'Dancing With the Stars': Carrie Ann Inaba Breaks Major Set Rule

11/11/2021 09:54 am EST

Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba did not fall off a chair during Janet Jackson Night, but she did leave the judge's table in a brief moment that had fans buzzing on Twitter. After her former The Talk co-star Amanda Kloots performed, Inaba ran from her seat to give the contestant a hug. Some fans accused Inaba of showing favoritism, but Kloots and her pro dance partner Alan Bersten have earned strong scores from all the judges throughout the season.

Kloots and Bersten danced a Jazz-style dance to "Miss You Much" Monday. After a difficult week of rehearsals, as shown in the pre-dance package, the performance was perfect. When it was Inaba's turn to give comments on Kloots' performance, Inaba walked onto the stage and hugged Kloots. 

Host Tyra Banks motioned with her ear, noting that she got a message from producers that they couldn't stop the live show. Inaba didn't offer a critique, and Banks moved on to Len Goodman. Kloots and Bersten wound up getting 10s from all four judges, so Inaba wasn't the only one excited about the performance.

Inaba and Kloots became friends during their stints on The Talk together. Even before the show began, there was some worry that Inaba would show favoritism towards her friend. In a Parade interview, Kloots said she hoped her friend would not give her special treatment.

"I wish she would be an impartial judge," Kloots said last month. "No, Carrie Ann is a dancer, and she knows that I want tough love. She knows that I want corrections. She knows that I want her to be hard on me. And also, that's not her personality. She's an honest, strong woman. She has to do her job and I want her to do her job. I promise you there will be no special treatment there. I wish there would be."

Kloots was an ensemble dancer on Broadway. She met her second husband, the late Nick Cordero while working on Bullets Over Broadway. She gained national attention when she chronicled every step of Cordero's struggle with COVID-19 complications before his death in July 2020. She joined The Talk permanently in January and released her book Live Your Life, written with her sister, in June. DWTS airs on ABC at 8 p.m. ET on Mondays.

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