HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / REALITY TV

‘DWTS’ pro Sasha Farber calls out ‘crazy’ guest judge for ‘messing it all up’ with his over-the-top antics

Remember when Gene Simmons appeared on 'DWTS'? Turns out, the pro dancers have quite a bit to talk on that

‘DWTS’ always has a place for fun additions, and Gene Simmons’ appearance as guest judge was just that, or that's what people thought. According to season 33 pro dancer Sasha Farber, it was more “crazy” than fun. In an interview with the New York Post, Farber admitted that Simmons’ commentaries and scores were all over the place. The pro dancer tried to make sense of why the KISS bassist and singer said wonderful things about their performance, then gave a score of 7. “Besides being beautiful, you deliver,” he told Farber’s celebrity partner Jenn Tran. Despite praising the act and Tran’s performance, Simmons gave low scores.

‘The Bachelorette’ and Farber performed a paso doble to ‘The Final Countdown’ by Europe. Even the main judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli awarded the duo a score of 8s, but Simmons’ unexpectedly low score messed up their total. “He messed it all up, Gene, goddammit,” Farber told the outlet. “Not even the scores, but the commentary was crazy,” he added. This was a popular opinion, as another pro dancer, Brandon Armstrong, had a similar remark about the guest judge. Armstrong admitted that he “could not keep track of what [Simmons] was saying.”

The singer’s appearance on the show coincided with Armstrong's brief stint as a judge on ‘DWTS’ season 33. While the latter was giving his commentary, Simmons chimed in to shower compliments on the celebrity contestants and dancers. Especially for Witney Carson, Emma Slater, Chandler Kinney, and Brooks Nader. The rocker’s over-the-top compliments for these ladies and their appearances visibly made them uncomfortable. He also gave Sports Illustrated model Nader her first 10 of the season, but the producers chucked the bit, claiming technical issues. Contestant Phaedra Parks also has issues with Simmons’ scoring.

The ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ star and her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy performed a stunning routine of Jovi-themed paso doble. However, the 75-year-old guest judge only scored a 5 for the dance. “I loved the routine, and I think we did good, despite Gene Simmons being a total ding-a-ling,” she told Page Six. “I figured he [Simmons] didn’t like short black women,” the Bravo star added. ‘DWTS’ fans also slammed the singer’s behavior. Although he didn’t post about his stint on social media, viewers went to his older posts to leave comments. “Don’t ever come back to ‘DWTS,’” one Instagram user wrote.

“I THINK BASING YOUR SCORING OFF OF THE BEAUTY OF THE WOMAN IS DISGUSTING,” a second social media user commented. “Never go back on 'DWTS' ever again,” another fan added. Despite receiving backlash, Simmons didn’t regret his words or actions. According to E! News, the musician addressed the controversy, saying, “I stand by every word I said.” The beloved dance competition show is gearing up for season 34 with Robert Irwin and Alix Earle as contestants. The rest of the celebrity participants are yet to be announced but speculations suggest that ‘The Traitors’ Dylan Efron could be joining the show.  ‘DWTS’ season 34 is set to premiere sometime in the fall of 2025.