Danielle Fishel’s Co-star Is Not Glad With ‘DWTS’ Judges

Rider Strong and Will Friedle didn’t mince their words while calling out the judges for running what they saw as a “personal vendetta” against their friend. They slammed the group, particularly Carrie Ann Inaba, for his or her biased scores.

Danielle Fishel joined the beloved dance competition for its thirty fourth season, partnering with skilled dancer Pasha Pashkov. Although the actress has accepted the judges’ criticisms with an open mind, her partner didn’t appreciate the “unfair” situation.

During Saturday’s episode of the “Pod Meets World” podcast, Strong and Friedle slammed “DWTS” judges for selecting on their friend. Strong stressed that he had held back his anger after watching the judges’ blatant favoritism week after week until he could now not endure it.

“I wanted to provide them the advantage of the doubt. At this point, it’s beginning to feel like a private vendetta,” Strong said. He noted that the judges didn’t seem open to the concept of Fishel “working her ass off?” every week to bring the difficult choreographies to life.

Friedle echoed similar sentiments, directing his anger at Inaba for consistently scoring Fishel poorly, irrespective of how good her performance was.

“Carrie Ann has her favorites, and she or he’ll have two or three that irrespective of what they do, they might walk on the stage, trip, hit their face, and she or he’d be like, ‘You tried so hard, 9!'” he argued.

Strong and Friedle weren’t the one ones to call out the judges’ unfair scoring, particularly Inaba’s rankings. Page Six reported that Fishel’s pro dance partner slammed the TV personality for unfairly judging his partner in October.

The drama occurred through the competition’s Dedication Night, where Fishel and Pashkov performed a jive as a tribute to the actress’ “Boy Meets World” co-star, William “Bill” Daniels, who played Mr. Feeny on the beloved ABC sitcom.

Inaba was unimpressed by Fishel and Pashkov’s performance, noting their routine made her feel like she was watching the identical thing as their last performance. Her words sparked boos from the gang, with Pashkov equally slamming her in an interview.

“I used to be not pleased. I all the time get protective. For me, that comment felt unfair, especially being that she said that the dances looked similar,” Pashkov confessed. He added that the routine was not much like his last performance and tried educating Inaba on the differences.

While Fishel’s dance partner and friends disliked the criticisms she received from the judges, she had a special response to the situation. The actress previously voiced her appreciation for the judges’ criticisms and even claimed Inaba wasn’t fallacious.

As an alternative of feeling upset like Pashkov was, Fishel took Inaba’s words as motivation to do higher during her next performance. She described the judge’s same-old-routine comment because the “perfect setup” for her Argentine Tango through the show’s “Wicked Night.”

Nonetheless, Fishel drew the road when Inaba commented on her body. During her critique, the judge had described Fishel as a “tiny, little woman,” sparking backlash. Inaba eventually apologized for hurting the TV personality, noting she never meant to body shame her.

Fishel’s positive reactions to the judges’ low scores might stem from her decision to embrace this 12 months with an open mind. The Blast covered the story, reporting in September that the actress had opened up about her decision to hitch the dance competition.

She explained that joining the TV show was the right solution to cap off her breast cancer journey. Fishel explained that her health scare made her realize that she had spent a significant slice of her life prioritizing her responsibilities without having fun.

On that note, when “DWTS” showrunners got here knocking on her door with a suggestion to take part in their thirty fourth season, Fishel happily said yes. She claimed she had promised to say “yes to this 12 months” and have latest, fun experiences.

Fishel’s breast cancer battle began in 2024 when she was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early type of the condition. She made her diagnosis public in August 2024 on her podcast, later revealing that she had undergone a lumpectomy and a margin revision surgery.

The TV personality treatment continued with 20 rounds of radiation, which caused painful reactions corresponding to a rash and a “bad sunburn.” Months later, The Blast shared in February that Fishel had opened up about her “Girl Meets World” experience on her podcast.

The sitcom was a reboot of the “Boy Meets World” series, nevertheless it allegedly lacked the fun, loving atmosphere of its predecessor. Fishel confessed that it was difficult working on the series for 3 years, as she often felt “ostracized” and “criticized” on the set.