Dancing With the Stars’ Pasha Pashkov calls out Carrie Ann Inaba over harsh feedback

Dancing With the Stars celebrated Dedication Night with an episode on October 14, 2025, where professional dancer Pasha Pashkov and his celebrity partner Danielle Fishel performed a jive to honor Boy Meets World actor William Daniels.

The performance drew a critical comment from judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who said, “Some of your dances are starting to feel like I’m watching the same dance over and over again.”

She added, “Try to give a little bit more variety as far as dynamics. This is also on you, Pasha.”

Later, Pashkov told Variety that he thought the comment was “unfair.” He explained,

“Especially being that she said that the dances looked similar. The thing is, we did have a quickstep and we had a jive this week. These are two dances that [are] very, very similar.”

He continued, “If we had dances that were drastically different and they felt the same, I’d understand. But, based on the dances that we had, that did not feel like it made sense to me. In my heart.” Pashkov also said he felt “overprotective” of Fishel, adding, “I don’t think she deserved that comment.”

The episode ended with no elimination, as co-host Julianne Hough announced, “We couldn’t send anyone home tonight on such a special night. All of the scores and all of the votes from tonight will carry over to next week.”

Carrie Ann Inaba’s feedback and Pasha Pashkov’s response in Dancing With the Stars

During the Dedication Night episode, Carrie Ann Inaba told Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov, that their routine seems "same dance," over and over.

She encouraged them to bring more contrast and energy to their future routines. While her comment was directed at both dancers, she specifically said, “This is also on you, Pasha,” referring to choreography and presentation choices.

In an interview with Variety published on October 15, Pashkov said he was “not happy” with the judge’s statement.

“Especially being that she said that the dances looked similar,” he explained. “The thing is, we did have a quickstep and we had a jive this week. These are two dances that are very, very similar.”

He added, “If we had dances that were drastically different and they felt the same, I’d understand. But based on the dances that we had, that did not feel like it made sense to me.”

Pashkov emphasized his support for Fishel, saying he felt “overprotective” because she has been putting in significant effort. “I don’t think she deserved that comment,” he said. His remarks reflected his belief that the feedback was not aligned with the technical aspects of their assigned dance styles.

Episode recap and other highlights of Dancing With the Stars

The October 14 Dedication Night featured performances dedicated to meaningful people or moments in the contestants’ lives.

Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov’s jive honored Boy Meets World actor William Daniels, known for his role as Mr. Feeny. The audience saw Daniels make a rare appearance to show support for Fishel.

At the end of the episode, co-host Julianne Hough announced that no one would be eliminated.

“We couldn’t send anyone home tonight on such a special night,” she said, explaining that all scores and votes would carry over to the following week.

This decision gave contestants an additional chance to improve their standings.

Among the other acts, Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten danced a foxtrot that got them a score of 29/40. Hendrix stated that the experience resembled a second life opportunity and that she was very grateful for it.

Bersten talked about the difficulty of the competition and that he wanted her to know that she was doing great.

The Season 34 judges also consist of Baron Davis, Jennifer Affleck, Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, Corey Feldman, Robert Irwin, Jordan Chiles, Scott Hoying, Whitney Leavitt, Hilaria Baldwin, and Andy Richter. Each of these celebrities is paired with a professional dancer.

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