In the season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars,” Skai Jackson tied for the top of the judges’ leaderboard, and then she shot to the top of our Mirror Ball Trophy predictions. But anything can happen on live TV, and Jackson lost her footing during one maneuver in week two. It was clear she wouldn’t be getting scores as high as she got for her first routine, but the numbers she got were still pretty shockingly low. Do you agree? Watch her routine above and decide for yourself.
It was surprising in and of itself that Jackson was dancing a samba. That’s arguably the most difficult dance style on the show, so it’s an especially tall order for the second week of the competition. During one complicated move she got so tangled with her pro partner Alan Bersten that she nearly toppled completely over. She recovered pretty quickly, though you could see the shock on her face as she tried to settle back into the choreography.
Judge Derek Hough reassuringly told her, “A setback sets you up for a comeback,” but boy did they set her back far. Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli all gave her 5s, for a total of 15 out of 30. Not only was that six points lower than her season premiere performance, it also tied her with Charles Oakley for the lowest score of the night — even under Carole Baskin. Did Jackson really deserve scores that low when her routine only had that one major error?
Luckily for Jackson, she was declared safe at the end of the night, so at least the cursed samba didn’t knock her out of the competition entirely, but the judges put her in more peril than she deserved to be in.
Be sure to make your predictions so that the contestants can see how they’re faring in our racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs every Monday on ABC. You’ll compete to win a spot on our leaderboard and eternal bragging rights. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
