Dancing With the Stars ' Emma Slater Reacts to Judges' "Stingy" Scores

Originally appeared on E! Online

Emma Slater and partner Jackson Olson want to be a step above the rest.

But the Dancing With the Stars pro revealed that she was trying not to focus on the low scores from judges CarrieAnn Inaba, BrunoTonioli and DerekHough during the season 35 premiere Sept. 15, especially as the group was giving out lower scores across the board.

“Going first, the judges like to give kind of stingy scores, and I totally understand that,” Slater exclusively told E! News’ Will Marfuggi after the premiere. “But now we’ve really got to show the growth, and we will absolutely.”

Olson and Slater earned the third lowest score of the episode with 15 points, as Harry Shum Jr. and his partner Jenna Johnson came in at the top of the leaderboard with 21 points. ConnerLeavitt and his partner AdeleZaikmanwere ultimately the first couple eliminated, having earned 12 points fromthe judges.

And going into the night, Hough did warn that scores might not quite be as high during the premiere episode.

“It is season 35. Our expectations are super high this season,” he revealed. “You’re gonna have to earn every single point, so don’t be surprised at where those scores land tonight—that’s all I’m saying.”

Jackson Olson, Emma Slater, Dancing With the Stars, Season 35 Premiere — Disney/Eric McCandless

Still, his sister and Dancing With the Stars host Julianne Houghassured contestants they shouldn’t be too nervous about the judges’ scores, telling the cast, “Nobody should be freaking out just yet.”

And Olson, a player for the Savannah Bananas who danced the Cha Cha to the Spice Girls‘ “Wannabe,” wasn’t too worried, telling E! News, “I hope that we can up those scores in the following weeks.”

But taking the stage as the first couple of the night certainly put some extra pressure on the 28-year-old.

“I was definitely more nervous within the last five minutes before we went on,” he confessed. “I wasn’t nervous from six minutes, and then this morning I wasn’t nervous at all. Then that pre-show hit? I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh.'”

“This is it,” Olson exclaimed. “We’re opening the show too, so I feel like once we’re not opening the show—if we don’t open the show next week—the nerves will be down.”

For a look at all the celebs competing on season 35 of Dancing With the Stars, keep reading.