Flavor Flav clears the air on his 'DWTS' scoring flub — and why producers stopped him from correcting it
Along with the heartbreaking elimination of Danelle Fishel, the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame night of 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 34 is grabbing major headlines for its guest judge, Flavor Flav. The rapper found himself at the center of public scrutiny all thanks to his chaotic scores. Fans criticized Flav for handing out perfect 10s without even thinking twice, but robbing Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy of a deserving perfect score. However, Flav revealed that he accidentally gave the wrong score to Earle and Chmerkovskiy, and the makers did not allow him to change it.
As per reports, during Week 8, two pairs, Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas, and Earle and Chmerkovskiy, tied for the top spot with 39 out of 40 points. While Leavitt led the leaderboard overall due to her consistently high scores, Earle and Chmerkovskiy narrowly missed a perfect score because of an error from Flav, as per Prime Timer.
Speaking exclusively to People on Tuesday, November 4, Flav admitted the mistake, explaining, "I gave them a nine, which was an accident. I really wanted to give them a 10, but they wouldn’t let me change it." Recalling the moment, Flav said, "I went, 'No. No, that was an accident. I don't want to give them a nine. I want to give them a 10.' But they were like, 'Flavor, it's already locked in. You can't change it.' I'm like, 'Oh man.'"
He further added, "That's how the game goes. You know what I'm saying?" Flav explained that he was looking for "precision and preciseness and the perfect timing" to give a perfect score, qualities he believed Earle and Chmerkovskiy's performance had. The musician continued, "I looked for the perfect timing. You know what I'm saying? And I looked for the perfect teamwork. Each one of these couples tonight had all that and more."
Notably, Earle and Chmerkovskiy had performed a passionate Paso Doble to Bon Jovi's 1986 hit 'Livin' on a Prayer.' The routine earned high praise from the judges, with Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Derek Hough all giving them 10s, while Flav's accidental 9 brought their total to 39 out of 40. Tonioli described the performance as "electrifying," while Inaba praised the couple's teamwork.
Hough commended how they "aced the challenge of controlling such a high-energy routine." Following the performance, Flav stood up and remarked, "I was watching y'all moves. The unison and the timing were great. You all were so good," before being cut off by the music.
