Dancing with the Stars pro Ezra Sosa is speaking out following online controversy among fans who believe that not all of the scores from Tuesday's Dedication Night episode were doled out fairly. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba gave Robert Irwin and Alix Earle 8s for dances that many fans saw as the best of the night, while she gave Dylan Efron and Whitney Leavitt 9s despite having major critiques about their technical executions of their respective dances. Some fans also had gripes with Jordan Chiles getting all 8s for her dance with her father after the judges dubbed it "spectacular," "touching and profound," which her pro partner Ezra weighed in on Thursday.
"I've been seeing a lot of discourse online surrounding the scores from Dedication Night," Ezra wrote in an Instagram Stories post. "And while I'm genuinely happy with the scores I received and fully agree with them, I also believe that this night is about so much more than numbers. Dedication Night is meant to honor the stories, emotions, and people who shape who we are. Watching everyone fight over who deserved higher or lower scores takes away from the heart of what this night is supposed to represent. There's a reason no one went home that night it's about LOVE, not competition."
Ezra wasn't the only pro to speak out following the controversy. Pasha Pashkov, who is paired with actress Danielle Fishel, said he thought Carrie Ann's comment that their team's dances were "starting to feel like I'm watching the same dance over and over again" was unfair.
"I was not happy," Pasha told Variety after Tuesday's episode. "I always get protective. For me, that comment felt unfair, especially being that she said that the dances looked similar. But the thing is, we did have a quickstep and we had a jive this week. These are two dances that very, very similar. If we had dances that were drastically different and they felt the same, I'd understand. But based on the dances that we had, that did not feel like it made sense to me. In my heart, I'm overprotective because I know how hard Danielle is working. I don't think she deserved that comment."
After one fan complained in the comments section of Carrie Ann's Instagram post about the evening, the judge offered a response to those who disagreed with her scores.
"It's okay to disagree about what we see," she wrote. "That's what makes our show great. You have a say in the matter. We want you to vote for what you love and believe in. I appreciate your comment and the way you expressed your feelings. Thank you for your passion and your opinion."
Here's the full scoring breakdown from week 5's Dedication Night:
Andy Richter and Emma Slater
Dance: Salsa to "Jump in the Line" by Harry Belafonte
Scores: Carrie Ann: 6, Derek: 6, guest judge Kym Herjavec: 6; Bruno: 6, Total: 24/40
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson
Dance: Contemporary to "You'll Be in my Heart" by Phil Collins
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 9, Kym: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 35/40
Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten
Dance: Foxtrot to "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" by Natalie Cole
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 7, Kym: 7, Bruno: 8; Total: 30/40
Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas
Dance: Contemporary to "Heal" by Jamal Roberts
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 8, Kym: 8, Bruno: 8; Total: 33/40
Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik
Dance: Viennese waltz to "Rescue" by Lauren Daigle
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 7, Kym: 7, Bruno: 7; Total: 29/40
Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach
Dance: Contemporary to "Rewrite the Stars" by Zac Efron and Zendaya
Scores: Carrie Ann: 9, Derek: 9, Kym: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 36/40
Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa
Dance: Viennese waltz to "Daughters" by John Mayer
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 8, Kym: 8, Bruno: 8; Total: 32/40
Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold
Dance: Foxtrot to "Parallel" by Scott Hoying
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7, Derek: 8, Kym: 7, Bruno: 8; Total: 30/40
Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov
Dance: Jive to "Boy Meets World" by Twenty Cent Crush ft. Phil Rosenthal
Scores: Carrie Ann: 7, Derek: 7, Kym: 7, Bruno: 8; Total: 29/40
Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy
Dance: Contemporary to "Sparks" by Coldplay
Scores: Carrie Ann: 8, Derek: 9, Kym: 9, Bruno: 9; Total: 35/40