'Dancing With Stars' Fans Have Plenty of Carrie Ann Inaba Comments After Kaitlyn Bristowe's Win

Justice for Carrie Ann

Many fans recalled Inaba's reveal that she was being "bullied" over her comments about Bristowe, with some speculating that she changed up her judging in response:

It still don’t sit right with me that bachelor nation bullied Carrie Ann into giving ka*tlyn better scores for her bland ass routines 🥴 #dwts

— jhs (@jacobhenry003) November 24, 2020

So let me get this straight. Not only did they rig #DWTS so that Kaitlyn won this season, but she was not fairly judged in the end because of how her fans bullied carrie ann and she never apologized to her for it. Any of the other teams deserved it over her.

— Tina Marie (@TeeMarie013) November 24, 2020

'Jump on Board'

Others jumped on board blaming the other judges or Bachelor Nation as a whole for how the season played out:

The JUDGES knew Kaitlyn had the win since day 1. Carrie Ann tried to go against it and they ATE HER ALIVE until she was force to jump on board again #DWTS

— Mizz_Carmy (@Mizz_Carmy) November 24, 2020

Carrie Ann works hard but Bachelor Nation works harder #DWTS

— Gäbrîéllè🖤🖤 (@GWeinwurzel) November 24, 2020

Apologize

Some fans even insisted that Bristowe owed Inaba an apology for the way she was treated:

So Kaitlyn knows that her fans have been bullying Carrie Ann because of the feedback that she was given and she could not even give her an apology for that. #DWTS #leavecarrieannalone

— Tina Marie (@TeeMarie013) November 17, 2020

I think Kaitlyn and Artem owe Carrie Ann for their win, but they also owe her an apology because if it weren't for CAI pushing them and getting Kaitlyn to open up, they wouldn't have won #dwts

— sara (@Avelana1989) November 24, 2020

Too Much Drama

Some fans accused Bristowe of acting "bratty" during the season when she bristled against the judges' feedback, saying she didn't deserve to win because of it:

Kaitlyn bitched/whined her way through half the season and ended up having Carrie Ann kissing her ass towards the end (I wish Carrie Ann stayed hard on her honestly) #DWTS

— Angie C. (@Music_Is_Me88) November 24, 2020

i’m sorry but i think nev should’ve won instead of kaitlyn. i feel like kaitlyn complained a lot this season about the scores and acted kind of bratty about it. she had the whole “carrie ann is against me” drama for a few weeks. i don’t think she deserved to win. #DWTS

— jules🌻 (@_thejuliashow) November 24, 2020

Where It All Began

The drama with the former Bachelorette and longtime judge began when Inaba said it felt like Bristowe "gave up" during her Villains Night dance. Bristowe took to Instagram after the show, telling her followers she felt Inaba had been "really hard" on her. "I felt very bummed out after tonight because of the amount of work we all put into the weeks and every dance — not just me, every dancer in the competition — you work so hard," she said.

Chigvintsev told Entertainment Tonight that the criticism was starting to feel "personal," and like Inaba had "different expectations" for their team. He continued that "watching back the dance itself, it's like, 'Oh, you can kick sharper!' Well, I can say that about everybody who dances on the show today. I don't know. It's really odd."

Being 'Bullied'

Inaba revealed on The Talk earlier this month, after taking heat online for docking Bristowe and Chigvintsev a point for a lift, that she gets "bullied" by fans for her scoring. "I still get bullied," she said, adding that the backlash generally starts "right about this time… because of the way I judge people. I can't believe it still happens as adults."

The co-host continued that bullying "doesn't make me change the way I judge. I'm not about to change because you try to bully me. It only makes me stand stronger in my convictions and what I believe in," adding that she judges based on her own expertise as a dancer, not popular opinion.

Mirrorball Trophy

Bristowe and Chigvintsev eventually made up with Inaba, thanking her after winning their first perfect score of the season, and would eventually go on to win the Mirrorball Trophy. Following their win, the reality personality told Entertainment Tonight that the long journey it took toward the trophy "makes it all so much better… That it was taken away, that I still believed in it, that I worked hard for it, that I stayed true to myself through it." She added, "you just never know when it's going to happen and the fact that everything just aligned for us and that we're here with the Mirrorball, like, what?"

Chigvintsev admitted he "felt that [my] old dancing dreams were done and dusted, and that I was never going to be able to perform on that stage at all," which made winning his first Mirrorball even sweeter. "Yeah, it's absolutely crazy. It made me so emotional because of that," he said.