Carrie Ann Inaba has triumphantly returned to the judges’ panel of Dancing With the Stars, marking her comeback after missing the premiere of season 34.
During the Tuesday, September 23 episode, she was greeted with exuberance as Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy kicked off One-Hit Wonders Night with an energetic jive. Their performance, set to Lou Bega‘s iconic hit “Mambo No. 5,” earned them a respectable 21 points.
Inaba expressed her delight, stating, “Thank you for making that my first dance, because that was incredible! You blew me away. … You are such a great performer; you’re fun, and there’s a freshness to you. I can tell it’s all new, but it makes it so much fun.”
The evening took a humorous turn when, after offering her thoughts on Mark Ballas and Whitney Leavitt’s cha-cha performance of “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry, Inaba seemed caught off-guard by the camera, exclaiming, “Oh, hi, boob pad!” This moment quickly fueled social media chatter.
Just a week earlier, Inaba had announced her absence from the September 16 premiere due to health issues, sharing on Instagram, “I’m feeling quite under the weather. I’m resting up and can’t wait to be back next week in good health. In the meantime, I wish all the contestants the very best.”
Throughout the evening, fans and fellow DWTS stars flooded the comment section with supportive messages, including cohost Julianne Hough, who expressed, “Get better soon sis ❤️🩹.”
The absence of Inaba was notably felt as season 34 commenced, with Julien and Alfonso Ribeiro extending a heartfelt tribute to her before diving into the performances. Ribeiro, with a playful tone, noted, “It’s wonderful to see our judges, well, two of them. Carrie Ann is under the weather and hopes to be back with us next week.”
As Inaba recuperated, judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli were tasked with delivering scores—but with a twist. The scores were capped at 20, a significant reduction from the usual 30. Derek effectively used this change as a teaching moment, cautioning contestants to not be disheartened by initially lower scores as “this is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Meanwhile, via her Instagram Story, Inaba provided glimpses into her home viewing experience while expressing her pride in the cast’s performances the following day.
Inaba, a veteran judge since DWTS premiered in 2005, joined the ranks alongside fellow judge Bruno Tonioli, while Derek Hough stepped into the judging role during season 29 in 2020.
Dancing With the Stars can be enjoyed on ABC and Disney+ every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
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