom’s bluntness.
“I grew up in this world,” Mark, 40, exclusively told Us after the episode. “She’s been judging Strictly [Come Dancing], the U.K. version, for 10 years now and they’re a little tougher over there. They just are. So I’m used to it.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
