Tuesday night’s“Super Bowl Night”on Dancing with the Stars delivered the season’s tensest moment when Carrie Ann Inaba flagged an illegal lift in Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr.’s samba. After praising the dance, Inaba told Shum Jr. he needs more content and pointed out the lift. Johnson questioned the call, and the live audience went completely silent as Inaba read the rulebook definition of a lift out loud. Derek Hough lightened the moment by joking he felt told off.
Johnson later said she understood the ruling but believed a lift only counts if you actually lift your partner. Despite the exchange, the pair still earned a solid 33 out of 40. Earlier in the night, Guillermo Rodriguez had his own tense moment with Inaba, and he was ultimately eliminated after his salsa, capping off a dramatic episode.
Fan reaction has been split, with some praising Inaba for enforcing the rules and others saying the call felt overly strict for a dance whose lifts are part of the routine’s energy. The clip has already become one of the most-shared moments of the season. Was Carrie Ann right to call it, or should the judges give the pros more room to choreograph? Let us know what you think.
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Local Lawton
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