Carrie Ann Inaba‘s controversial decision to eliminate James Van Der Beek on Monday’s “Dancing with the Stars” semifinal was literally stomach-churning.
“It was hard. I went home and I vomited,” Inaba revealed on Tuesday’s “The Talk,” which she co-hosts (watch above).
Van Der Beek wound up in the bottom two for the first time this season after performing two days after his wife Kimberly suffered a miscarriage. Inaba and Bruno Tonioli opted to save Ally Brooke, sending her to the final four, and Len Goodman, who would’ve cast a tie-breaking vote in the event there was one, said he would’ve saved the former Fifth Harmony singer as well. Brooke, who survived her third stint in the bottom two, tried to offer her spot to Van Der Beek, who declined.
The judges’ choice has angered many fans, as the actor had been one of the best and most consistent dancers of the season — and it’s not like his semifinal performances were outright terrible. Not to mention, it was adding another, albeit very different, heartbreak on top of a devastating real-life tragedy. Inaba defended their decision as having to separate the professional from the personal.
“As a human being, what he and his wife Kimberly suffered is heartbreaking. And I have so much sadness in my heart for them and my prayers are with them,” Inaba stated on the talk show. “But you know, this is where it’s really hard. As a judge, I have to judge the dance. I know on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ we show their stories and we get to know them, and they become family and their pain is my pain. But at the same time, it’s like in the Olympics: If something happens to somebody before they get on the gymnastics mat, it doesn’t matter what happens in your personal life. I have to judge what’s happening on the dance floor. In my opinion, I had to choose who I believe was the better dancer and had come further.”
Co-host Marie Osmond, who finished third on the fifth season of “Dancing,” pointed out that some people were questioning whether Van Der Beek should’ve performed at all — he said in his package that his wife encouraged him to — but she doesn’t think anyone should presume to know what’s best for him. “Can I just say that it just tells you what kind of a guy he is?” she said. “He’s a follow-through person. He’s a finisher. We all go through heartbreaking things in life. … This is a huge competition, and I admire him. I think it shows his work ethic. Sometimes too, you have to remember, those endorphins help you cope. And so I think we shouldn’t judge him at all.”
Added Sheryl Underwood: “Let’s not judge the judge. Let’s not judge his decision for doing what he felt was right for his family. … We are praying for his family.”
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