Carrie Ann Inaba – Judge

[karalott]

I was new to the show last season, and for a few weeks in the beginning, Carrie Ann was my favorite judge. She seemed the most humane of the three. I got over that soon enough! This silly obsession with lifts, the erratic comments, the vaporishness . . . is she going out of her way to copy Paula Abdul, or what? It's really been so long since CA has voiced a comment I can respect. It all sounds like schoolgirl babbling or else schoolgirl sniping to me. The tears over Jennifer Grey's first dance would have been touching last year, but now they seemed . . .fake is not the right word because I'm sure CA felt sincere about them . . .but unprofessional at the least. Judges ought to be a tad more dispassionate, especially that early in the season.

I'm not familiar with CA's professional work or the venue she came from . . .she's an attractive lady but it seems like it's been quite a while since her perfoming days. Can she or Bruno even duplicate the dances the contestants are doing with perfect form? I doubt it. Does coming from the music video world qualify one to judge ballroom in any sort of meaningful way? CA's commentary is so often up in the ether, I'm not even sure what she's getting at. Frankly, the only judge I can wholly respect is Len. He's often crabby, but I feel like he knows what he's talking about, and, if called upon, could actually dance these steps with the proper form.

CA was one of the Fly Girl dancers on In Living Color. She danced as a back up during Madonna's Girlie Show tour back in the early 90s (Youtube any clips from that, and while you may not be able to pick CA out of the group, you might look at her differently). I don't believe she or Bruno have any or much knowledge of ballroom, and if you watch either international versions of DWTS, or the early seasons of ours where lifts happened, she said nothing. If it was against the rules or a big issue, I would think Len and Bruno would point it out, too. Frankly, I think it's an easy way to dock someone a point if you don't want them taking over the lead. I feel for the celebs, because they aren't pros (most of them anyway), and it's something that can happen innocently. I'm waiting for the day for a couple to say screw it and just go lift crazy to shove in her face. I feel Bruno and CA's dance background if more hip hop/contemporary, or at least mainstream. Bruno danced in an Elton John video. Since he and Len also judge SCD in England, their inclusion makes sense. Not sure who CA got the job over.

At this point, I think the judges and the show are over pretending to be fair, or making it less obvious what's going to happen. It'll probably come out in the not too distant future it's a TV show, they need the ratings, so if it means kissing up to controversial clunkers, rigging the outcome, and ensuring popular pros stick around and get praise for standing there, so be it.

[TiaMaria62]

I've seen Carrie Ann co-host on Regis and Kelly a couple of times. I have to say she was very, very good and....likeable on that. She was very personable, shared quite a bit about her personal life, and was on the ball with interviewing guests, interacting with the audience and bantering with Regis. That is a career direction she should pursue.

I find her to be the complete opposite on DWTS - very unlikeable, grandstanding or just very immature and unreasonably snarky at times as though she has something to prove.

[fluff]

CA's credentials to judge on DWTS have been called into question more than once, so she might well think she has something to prove.
I think that's why she's taken on the role of "lift police". For the most part it's fairly easy to spot a lift or to make general references to pointing toes and extending arms.
That way she gets to critique on something she observed without having to know much about the specific requirements of each dance.

[Columbia, MD]

After watching DWTS last night, I think Carrie Ann and Bruno needs to hold hands and walk off into the sunlight together. They should be replaced for next season. Just one fan's opinion.

[Coco46]

After watching DWTS last night, I think Carrie Ann and Bruno needs to hold hands and walk off into the sunlight together. They should be replaced for next season. Just one fan's opinion.

More than one fan's opinion!!! CA gets sillier and B gets meaner. I say ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!

[Oceansands]

[/B]

More than one fan's opinion!!! CA gets sillier and B gets meaner. I say ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!

Same here. When the judges get too horrible to watch it's time to leave this dog and pony show. Can't tolerate CA and Bruno another second, what a gruesome twosome.

[karalott]

CA came across like such an airhead last night, especially during Rick/Cheryl's rumba. She makes it so obvious who she's pulling for and who she isn't. The lift thing has got to go. I realize it's the only thing she can point out that makes it look like she knows what she's talking about. But it's gotten old. And it's not fair to the celebs who might otherwise put together a flawless routine for her to take a point off because there may or may not have been a lift. I used to think it was Bruno who needed to be hosed down. He isn't bothering me as much as he did the first 2 weeks. That was just awkward. But I worry one of these days he may accidentally knock Len out doing one of his arm demonstrations.

[LuvThisStuf!]

Maybe ABC was trying to pave the way for CA & B (the "gruesome twosome" - I like that) to be replaced on DWTS by giving them their own show a while back. Too bad it flopped. I never watched it but can just imagine how bad it might have been based on how they behave on this show.

I haven't watched DWTS since B's comments to Michael Bolton, but have caught clips on other shows and have been reading posts here, and can hear people's frustration. It doesn't seem like the same, fun show it used to be. Sad, really. I say keep Len and replace the bookends and try to get it back on track about ballroom dancing. My 2 pence.

[Lucky22]

Maybe ABC was trying to pave the way for CA & B (the "gruesome twosome" - I like that) to be replaced on DWTS by giving them their own show a while back. Too bad it flopped. I never watched it but can just imagine how bad it might have been based on how they behave on this show.

I haven't watched DWTS since B's comments to Michael Bolton, but have caught clips on other shows and have been reading posts here, and can hear people's frustration. It doesn't seem like the same, fun show it used to be. Sad, really. I say keep Len and replace the bookends and try to get it back on track about ballroom dancing. My 2 pence.

Ever since I found out shortly after the launch of this show that CA and B had no ballroom experience, I've had a difficult time understanding why they were hired to judge the dancers ... it seems preposterous! I realize that TV is full of people who are encouraged to expound loudly when they have no particular experience or credentials to back them up (cough*Elisabeth Hasseltwit*cough), but Bruno has been allowed to continue for his amusement value and CA for her ... well, I don't know what because I can't think of a thing other than ornamentation value. It is well past time to send them on their way and replace them with judges who have both ballroom experience and are personable enough to add to the show. Surely ABC execs can find two such people somewhere on this planet!

[RickiRick]

CA hosting 1 vs. 100?

That show and DWTS have something in common--both can stretch 15 minutes of content to fill a full hour.

Really, 1 vs 100 is the one show I keep saying: this could be interesting, but I'm not going to watch 60 minutes of this to see only a half dozen questions answered.

Bob Saget did as well as anyone could hope for on that show. I'll tune in to watch CA give it a try.