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Harry Shum Jr. is dancing off the controversy surrounding Carrie Ann Inaba’s critique of his lift during Super Bowl Night on Dancing With the Stars season 35.
“Everyone take a deep breath! It’s all going to be OK!” Shum, 44, wrote in a comment on Dancing With the Stars’ official Instagram on Wednesday, October 14, after the page shared photos from his and partner Jenna Johnson’s dance the night before.
The Grey’s Anatomy star continued, “Lots of madness in this world already so let’s just enjoy being entertained!!! I got to dance on national television again and people felt many things! I love it all. Thank you for watching and caring so much tho ❤️.”
During the Tuesday, October 13, episode of DWTS, Shum and Johnson, 32, performed a samba to “Yeah!” by Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris. Things got a bit tense afterward when judge Carrie Ann Inaba pointed out that their dance included a lift, which is not allowed in a traditional samba. Johnson looked visibly confused and questioned the critique, which prompted Inaba, 58, to interrupt judge Derek Hough’s commentary to provide the definition of a lift.
“‘A lift is any movement during which one of the dancers has both feet off the floor at the same time with the assistance or support of their partner,’” Inaba read before adding, “Yeah, a lift.”
Despite the commentary, Inaba gave the pair a score of 8 out of 10, prompting fans to argue that she was inconsistent in her commentary and scoring. (Hough, 41, and guest judge Joe Buck also gave Shum and Johnson an 8, while Bruno Tonioli gave them a 9, for a total score of 33 out of 40.)
Johnson later told cohost Julianne Hough that she thought the “no lifts” rule only applied if she was lifting her celebrity partner. (The dance featured troupe members hoisting Shum into the air, not Johnson.)
At the end of the night, there were no hard feelings between Inaba and Johnson.
“You know what, it’s hard, because usually when someone’s called out for a lift, it’s when your partner lifts you,” Johnson told Extra after the episode. “So I was definitely unaware of, like, two guys that weren’t myself rolling back Harry and lifting him. But I absolutely hear Carrie Ann.”
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Johnson added, “She’s a judge for a reason. She’s gonna do her job, I’m gonna do mine. I’m gonna take the feedback.”
Johnson, who is 10 years into her career as a DWTS pro, said she “would never do something intentionally” in her choreography that “would break the rules.”
“I like to take risks, but I also love rules,” she noted. “And I said that to her afterwards; I went up to her … so I hear and respect the judges, absolutely.”
