Overview

• Lindsay Arnold condemned social-media videos she said were “trashing” the pros, troupe, hosts and judges following the Season 34 opener.
• She reminded fans that the people on the show are “real” and argued that most critics could not do the professionals’ jobs.
• Arnold said she is personally invested because many friends work on the series and her younger sister Rylee is competing with singer Scott Hoying.
• She stressed that opinions are fine but asked viewers to stop targeted bashing, captioning her post that critics can direct negativity at her instead.
• Derek Hough noted on-air that he and Bruno Tonioli intentionally gave lower scores to leave room for growth, a factor in some complaints about judging.