DWTS Fans Protest Favoritism After Surprise Eliminations, Perfect Scores on Wicked Night

Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars featured a highly praised Wicked Night where several performances sparked controversy over judges' scoring and eliminations. Conservationist Robert Irwin and partner Witney Carson delivered a highly acclaimed jazz routine but failed to earn any 10s, prompting fans to accuse the judges of unfair scoring and favoritism, especially after influencer Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas received the first perfect 10s of the season. Elaine Hendrix also called out the inconsistent judging after receiving lower scores than expected despite emotional and technically impressive performances, further fueling fan dissatisfaction. The elimination of fan-favorite Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold shocked viewers, many of whom believed it was unjust while lower-ranked competitors like Andy Richter remained in the competition, leading to accusations of favoritism and bias against certain contestants. Social media was flooded with criticism targeting the judges, particularly Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, over perceived preferential treatment and inflated scores for select couples. Overall, fans are increasingly vocal about perceived discrepancies in scoring and eliminations, questioning the fairness and transparency of the competition this season.