“DWTS” judge Carrie Ann Inaba gets booed over critique of Dwight Howard: 'You can do better than that'

"I'm gonna do a little real talk. That was hard to watch," she told Howard as the crowd immediately and loudly booed her.

The crowd did not hide its displeasure with Carrie Ann Inaba's remarks about Dwight Howard on Dancing With the Stars on Monday night.

After the former NBA star and his pro partner Daniella Karagach danced the cha cha to “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind & Fire, Inaba got blunt at the judges' table. "I'm gonna do a little real talk. That was hard to watch," she told the pair as the crowd immediately and loudly booed her. As the audience continued booing, Inaba told them, "No, I'm gonna tell them because I know he can take the critique."

To Howard, she said, "I know you can do better than that, and you're trying to trick us with all the expressions." Inaba added that she wanted to see him keep the joy but encouraged him to tone the expressions down a bit.

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The other judges echoed her sentiments, albeit without the chorus of boos in the background. Guest judge and actress Rosie Perez said, "I have to agree with my fly girl over here. I love you. You know that I love you on the court. But I think you just need to work a little bit harder, that's it. But I love your passion, I really do, and you had so much fun out there." Panelists Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough also applauded the athlete's enthusiasm and energy, but encouraged him to work on his technique. The judges ultimately gave Howard and Karagach a total score of 23.

Though the audience didn't like the feedback, it wasn't exactly a surprise to the dancing pair, who previously said in their pre-taped package that they were more anxious compared to prior weeks. "This week we had to travel," Karagach told viewers. "We got barely any practice. So I am stressing out because the cha cha is the hardest dance we're gonna do all season and we are learning to do this in two days."

Howard added, "I'm really nervous compared to the last couple of weeks. I should definitely know more steps by now."

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Inaba previously opened up to Entertainment Weekly about her feelings about getting booed by the DWTS studio audience, which has become somewhat of a tradition over the years. "Getting booed comes with the territory," the longtime judge said. "You do have to develop thick skin to be a judge. But, it's all in good fun… it actually makes me happy because when the audience boos, it shows that they are engaged."

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Monday night's episode was Soul Train Night, and did not have an elimination. The competition sashays back onto TV screens Tuesday with Hair Metal Night, which will see at least one elimination. 

Dancing With the Stars regularly airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.