'Boy Meets World' stars slam 'DWTS' judges' treatment of Danielle Fishel, call it 'personal vendetta'
'Dancing with the Stars' Season 34 is grabbing major attention both on and off screen. While Danelle Fishel became the latest contestant to bid adieu to the dance competition, it was her 'Boy Meets World' co-star's remarks on the judges that are grabbing major attention. It turns out that the co-stars not only criticized the judges for being biased towards Fishel but also accused them of holding a 'personal vendetta' against her.
'Boy Meets World' stars Rider Strong and Will Friedle blamed the judges of the dance competition for showing partiality against their co-star Fishel, as per Parade. "Carrie Ann [Inaba] has her favorites, and she'll have two or three that no matter what they do, they could walk on the stage, trip, hit their face, and she'd be like, 'You tried so hard,'" Friedle said during the Saturday, November 1, episode of the trio's 'Pod Meets Twirl'd' podcast. Friedle said, "Danielle does the best thing where she's doing triple flips and she's like, 'You've got to hold your shoulders different too,' and it's like, 'What the f**k?'' Strong agreed with Friedle's remarks, noting that Carrie Ann Inaba, along with fellow judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, has been consistently harsh in scoring Fishel's performance.
Strong voiced his growing frustration over the judges' treatment of Fishel, telling Friedle, "I'm with you, man. I held back the anger. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. At this point, it's starting to feel like a personal vendetta." He then questioned the judges' fairness, asking, "Are you guys open to the potential that Danielle might be working her ass off?"
Notably, Inaba clarified that she never intended to upset Fishel with her earlier comment about her "tiny" body in the latest episode, as per E! News. The judge offered an apology to Fishel during this week's episode of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night, following her and partner Pasha Pashkov's performance. The apology came after Fishel admitted that Inaba's remark from the Tuesday, October 28, Halloween Night episode had stayed with her. At the time, Inaba had told her, "You have to use the space because you are a tiny little woman."
"I am a tiny little woman," Fishel reflected in a confessional, adding, "but she's big on the inside—more powerful—so I need to unleash her more often." Fortunately, Fishel's partner, Pashkov, took Inaba's earlier comment to heart when planning their next dance. He explained that he choreographed a contemporary routine to Aerosmith's 'Dream On' specifically to address the feedback. "Carrie Ann wants her to fill out the space more,” Pasha said on Tuesday, Nov. 4, "and contemporary is the perfect style to put [that] into action."