Dancing with the Stars loves a theme night. Honestly, who doesn’t? So when Season 33 of DTWS served up Hair Metal Night, I was excited. Plus, legendary KISS member Gene Simmons was also taking a spin at being a guest judge. So, what could possibly go wrong? Well, pretty much everything. Gene’s scoring was all over the place, and he made some creepy comments to the ladies. But DWTS pro-Sasha Farber and his partner, Jenn Tran, still had a good time.
Sasha Farber was fine with Gene Simmon’s remarks
For Hair Metal Night, Jenn and Sasha performed a fiery Paso Doble. Plus, Jenn also did knee walks across the ballroom floor. Celebrities rarely do this difficult move, so the judges were impressed.
Then Gene weighed in. “Well, there’s no question you two make a steamy couple. Sasha is terrific as a professional, does it every day, but all the pressure is on you. I have to say, besides being beautiful, you delivered,” he told Jenn. However, Gene’s praise didn’t translate to his scoring. While Jenn and Sasha nabbed eights from the rest of the judges, Gene gave them a seven. “Don’t hate me,” Gene remarked.
Well, Sasha and Jenn weren’t upset with Gene’s score, or his comments. “Listen, he’s an icon. It’s rock ‘n’ roll night,” Sasha told US Weekly. “It’s Hair Metal Night. And if you think icon, which icon would you think is bigger than Gene Simmons? No one.” The DWTS pro added, “So to have him say that — I’ll take anything he says.” When asked about Gene’s surprising low score, Sasha replied, “It’s OK, Gene, you’re a legend, so we forgive you.”
And Jenn wholeheartedly agreed. “I’ll take anything he says. Listen, I don’t listen to heavy metal, whatever this is. But I know Gene Simmons, and that’s just how amazing he is,” she said.
Some other contestants weren’t quite as forgiving as Jenn and Sasha. After Gene gave Phaedra Parks and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, a score of five for their Paso Doble, Phaedra had some thoughts. “I loved the routine, and I think we did good despite Gene Simmons being a total ding-a-ling,” she quipped.
Next up for the DWTS contestants is Dedication Night. And Jenn is excited about her dance. “I’m dedicating it to Taylor Swift and anybody who knows me knows I’m the biggest friggin’ Swiftie ever. I’m over the f*cking moon about this,” Jenn said.
Have your box of tissues ready for an emotional Dedication Night.
Dancing with the Stars Season 33 airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+.
TELL US – WERE YOU SURPRISED BY GENE’S COMMENTS? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF SASHA AND JENN’S REACTION?
