“Dancing with the Stars” fans are still reeling from rocker Gene Simmons’ appearance as a guest judge on season 33.
The KISS bassist and singer stunned fans with his over-the-top comments and all over-the-board scores during the show’s live Hair Metal Night on October 8, 2024.
In a post-show interview with the New York Post, pro dancer Sasha Farber tried to make sense of Simmons’ remarks and scoring. Farber seemed befuddled that the rock legend told his partner Jenn Tran, “Besides being beautiful, you deliver,” but didn’t give her a high score.
Despite saying Tran “delivered,” Simmons gave “The Bachelorette” and Farber a score of “7” for their a paso doble to “The Final Countdown” by Europe. The other three judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, awarded the couple 8s.
“He messed it all up, Gene, goddammit,” Farber told the outlet. “Not even the scores, but the commentary was crazy.”
Fellow pro dancer Brandon Armstrong agreed that he “could not keep track of what [Simmons] was saying” during his stint as DWTS judge.
Other DWTS Stars and Fans Were Stunned by Gene Simmons’ Remarks & Scores
During his commentary, Simmons piled on compliments to attractive DWTS celebs and dancers, including Witney Carson, Emma Slater, Chandler Kinney, and Brooks Nader. Carson, especially, appeared uncomfortable by the rocker’s comments about her looks. Simmons also gave Sports Illustrated model Nader the first “10” of the season, but producers took it back due to a technicality.
In addition, “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Phaedra Parks was not happy with Simmons scoring. The 75-year-old guest judge only scored Parks a “5” for her Bon Jovi-themed paso doble with pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy.
“I loved the routine, and I think we did good, despite Gene Simmons being a total ding-a-ling,” Parks told Page Six following the live show. “I figured he [Simmons] didn’t like short black women,” the Bravo star added.
Some fans didn’t like Simmons, period. While he did not post to social media about his DWTS guest gig, some viewers sought out old posts on his Instagram page to leave comments.
“Don’t ever come back to dwts,” one commenter wrote to the rock star.
“Never go back on dwts ever again,” another agreed.
“I THINK BASING YOUR SCORING OFF OF THE BEAUTY OF THE WOMAN IS DISGUSTING,” another irate viewer wrote.
According to E! News, despite the backlash over his comments, Simmons said after the show, “I stand by every word I said.”
Mark Ballas Will Be the Next Guest Judge on DWTS Season 33
Diehard “Dancing With the Stars” fans will likely take less issue with the show’s next guest judge. On October 8, 2024, it was announced that veteran DWTS pro dancer Mark Ballas will return to the ballroom as a guest judge. Ballas will judge the Dedication theme night.
Ballas is a fan favorite who most recently won the mirrorball trophy with Charlie D’Amelio on “Dancing With the Stars” season 31. He is also the best friend of fellow DWTS judge Derek Hough.
Ballas will be the third guest judge on “Dancing With the Stars” this season. In addition to Simmons’ controversial stint, former “Soul Train” dancer Rosie Perez served as a judge for the “Soul Train” theme night that aired just before Hair Metal Night.
