Dancing With The Stars pro Keo Motsepe has defended Carrie Ann Inaba and the other show judges after infuriating fans with ‘sexist’ scores and ‘biased’ feedback.

The dancer and choreographer admitted the judging panel is in a “tough spot” with everything they have to juggle as he opened up about how they’re handling this season in an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun.

8

DWTS pro Keo Motsepe spoke about his experience on DWTSCredit: The U.S. Sun

8

Carrie Ann Inaba has judged all 33 seasons of DWTSCredit: Getty
When asked about the feedback Carrie Ann, 56, has given on the show this season – which fans have heavily critiqued as “sexist” due to her lower scores for the female contestants –  Keo, 34, explained that he believes it has more to do with prior experience over personal bias.

“Here’s the thing, if anyone comes on the show and they have dance experience, they’re going to come and week one is just, boom! Up there, right?

“The judges are subconsciously and automatically going to place you on that level, right? So they’re going to pick every single thing that you do wrong.

“So if your arm is not like this and it’s like this, they’re going to see it,” he added while holding up his arm in two different poses.

Keo continued: “They’re going to find things because they want you to keep that level that you came with because you can’t come so strong and then it goes away.

“They’re going to pinpoint every single thing then, but then you have other celebrities who come on the show with no dance experience and they just keep on improving and growing.

“I don’t think it’s easy for the judges. You see what I’m saying? Where with someone who does not have as much dance experience, you have to look for something that you like.

“Could be ‘I didn’t like how you transferred your foot from foot to foot.’ So it’s very detailed.”

8

Carrie Ann, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli judge DWTS season 32’s semi-finalsCredit: Getty

8

The dancer-turned-judge poses on the streets of New York CityCredit: Splash
Carrie Ann returned as judge this year for her 33th season of DWTS.

The former Fly Girl, along with co-judge Bruno Tonioli, 68, have been on every season since it premiered in 2005 – while ex pro Derek Hough, 39, was promoted to the panel in 2020.

Many viewers, including former contestant Charity Lawson, have been vocal about Carrie Ann’s “unfair” scoring and comments – particularly with women on the show versus the men.

In addition to defending the judges, Keo also stood up for DWTS producers when asked about viewer outrage to him not being asked back on recent seasons.

“I think fans need to understand that as much as the pros have so much to do on the job with our partners, the producers have a lot of work, even more.

“They deal with the crew, they deal with us, the pros, they deal with the PTs and they deal with literally so much. Sometimes I look at them like, how are you doing all of this?

“I know I deal with my partner, that’s great. But them dealing with every little piece on the show, like you have to make sure that everything runs smoothly because we focus on our partners, that’s it, that’s what we do.

“So you also have to give that credit to the producers,” Keo said, before adding that if it’s “meant to be” he would “absolutely” want to come back to the show “whenever.”

Keo last appeared on the show in 2020 for season 29 and fans have desperately begged producers to cast him again every year since.

8

Keo last competed with actress Anne Heche in 2020Credit: Getty

8

Keo dresses up as Hercules for Disney-themed nightCredit: Getty
“I still miss being on the show. You know, in life, in every person’s life or journey where you stop doing something because of whatever the situation is, and you still miss that last moment.

“You’re like, just that last one, one more time to be on the stage. That, that is what I crave. I think through the universe and through God and through the producers of the show, when it’s the right time, and with everything online about me coming back, then yeah, you know, I’ll be back.

“A thousand percent I want to be back,” Keo said with a smile.

He then noted how DWTS pros don’t even get the call they have made it to the next season call sheet until just days before production starts – but that losing his mom in 2021 put things into perspective so much, that he wasn’t even focused on whether or not he was returning that year.

“They call last minute, like, we don’t know on the show, pretty much, sometimes until two days before you meet your partner, that’s when you get a call.

“And I think, after losing my mom, I was in a space where, like, whether I get a call or not, I was just like, I didn’t know where was forward, where was side up or down.

“It was a very rough time for me personally, so I think that is the big part of just not doing the show or doing something that will put me on a stage that is like publicly or whatever.

“Stuff like that so like everything I’ve done recently has been since then has been like behind the scenes you know.”

8

Keo defended the DWTS judges in an exclusive interview with The U.S. SunCredit: The U.S. Sun

8

Keo busts open his shirt while backstage on DWTS