Shirley Ballas has been the main judge on the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing for nearly a decade. Dancing With The Stars viewers finally got to see the icon in action over the summer. She judged the show’s Next Pro competition alongside her son, Mark Ballas, and Derek Hough. Now, she’s scheduled to guest judge the OG DWTS, but fans think it’s a total “waste.” Keep reading to find out why.
DWTS Fans Blast ‘Waste’ Of Guest Judge Shirley Ballas
Shirley Ballas is well-known in the professional dance world. She’s considered an expert in Latin American dances. She regularly judges competitive dance competitions, as well as Strictly Come Dancing. The ABC dance competition features the five core Latin dances: the Rumba, Samba, Cha-Cha-Cha, Paso Doble, and the Jive.
However, her guest judging stint lands on the Horror Movie Night instead of a night dedicated to Latin dances. As a result, fans consider her appearance a complete “waste” of her time. Of the ten remaining couples, four are scheduled to perform contemporary, one will perform a Viennese Waltz, one will perform a Jazz, one will perform a Paso Doble, and three will do an Argentine Tango.
Fans took to Reddit to react to the misuse of Shirley Ballas for the evening, especially after former NFL player Joe Buck guest-hosted on Super Bowl Night.
- “Queen of latin and she came to a night where there will be 1 latin”
- “she should have been saved for a night with more traditional ballroom/latin styles.”
- “The night should have been Latin only dances. What a missed opportunity.”
- “The queen of Latin dance, who built a long career in ballroom and Latin dancing, is only going to judge one Latin dance and one ballroom dance. What an enormous waste.”
- “She will be brutal, and I can’t wait.
Another concern fans have is how she can be impartial when judging her son’s routine.
Mark Ballas Jokes Mom Would ‘Roast’ Him As Judge
Mark Ballas and his celeb partner, Maura Higgins, have a real chance at winning DWTS. However, fans wonder how his mother can give him a fair score. But maybe they shouldn’t worry. Long before his mom was announced a guest judge, Mark Ballas predicted his mom would “roast” him with her scores if she ever made an appearance on DWTS.
He opened up earlier this year to PEOPLE magazine about how his mother is harsh, but helpful in her judging. “My mom’s not going to tell you, ‘Well, I don’t like it,’” Mark told the outlet. “She will tell you, ‘I don’t like it. Here’s why.’”
The DWTS fan favorite added, “She is so knowledgeable about Latin American ballroom dancing that she can give you constructive feedback that is simple, concise and to the point that you can take further.”
Even though they think DWTS is wasting Shirley Ballas’ talent, fans can’t wait to see her in the ballroom. Don’t miss Halloween Night on Tuesday, October 27.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger