Dancing With The Stars fans were a bit taken aback during the Season 35 premiere when the scores seemed to be lower than ever before. To be fair, the judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, did warn the viewers and the cast members ahead of time that they would be scoring more strictly than in the past.
It seems that DWTS may be revamping the scoring a bit for Season 35, perhaps to make the competition more fierce and interesting. It also encourages fans to vote for their favorites in order to keep them around longer. Now, Derek Hough is speaking out on any criticism that some of the low scores are getting.
Derek Hough Defends DWTS Low Scores For Season 35
“I think it’s changing the value of the numbers,” Hough told Us Weekly. “And now when somebody gets an 8, it’s going to mean something. I think that that’s really important.”
Despite pro dancer Witney Carson calling her partner Guillermo Rodriguez’s Week 1 scores “lame” and “a little mean,” Derek seemed to think they were right on track. When asked about the leaderboard scores and placement, Hough said it all “felt pretty accurate.”
“It’s going to be a little bit of a shock to the system because it’s the first week and stuff, but for me, my hope is that over time, if [a contestant gets] a 5, you’re like, ‘I got a 5.’ Like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I got a 5’ versus like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s insulting. Oh, my gosh, that’s crazy,’” Derek added.
Big Ratings For Dancing With The Stars
Meanwhile, the strict scoring didn’t hurt the ratings for Dancing With The Stars. If anything, it may have helped. The Season 35 premiere garnered 6.67 million viewers on ABC and Disney+, making it a 24 percent jump from the Season 34 premiere. This marks the biggest premiere in six years for the reality dancing competition show.
The fun will continue for the rest of the season, as the themes have been set. Yacht Rock, songs of Mariah Carey, Horror Movie Night, Grammy Night, Disney, and Dedication Night are all ahead for DWTS viewers.
Dancing With The Stars airs on ABC and streams on Disney+ Tuesday nights at 8 pm.
