Witney Carson and Guillermo Rodriguez are redeeming themselves with the Dancing With the Stars judges after low scores during the season 35 premiere.
“I feel like we’re slowly winning them over,” Carson, 32, exclusively told Us after the Tuesday, September 22, live show.
Rodriguez, 55, added, “Yeah, little by little. We didn’t hear [any] bad comments, nothing.”
During Tuesday’s Viral Hits Night, Carson and Rodriguez danced the paso doble to Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been,” earning 4s across the board from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli for a total score of 12 out of 30. This marked a two-point improvement from the 10 they earned during the premiere — the second-lowest score ever received by a DWTS duo. (Carson exclusively told Us last week that she thought their premiere scores were “lame.”)
Rodriguez, who is known for being Jimmy Kimmel’s late night TV sidekick, told Us on Tuesday that he went into his second performance feeling more confident than he did in the premiere.
“I feel way better,” he shared. “Last week, I was nervous a lot. This week I was nervous a little bit … but it was a great music [choice]. Witney chose it.”
Carson explained, “Rihanna makes him feel confident. So I was like, ‘We’re going with Rihanna this week,’ absolutely. [He] had so much confidence this week.”
Rodriguez continued, “The most challenging part is to learn the steps. … I gotta memorize the step[s] and everything. I never danced before, but listen, I’m enjoying [it]. I’m learning, having a good time.”
Despite receiving low scores from the judges, audience votes have saved Rodriguez and Carson from elimination. According to Carson — who is currently expecting her third baby with Carson McCallister — that’s the whole point of the show.
“This is not a dance competition,” she said in an Instagram Story on September 16. “Yes, of course, us pros take pride in, like, making the best dance possible, and we want our celebrities to become better. If it were truly a dance competition, every single celebrity would come into the competition with the same level of dance experience.”
Carson pointed out that Rodriguez entered the show with zero dance experience, while cast members like Jenna Dewan and Harry Shum Jr. have a trained background.
“So it isn’t fair, and that’s the point. The point is to vote for your favorite, and that’s why the voting system is in place,” she continued. “So, just wanted to give my two cents. Remember, it is [to] vote for your favorite. If you love to watch dance and you love to watch good dancing, that’s what you’re gonna vote for.”
New episodes of Dancing With the Stars air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.
