Carrie Ann Inaba Warns Remaining ‘DWTS’ Pairs About Inappropriate Lifts
Photo by: ABC/Raymond Liu Reading Time: 2 minutes
Ahead of Dancing With The Stars Semi-finals, judge Carrie Ann Inaba reiterated some rules to remember going into the finale. The judge is particularly keen in spotting inappropriate dance lifts, so the remaining dancing pairs better watch out.
Carrie Ann Inaba is the Lift Police Among DWTS Judges
Inaba posted the advice on her Instagram stories before the night of DWTS Semi-finals premiered. According to the judge, contestants must keep the rules in mind as the competition gets closer to the Finale.
“To all the semi-finalists: Please…No lifts tomorrow night,” she wrote. “In watching the shows back, I see I may have missed a lift or two.”
She even emphasized the no lift rule ahead of the show, writing “And remember, NO LIFTS PLEASE!” in the caption of her promotional post. Although Inaba hasn’t reiterated the rule once again, pairs can expect her to do so in the coming days.
In years of being in the panel, Inaba has been well-known for strictly pointing out prohibited lifts in certain ballroom dances. For those who may not know, lifts are restricted dance steps in Rumba, Cha Cha, Jive, Paso Doble, Samba, Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot, or Quickstep. Since this is not merely Inaba’s preference, she’s always quick to notice this error.
“Just to clarify, I do not get any joy in docking a point for breaking a rule,” she told Parade. “Rules are rules and I do my best to enforce them.”
Since the first season of the competition, this rule has been imposed. Consequently, Inaba and other judges can validly reduce the scores of dancing duos who dare to disregard the same.
She Pays Tribute to Len Goodman
Amid Len Goodman’s retirement announcement, Inaba also took to Instagram her appreciation towards the head judge. She posted a series of photos taken during various moments of her and Goodman’s DWTS journey.
“It’s been an honor. You’ve brought so much wisdom and elegance to the ballroom and to my life,” she wrote. “You are a dear friend, an esteemed colleague, and you are forever my family.”
Before this post, Inaba also hosted an emotional Instagram live where she told how heartbroken she is with Goodman’s exit. There, Inaba stated that she will always be grateful of him.
“Sometimes being a judge could be stressful and you say things that maybe hurt people’s feelings, but it’s the truth,” she said. “And he knows that I’m sensitive. He would always reach over and say, ‘Good job.'”
Within the live, she also mentioned how supportive judges are to one another. This comes after she said that the panel sometimes disagree in opinion.
