Yahoo Lifestyle “Dancing With the Stars ”contestant Chandler Kinney admits she's a 'little frustrated' by Carrie Ann Inaba's feedback
Kinney and partner Brandon Armstrong earned 10s from the two other judges, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
What's a girl gotta do to get a 10?
Fans of Dancing With the Stars likely found themselves wondering exactly this on Tuesday night after season 33 contestant Chandler Kinney and her professional partner, Brandon Armstrong, delivered a stunning Viennese Waltz — and judge Carrie Ann Inaba told her, "That wasn't perfection."
Inaba also noted that Kinney had the "hardest dance" of the night, alongside fellow contestant Ilona Maher with her tango. But Inaba only gave Kinney a 9 and Maher an 8, despite giving other dances, which she clearly deemed a lesser degree of difficulty a 10. Inaba's high standards for Kinney have been constant throughout the season, and the Pretty Little Lies star admits that it's getting old.
Related: Dancing With the Stars recap: Halloween Nightmares Night scares up first 10s of the season
"The judges do push me really, really hard because they have high expectations," she told Entertainment Weekly on the post-show press line. "I understand, and I take the criticism. But tonight, it was probably showing a bit, I was getting a little frustrated because I wanted to know what to do. Otherwise, when I get to rehearsal, I'm a little lost."
Disney/Christopher Willard
Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong on 'Dancing With the Stars'Despite that confusion about what she needs to do to get there, Kinney isn't going to stop fighting for the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy. "We're going find it," she added. "We're going to keep working hard. I just use it as fuel and motivation to go for that perfect score because I want it."
Related: See every Dancing With the Stars season 33 elimination
She at least seems to be on the right track in the eyes of the other judges — Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough. They both gave Kinney and Armstrong a score of 10, with Hough calling the routine "perfection" and awarding his only 10 of the night. That in particular is fueling the duo going into the next week.
"That was amazing," Kinney gushed of his score. "Derek is such a technical judge, and it's rare that you see those 10s from him. That meant the world and gave me the wind beneath my wings."
Related: Every song and dance on Dancing With the Stars season 33
Kinney and Armstrong have consistently nabbed scores of 8 or above since week 2 of the competition, but their performance on Halloween Nightmares night marked their first two 10s. Prior to the addition of the fan votes, Kinney and Armstrong sat atop the leader board tied with Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson.
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Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
