Peta Murgatroyd Critiques the Scoring System of Dancing With the Stars
Former Dancing With the Stars pro Peta Murgatroyd has strong feelings about the current scoring system of the reality TV dance competition.
“A nine for me represents being close to perfection — and perfection for a celebrity,” Murgatroyd, 39, expressed on the October 24 episode of her “Penthouse With Peta” podcast, while discussing the ongoing season 34. “That’s why I think the scoring system is quite challenging and not accurate.”
She further stated, “We should really start from twos and threes, but a nine signifies that you’re almost perfect. There are contestants receiving nines that I believe don’t deserve them.” (For context, Master P was awarded twos in season 2 for his rather disastrous paso doble.)
While Murgatroyd didn’t specify who she deemed unworthy of high scores, judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and guest Jon M. Chu awarded several nines to dancers like Whitney Leavitt, Jordan Chiles, and Alix Earle on October 21 during Wicked Night.
At the season’s outset, judges typically scored only in the sixes and sevens.
“Just keep in mind that the scoring tonight might be lower than you expect because there’s a long road ahead,” Hough, 40, noted during the season’s premiere last month. “This is a marathon, and we want to give you all the opportunity to grow.”
Derek’s sister and DWTS host, Julianne Hough, welcomed this approach.
“Over the years, we’ve seen many fusions of traditional ballroom and Latin dances into hybrids,” Julianne, 37, shared on the show’s companion podcast at the time. “I truly appreciated Bruno and Derek lowering the scores a bit because we want to be able to see growth, and provide accurate critiques for learning and improvement.”
She added, “He was focusing on the fundamentals, and I noticed a lot of hybrid dancing [on Tuesday]. While I understand this new TikTok generation loves playful fun, it’s important to remember that Dancing With the Stars excels because it’s technical and requires skill.”
In the following weeks, former DWTS pros like Kym Johnson-Herjavec and Cheryl Burke have taken on guest judging roles. (Burke, 41, will judge on the upcoming Halloween Night.)
“She’s not being overly critical,” Burke exclusively told Us Weekly on October 23, addressing the backlash against Inaba’s feedback. “But when the judges are overly complimentary, people get upset as well. That’s the beauty of the show; everyone is entitled to their opinions, but no one should be attacked.”
She continued, “When a woman voices her opinions, it seems there’s a different reaction, right? I’m fairly certain every judge has made similar comments at some point, but the way they’re received differs significantly.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
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