Why Former “Dancing with the Stars” Contestant Antonio Sabáto Jr. Thinks the Show Is 'Rigged'

During an interview with his former ballroom partner Cheryl Burke, Sabáto Jr. didn't hold back as he reflected on his experience on the show in 2014

A former Dancing with the Stars contestant is lifting the lid on why he believes the fan-favorite show is rigged.

Antonio Sabáto Jr. joined Cheryl Burke on the Sept. 23 episode of her podcast, Sex, Lies and Spray Tans, and the former ballroom partners reflected on their time on the show together.

Sabátor Jr., 52, who competed on season 19 in 2014, didn't hold back as he told Burke: "To be honest, I think that the show is partly rigged in a sense."

Related: 'Dancing with the Stars' Pros: Where Are They Now?

"It is rigged," he claimed. "First of all, if you're not a dancer or you don't have dancing skills from a young age — you're not gonna win."

Sabáto Jr. pointed out that "the majority of past winners are dancers, you know, that have some sort of [experience]," so he believes that "somebody who's never danced" doesn't really stand a chance at winning.

In his opinion, the show should feature celebrities who have "never danced," rather than pitting stars with more experience than others against each other.

"And also the judges, they know who they want, so you gotta keep that persona," he said. "You gotta have personality. There's just a lot of things that they want, that the show wants."

Related: Cheryl Burke Shares Her Advice for Celebrities Considering Dancing with the Stars: 'Be Single'

Burke pushed back a little bit against her former partner's claims as she pointed out that one of the show's earliest winners, NFL alum Emmitt Smith, won season 3 with her despite his lack of dancing experience.

"Yeah, but he had moves. He had soul," Sabáto Jr. said. "He was dancing at church. He had that thing going."

Alfonso Ribeiro, who now co-hosts the show with Julianne Hough, was another example Sabáto Jr. mentioned, as he recalled that Ribeiro, 53, "was tap dancing with Michael Jackson" in a 1984 Pepsi commercial, which he saw as a clear precursor to Ribeiro's win in season 19.

PEOPLE has reached out to ABC for comment.

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Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, and streams the next day on Hulu.

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