Len Goodman doesn't hold back when it comes to his Dancing With The Stars critiques, but his hard criticism isn't always so helpful. Len has been a judge on the dance competition series since its premiere in 2005 alongside Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. For a few seasons, they were joined by DWTS pros Julianne Hough and currently her brother Derek Hough as a part of the judges' team. Len has a distinct way of judging contestants, and no matter how many times the live studio audience boos him, he won't lighten up with his criticism of contestants' routines.
DWTS season 31 recently premiered, and Len's critiques haven't gotten any kinder. He was quick to express his disappointment in Jersey Shore star Vinny Guadagnino, who received compassion from DWTS fans, during the premiere episode, saying the Salsa is the most club-like dance of every routine on the show, so Vinny should have done better. Len was also displeased with Teresa Giudice from The Real Housewives of New Jersey during weeks one and two. Fans loudly booed as he critiqued her performance during Elvis night, which she expressed was important to her because her late father loved Elvis. At the end of the night, Len eliminated Teresa from the season.
Len might think he's doing his job by being honest with DWTS contestants, but sometimes his comments are too harsh on the celebrities. While some contestants have a lot of professional dance experience, like Charli D'Amelio, who deserves to be on DWTS, and Shangela, others have none. Celebrities go on DWTS because it is a fun experience where they can challenge themselves and have a good time. They are not doing it so they can become professional dancers; they want to push themselves to do the best they can. Len's criticism might be necessary for someone who wants to get to Derek's level of dance talent, but for the celebrities who simply want to have fun, he's being overly critical for no reason.
Len Goodman's Harsh DWTS Criticism Isn't Very Helpful
A lot of the time, Len's feedback isn't even helpful to the dancers. Sometimes it seems like he's just being mean for the sake of being mean. DWTS fans, who are angry with Tyra Banks, noticed this during Vinny's week one dance, pointing out how upset Vinny looked. The reality TV star admitted to his partner Koko Iwasaki that he felt embarrassed after the judges gave him such negative feedback. It is one thing to point out aspects celebrities can work on to improve in their future dances, but there's no need to judge them so harshly they leave the dance floor feeling depleted and ashamed.
Len hasn't backed down yet, so it doesn't seem like he'll be going easy on DWTS contestants any time soon. The judge is very confident in what he has to say and believes it does benefit the celebrity dancers. However, the other DWTS judges are equally as helpful with their critiques and have a much more respectful way of getting their points across. Maybe Len, who may be replaced by Derek in the future, should start watching the DWTS episodes back, and he'll see there's a nicer way to share his critiques.
Dancing With The Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on Disney+.