Danielle Fishel says a guest judge's "generous" 5 for Tyler Cameron, after 4s for Tatyana Ali and Julia Stiles, fits a pattern of Dancing with the Stars judges going easier on the men.
Former Dancing with the Stars contestant Danielle Fishel thinks the judges go easier on the guys. She has a scorecard to point to.
On the Oct. 29 episode of her podcast Ballroom Breakdown, Fishel and two-time Mirrorball champ Kym Johnson Herjavec broke down Horror Movie Night. Guest judge Shirley Ballas gave 4s to Tatyana Ali and Julia Stiles, then gave Tyler Cameron a 5.
"I also thought that a five was generous," Fishel said. She didn't think Cameron's dance beat the women's. Then she went bigger.
She said the judges, "all of them, have a tendency to be harder on the women." She added, "It could be wrong," but "sometimes the men get a pass that the women don't get."
Entertainment Weekly and Parade picked up the comments Saturday, Nov. 7.
Fishel said viewers at home do it too. Male judges can give "a constructive criticism here or there," she said, while Carrie Ann Inaba and female guest judges "get booed."
"Bruno will absolutely sometimes say the same exact thing that Carrie Ann says," Fishel said. Her verdict: "a little bit of unfairness with how women are treated" on the show.
Here's Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik's Horror Movie Night paso doble, one of the two dances that got a 4 from Ballas:
Did Shirley Ballas really score the men higher?
On that night, yes. Ballas, head judge of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and mom of DWTS pro Mark Ballas, guest-judged on Oct. 27.
Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik: 4 from Ballas, who said she saw no recognizable paso doble moves. Total: 28.
Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa: 4, after Ballas said the Argentine tango wasn't fast enough. Total: 26.
Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess: 5, with praise for his acting skills. Total: 26.
Johnson said she was surprised by the 5 because she "thought the girls were better than that."
Fishel wasn't defending the 4s, either. "I don't think either of those, any of those dances are worthy of fours," she said.
The extra point didn't save Cameron. He and Burgess went home that night in a double elimination with Jackson Olson and Emma Slater.
Johnson has sat on the panel, too. She guest-judged Dedication Night on Oct. 20 and gave out the season's first 10.
Has Carrie Ann Inaba responded to Danielle Fishel?
Not to this. Neither EW nor Parade included a response from Inaba, ABC or BBC Studios, which produces the show.
Inaba has addressed the idea before. An Instagram analysis from Pop Culture Data last season claimed the judges score male celebrities more kindly. Inaba told Variety in November 2025 that the claim was "partly true."
"But in general, I think people are tougher on women," Inaba said then.
How did Danielle Fishel do on Dancing with the Stars?
Fishel competed on Season 34 in fall 2025 with pro Pasha Pashkov. They were eliminated on Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night, Nov. 4, 2025, after a contemporary routine to Aerosmith's "Dream On" that scored 38.
A week earlier, Inaba had called Fishel a "tiny little woman" while telling her to use more space. Inaba apologized on air, and Fishel said she wasn't offended.
Pashkov is back this season with Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn. Fishel and Johnson said on their Nov. 4 episode that they thought he was underscored on Disney Night.
What did Lindsey Vonn say about doing Dancing with the Stars?
Val Chmerkovskiy said on Sherri in February that he'd "love to see Lindsey Vonn on Dancing with the Stars." Vonn answered in Parade on Nov. 7.
"I've been asked a few times," Vonn said. "I don't know if I'm the best dancer. I know I'm very coachable."
"I would obviously go for the disco ball," she said. "I'm not gonna go for second place."
She thanked Chmerkovskiy for trusting her ability, "even though he has no idea if I can dance or not." Her final word: "never say never."
First up is another surgery. Vonn told Parade her ninth, on her ACL, is set for Monday. She was hurt at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. "If all things go well in the surgery, that should be my last one," she said.
Chmerkovskiy won Season 23 with Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, so he has a type.
When is Dancing with the Stars on next?
Grammy Night airs live Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. It streams on Hulu the next day.
Seven couples are left, and the night includes head-to-head dance-offs. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson are immune from those. We rounded up the Grammy Night songs Nov. 5.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Ballroom Breakdown (iHeartPodcasts) (Oct. 29, 2026), Fishel's and Johnson's original comments, plus the Oct. 21 and Nov. 4 episode notes on Johnson's guest judging and the Pashkov scores
Entertainment Weekly (Nov. 7, 2026), the tip, Fishel's quotes and the Ballas scores
Parade (Nov. 7, 2026), additional Fishel quotes, the Pop Culture Data analysis and Lindsey Vonn's interview
Entertainment Now (Oct. 27, 2026), the Horror Movie Night scores and Ballas' comments
Variety, via Us Weekly (Nov. 11, 2025), Inaba's comments on judging women
Parade (Nov. 5, 2025), Inaba's apology and Fishel's Season 34 exit
TV Insider (Nov. 2025), Fishel's "Dream On" routine
Parade (Feb. 17, 2026), Chmerkovskiy's Sherri comments
Entertainment Weekly (Nov. 4, 2026), the Grammy Night couples, dance-offs and immunity
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