Former Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke has some suggestions for how the ABC competition show’s judging panel can increase their knowledge and offer better critiques to contestants.
Speaking on the Wednesday (December 4) episode of her Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast, Burke responded to a fan question about whether the judges should hold contestants to “true ballroom dancing” standards as they did in the past.
Burke agreed they should but noted, “However, you have to know what you’re talking about, right? So, they have to be able to back up whatever they say.”
“If you’re just saying things because you know it’s the right terminology, and you can’t explain yourself as to why it should be a certain way, then it’s kind of hard,” she continued, per Us Weekly. “Unless they get judges that have more ballroom experience than some of the current ones that are seated there as of last season. You can’t really be more strict in a genre that you’re not an expert in, is my point.”
Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 34; Disney / Eric McCandless
The show’s current judging panel consists of Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, the majority of which Burke said are “not experts in the niche of ballroom dancing.”
Burke, who appeared on 26 seasons of DWTS (winning twice), suggested the judges take the “adjudicator’s exam” and “continue to educate themselves on their craft” just like the pro dancers do.
“I also think Derek should take his adjudicator’s exam. Carrie Anne should do it… so should Bruno,” she added. “I think that’s important, and why wouldn’t you wanna do that? After all these years, if you weren’t as familiar with the genre, why don’t you familiarize yourself with it? Or maybe they have, I don’t know. I’m not them.”
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Adjudicator exams are administered by The National Dance Council of America, allowing those who pass them to officially serve as judges in national dance competitions. According to the NDCA website, “the first part of the exam is a written portion which is based on judges conduct, rules and protocols” and “the second part of the exam is a theory review in all styles and levels.”
The most recent season of DWTS saw fans criticizing Inaba for what they deemed “unfair” and “biased” scoring, particularly aimed towards female contestants. Inaba is a singer and dancer who rose to fame as a member of the “Fly Girls” — a group of dancers on the television series In Living Color — from 1990 to 1992.
Do you agree with Burke? Should the DWTS judges take the adjudicator’s exam? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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