{"id":268153,"date":"2026-10-11T15:40:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T15:40:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/11\/emma-slater-clarifies-odd-dwts-move-was-meant-to-avoid-carrie-ann-inaba-docking-a-point\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T15:40:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T15:40:47","slug":"emma-slater-clarifies-odd-dwts-move-was-meant-to-avoid-carrie-ann-inaba-docking-a-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/11\/emma-slater-clarifies-odd-dwts-move-was-meant-to-avoid-carrie-ann-inaba-docking-a-point\/","title":{"rendered":"Emma Slater Clarifies Odd \u2018DWTS\u2019 Move Was Meant to Avoid Carrie Ann Inaba \u2018Docking a Point\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Emma Slater<\/a> <\/b>put in extra effort to avoid any unnecessary lifts in her Dancing With the Stars <\/i><\/a>waltz with celebrity partner Jackson Olson<\/b> amid the show\u2019s controversial low scores.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys, I get it!!! [In] this dance you have to keep your foot on the floor to stop [judge Carrie Ann Inaba<\/b>] from docking a point,\u201d Slater, 37, wrote via TikTok<\/span><\/a> comment on Saturday, October 10, responding to fan criticism about her sickled foot from Mariah Carey<\/b> Night. \u201cThis is what I was doing, trying for me [sic] life!\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued, \u201cBut, because I was being dragged backwards, that was what it looked like without me bending my leg! But I did it to stop him [from] being docked a point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slater and Olson, 29, performed an elegant waltz<\/span><\/a> to Carey\u2019s \u201cWithout You\u201d during the Tuesday, October 6, live show. At one point, fans thought it looked like Slater\u2019s foot was sickled \u2014 a technical error in which the ankle is rolled inward, impeding what should be the leg\u2019s straight line.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>DWTS’ Emma Slater Admits Judges\u2019 Criticism Can Be ‘Disheartening’<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tDancing With the Stars pro Emma Slater and partner Jackson Olson are ready to put the judges\u2019 feedback into action after Yacht Rock Week. \u201cIt is rough when you work so hard,\u201d Slater, 37, exclusively told Us after the Tuesday, September 29, episode. \u201cThat\u2019s the hard part about Dancing With the Stars \u2014 you work [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While Slater didn\u2019t address whether her foot was in fact sickled, she stressed that she was merely focused on avoiding an unplanned lift that could hurt the pair\u2019s overall score. (Dancers are forbidden from lifting their partners in a classic ballroom routine like the waltz, with Inaba, 58, notoriously lowering scores<\/a> if she notices a lift in her sightline.)<\/p>\n

With no lift in view, Slater and the Savannah Bananas player earned a total 21 out of 30 from Inaba and fellow judges Derek Hough <\/b>and Bruno Tonioli.<\/b><\/p>\n

DWTS <\/i>season 35, currently gearing up for its fifth week, has seen the judges handing out significantly lower scores than usual to account for future growth<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Slater, the season 24 mirrorball winner, has often found the judges\u2019 critiques can be \u201cdisheartening\u201d to a certain degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is rough when you work so hard,\u201d she exclusively told Us <\/i>last month<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s the hard part about Dancing With the Stars<\/i> \u2014 you work all week on a dance routine, you build yourself up, you get that confidence, you feel really good about it. And then ultimately, you are being judged and it\u2019s at the whim of the judges.\u201d<\/p>\n

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