‘Dancing With The Stars’ Slammed For Treating Mark Ballas ‘Like Trash’
Dancing with the Stars is feeling the heat from fans after viewers rushed to the defense of long-time professional dancer Mark Ballas by claiming that the judges on the ABC show have repeatedly been giving the pro and his partner for Season 25, Lindsey Stirling, lower scores then they deserve.
A number of fans of the dancing show slammed the series following the most recent episode on November 6, as many claimed that they believed Mark and Lindsay were once again given much lower scores than they deserved by judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli.
Fans weren’t afraid to make their feelings known across social media, as some even claimed that Mark, who returned to the show this year after making his last appearance on Season 22 in 2016, was being treated “like trash.”
“DWTS really don’t deserve Mark,” Dancing with the Stars fan @shekissedklaus tweeted of the professional dancer, who’s become one of the most recognizable faces on the show. “They treat him like trash season after season. I’m so sick of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves again.”
Others then agreed with the fans’ comments and noted that they too believe Mark and Lindsey have continually been marked in a harsher fashion than the other contestants since the currently airing season began in September.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doxoYEJ_Ezk
The duo performed a samba routine during the November 6 quarter-final episode and received 26 out of 30 from the three judges. The twosome also danced as a trio with former DWTS contestant Kristi Yamaguchi during the show, which earned them a score of 28 out of 30.
“[I’m] sick of @MarkBallas & @LindseyStirling getting underscored all season!!” wrote Twitter user @sheribaby29 after seeing the duo’s scores. “Give them the perfect scores they deserve!! #dwts.”
“Who else thinks that Jordan [Fisher] & Lindsay [Arnold] are getting favored and that Lindsey & Mark are getting underscored? #DWTS” another fan asked, while a fourth wrote on the social media site on November 6, “Why do they underscore [Lindsey] & Mark so bad? #DWTS.”
But despite fans claiming that Ballas and Stirling weren’t given the marks they deserved for their most recent dances, the duo was safe for another week and will be heading into the semi-finals after NFL star Terrell Owens and his professional partner Cheryl Burke were eliminated from the competition.
Mark – whose mom Shirley Ballas appears as a judge alongside Bruno Tonioli on the British version of the dancing series, Strictly Come Dancing – hasn’t responded to the underscoring allegations from fans, though Ballas told E! News last month that he’s not expecting himself and Stirling to get perfect scores every week.
After getting a score of 40 out of 40 as Shania Twain appeared as a guest judge on October 23, Mark admitted that he knows he and Lindsey still have to keep bringing their best week after week.
“The reality is you’re kind of hitting the reset button every week,” Ballas explained when asked how he’d try to top getting a perfect score. “I try not to compare the dances… I kind of just take it on as it comes.”
“We’ll be working just as hard,” Mark then added of returning to the Dancing with the Stars ballroom to try and get 10s across the board once again,” and hopefully it’ll be fun.”
Dancing with the Stars Season 25 airs on Monday nights on ABC.
[Featured Image by Jerod Harris/Getty Images]