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A live flub forced Dancing With the Stars<\/em><\/a> cohost Alfonso Ribeiro<\/strong><\/a> to explain how routines are scored in the ballroom.<\/p>\n After Mark Ballas<\/strong> and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives<\/em> star Whitney Leavitt<\/strong> hit the dance floor during the season 34 premiere on Tuesday, September 16, the pair received positive feedback from judges Derek Hough<\/strong> and Bruno Tonioli<\/strong>. (Fellow judge Carrie Ann Inaba<\/strong> announced<\/a> before the broadcast began that she was sitting out from the premiere due to illness<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Both Hough, 40, and Tonioli, 69, held up panels with sevens on them when giving their scores, seemingly indicating that the pair earned a 14 out of 20. However, cohost Julianne Hough<\/strong> later revealed from the sky box that there was a mistake.<\/p>\n \u201cBruno actually put in an eight, so we have to correct it. It\u2019s a 15,\u201d she told Ballas, 39, and Leavitt, 32. \u201cWe love live television!\u201d<\/p>\n After the commercial break, Ribeiro, 53, gave a more detailed breakdown of how dances are scored. \u201cJust to clarify something, our judges key in their scores right after the dance and then they are locked regardless of which paddle they hold up. We go with their locked score. So Bruno keyed in an 8, so Whitney\u2019s total was 15.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier in the night, Derek gave a warning about the scores that would be shown. \u201cThe scoring tonight, just be mindful, it might be a little lower than you\u2019re expecting because there\u2019s a long way to go,\u201d he explained after Jordan Chiles<\/strong> and pro Ezra Sosa<\/strong> opened the show. \u201cThis is a marathon. We want to give you guys room to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n The Olympian received a total score of 10 out of 20, as did Dylan Efron<\/strong> and pro Daniella Karagach<\/strong>. Ribeiro hinted that the studio audience wasn\u2019t too pleased with seeing the lower scores.<\/p>\n Pros and celebs have been candid through the years about the judges\u2019 feedback. In 2022, Sasha Farber<\/strong> told Us Weekly<\/em> he thought Derek was \u201cthe most intimidating\u201d<\/a> of all the judges.<\/p>\n \u201cYou never know what he\u2019s thinking. He\u2019s always got this stone cold look and then [his score] could be, like, really bad. [Or] then he\u2019s like, \u2018That was great,’\u201d he said in an exclusive interview at the time, joking, \u201cIt\u2019s just his face.\u201d<\/p>\n Two years later, pro Gleb Savchenko<\/strong> compared Derek to the late Len Goodman<\/strong> \u2014 but Derek wasn\u2019t so sure.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish I was as good as Len,\u201d Derek exclusively told Us<\/em><\/a> in 2024. \u201c[He\u2019s] absolutely irreplaceable. \u2026 His phrases and his \u2018Lenisms\u2019 were just iconic.\u201d<\/p>\n