‘Dancing With the Stars’: Witney Carson Sheds Tears After Noticeable Error, Len Goodman Docking Point

Dancing With The Stars pro dancer Witney Carson was visibly shaken after she made a mistake so visible that judge Len Goodman had to dock a whole point from her performance with her celebrity partner, comedian Kel Mitchell. The two performed a Quickstep to Stevie Wonder‘s “Part-Time Lover.” They still earned a good score, with Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli both giving them 9s each.

After the dance, Goodman pointed out that Carson tripped on her dress half-way through the dance. That caused a misstep he could not ignore. Carson started to tear up as Goodman told him it was a “major incident.”

“That was me. I slipped on my dress, so I’ll take it,” Carson admitted.

Goodman felt he still had to take a point away, even though she took the blame for the mishap.

“Look, if the jockey’s on the horse and the horse falls, it’s the team that suffers, right? So I don’t know if it was the jockey or the horse. However, apart from that little incident — talk to the hand will you? — I thought you did an amazing job. The quickstep is a hard dance, and it was fast, it was clean,” Goodman said.

Goodman still gave Carson and Mitchell an 8. Add in the two 9s they got from Inaba and Tonioli and they earned 26/30.

After the dance, Andrews jokingly called Goodman a “little jerk” for making Carson cry.

Carson, 26, is a DWTS veteran, joining the show as a troupe dancer in 2013, following her performance on So You Think You Can Dance the year before. She became a full-time dance pro in Season 18 and won the Mirrorball Trophy the following season with Aldonso Ribeiro. She finished second last season with actor Milo Manheim.

Last year, Carson opened up about her skin cancer scare. When she was 22, her doctor diagnosed her with melanoma, which required surgery. In a Yahoo Lifestyle essay, Carson explained the importance of taking care of your skin.

“It’s so important for women and men, young or old, to be cautious when spending time in the sun. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the outdoors, but be proactive and protect your skin when you’re outside,” Carson wrote. “Wear an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen and reapply it every hour, wear hats, and cover up as much as you can when exposed to sunlight. People of all ages are susceptible to melanoma. It’s the fastest spreading cancer out there. Don’t make the mistake I did and think you’re invincible — it’s important to take precautions.”

Dancing With The Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo credit: ABC/Eric McCandless