Overview
- Will Friedle and Rider Strong said on their Pod Meets World episode that Carrie Ann Inaba shows favoritism and that the judging of Fishel feels like a personal vendetta.
- Their criticism followed Fishel and pro partner Pasha Pashkov’s Halloween Viennese waltz, which earned 33 out of 40 and drew comparisons to Elaine Hendrix’s close, pre-recorded dress-rehearsal score.
- Earlier, the pair’s Dedication Night routine scored 29 out of 40 as Inaba said the dances felt repetitive, a comment Pashkov told Variety was unfair.
- Fishel, competing after a torn hamstring and following a publicly disclosed 2024 breast cancer diagnosis, has said she accepts critiques and acknowledged Inaba was not wrong in some feedback.
- Despite the controversy, fans voted Fishel through to the next week, while Jen Affleck was eliminated.