Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars was unique in several ways. First, there was no clear frontrunner for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Actress Chandler Kinney and her partner Brandon Armstrong often topped the leaderboard, as did Bachelor star Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson. Even NFL star Danny Amendola took a turn at the top of the leaderboard.
In that sense, Season 33 was thrilling. In the end, Olympian Ilona Maher and her partner, Alan Bersten, came in second place, while Joey and Jenna waltzed away with the Mirrorball. For a hot minute, it looked like Joey’s chances could have been ruined by judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s remarks.
It has been said over and over that the Freestyle round can make or break a contestant’s chances of winning. In the Freestyle, there are no rules. It is all about the contestant showcasing what they learned and playing to their strengths. Normally, most couples see the 10-paddle for their performances. So, when Carrie Ann was critical of Joey and Jenna’s Freestyle, the ballroom was surprised. So, did Carrie Ann underscore Joey Graziadei’s Freestyle routine?
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson were shocked by judge Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique
Joey wanted to pay homage to his time as a tennis instructor. So, Jenna crafted fun and interesting choreography for the song Canned Heat by District 78 featuring Jake Simpson. Their choreography involved tennis rackets. Of course, working with props can be … unpredictable. When the duo flipped their rackets and caught them, I was impressed.
In addition, Jenna and Joey had glow-in-the-dark rackets, and an assist from some of the pro dancers, who carried large tennis balls. Now, it wasn’t showy and over-the-top like Danny and Witney Carson’s Barbie-themed routine. However, it was unusual, and the duo performed well.
But in Carrie Ann’s eyes, the routine was lacking. She called the duo’s performance “a tad underwhelming.” She added, “I just found some of the angles, because of the racket, had to be super tight and it just didn’t nail it.” Then Carrie Ann stated that “the energy just kind of dipped in the middle.” Then, to end on a positive, Carrie Ann noted that she saw promise in Joey “from the first time” he hit the ballroom. Really? These Freestyle comments don’t seem to reflect that sentiment.
Naturally, Jenna was literally stunned. Her mouth opened in shock while listening to Carrie Ann’s remarks. Poor Joey sort of frowned and looked at Jenna, who looked upset. I mean, not every Freestyle needs to be extra. Sometimes, less can be more.
Carrie Ann’s critique knocked the wind out of Jenna’ creative sails. “I was a little defeated because I thought he did absolutely exquisite in it. But I was actually brought back to my season with Adam Rippon and on our freestyle. I think we got eight,” Jenna told US Weekly.
In 2018, during Season 26, Jenna and Adam won the Mirrorball, despite their lower scores for their Freestyle. “I was so, so defeated then, but we ended up winning. I held onto that glimmer of hope,” Jenna explained, “that we could still pull through and do it, and we did it.”
Of course, during Carrie Ann’s comments, the ballroom audience booed enthusiastically. And let me point out that Joey’s fiancée, Kelsey Anderson, also gave the judge a thumbs down.
After all, Joey and Kelsey postponed their wedding planning so that he could focus on achieving Mirrorball glory. The couple met on The Bachelor, and Joey gave Kelsey his final rose.
And unlike other Bachelor Nation alums, Joey took steps before DWTS began to make sure that his relationship with Kelsey stayed strong. He requested that his ballroom partner be in a serious relationship. And Kelsey was in the ballroom every week, cheering on her man. Or booing Carrie Ann, if necessary.
Plus, according to US Weekly, Jenna’s husband, pro Val Chmerkovskiy, also weighed in via his Instagram Story. Val posted a photo of himself looking confused. “Whaaaat did you say his racket swing needed to be tighter? What!? 10 weeks of busting your ass for that?! Unbelievable,” he wrote over the image. Whew! Next season of DWTS will be interesting after everyone sounded off on Joey’s Freestyle.
Judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli didn’t agree with Carrie Ann Inaba’s opinion
Carrie Ann’s opinion didn’t just surprise Jenna and Joey. Judge Derek Hough looked shocked at his fellow judge’s take. “Joey, my man, come on! How dare you, Carrie Ann?” Derek said. “Joey, that was phenomenal. And Jenna, your body of work all three seasons, what you produce year after year is incredible. Joey, that was a fantastic freestyle,” he added.
And Bruno Tonioli agreed. “Oh, yes! Game, set, and match for Joey,” he stated. “It was original. Totally unexpected. The choreography was so inventive.” And Joey didn’t even remove his shirt and show off his abs! So, Joey earned a score of 10 from Derek and Bruno, while Carrie Ann gave the routine a 9. Womp, womp.
I agree that Joey and Jenna’s choice to perform a more low-key Freestyle could have turned off some viewers. However, they danced it expertly. The technique was fantastic, and it was entertaining. Plus, it truly showed how far Joey has come as a dancer. After all, he had zero dance experience when the season began.
So, penalizing the couple for a creative choice, but not an error, seemed strange. And this is far from Carrie Ann’s first controversial move this season. She was also accused of underscoring both Ilona and Chandler while giving higher scores to the male contestants.
I do think that Carrie Ann underscored Joey and Jenna’s tennis Freestyle routine. Still, the duo managed to serve up a Season 33 win.
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TELL US – DID JUDGE CARRIE ANN INABA UNDERSCORE JOEY GRAZIADEI’S DWTS SEASON 33 FREESTYLE?