Karina Smirnoff says ‘DWTS’ judges look extra close at Corbin Bleu

Could Corbin Bleu’s background in dance ultimately hurt him on “Dancing With the Stars?” His partner, Karina Smirnoff, seems to think so.

Smirnoff has danced on “Dancing With the Stars” for a long time (since Season 3), so she knows a bit about how the judges work on the ABC dance competition series. But with just five teams left on the show this season, could she already be making excuses if she and Bleu are cut this week?

The judges “leave no room for us,” Smirnoff told UPI in an interview published Monday. Citing recent comments by judge Carrie Ann Inaba as an example.

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“I think when Carrie Ann mentioned something in the waltz that he wasn’t on his center, I went back and watched that over and over again, and I was like, gosh darnit,” she said. “That’s what cost us a 10?”

Bleu, best known for his roles in the “High School Musical” films, and Smirnoff are going up against comedian Bill Engvall and Emma Slater, Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke, Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani and “Glee” star Amber Riley and Derek Hough in the final two weeks of the show’s 17th season.
But don’t expect to see Smirnoff and Bleu attempting to butter up the judging panel. She tells UPI, “At the end of the day, this is something we can’t control. Our main goal is to come up with routines that are exciting and entertaining, and hopefully the audience will love it and vote us into the final.”

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