Dancing with the Stars Season 34 Finale: Crowd director steps in as Carrie Ann Inaba is booed repeatedly

The Dancing with the Stars Season 34 finale was marked not only by the crowning of the Len Goodman Mirrorball champion, but by repeated moments in which Carrie Ann Inaba was loudly booed by the studio audience—prompting the show’s crowd director to intervene.

The judge, who frequently provided the most incisive critiques of the evening, was interfered with on a couple of occasions when the audience in the ballroom responded vehemently to her words.

What happened behind the scenes produced one of the most unexpected storylines of the evening, slicing through a generally celebratory final episode.

Inside the tense atmosphere of the Dancing with the Stars finale

The finale brought back all previously eliminated contestants to support finalists Robert Irwin, Alix Earle, Dylan Efron, and Elaine Hendrix.

But even as the room filled with familiar faces, the atmosphere shifted early in the broadcast when Inaba gave her first critique of the night.

After praising Dylan Efron’s growth, she added that his hands “fell a little flat.” The audience immediately responded with noticeable booing.

Moments later, her remarks following Robert Irwin’s first dance escalated the reaction. Beginning a critique with “there was a bit of a …,” Carrie Ann found herself drowned out.

Unable to continue, she addressed the crowd directly: 

“I’m sorry, but look. This trophy is what they’re competing for tonight, and I don’t want to give it to anybody that doesn’t absolutely deserve it.”

The booing persisted into the end of Round 1. After Jordan Chiles’ paso doble, Inaba offered another blunt assessment, saying her “attack was a little too strong” and “the beginning felt like it didn’t quite come together.”

Audience members began shouting over her, including one voice that yelled, “She’s a queen.” Inaba, unable to hear the heckle clearly, paused to ask, 

“What did you say?”

Host Alfonso Ribeiro stepped in to stabilize the moment, telling her, 

“Don’t worry about them.”

Jordan Chiles then defended Inaba during the broadcast, telling Julianne Hough, 

“I have to give credit to Carrie Ann, because as a woman, it is hard to really express who you are and what you’re doing. So Carrie Ann, keep doing what you’re doing. I will always stand by you. You make me feel so much better about myself.”

As the tension climbed, production had no choice but to intervene. During the next commercial break, the show’s crowd director took the microphone and reminded audience members that while enthusiasm was welcome, the expectation was to remain “respectful.”

It was the clearest sign of how charged the room had become—something that did not translate fully on television.

The rest of the night balanced that tension with the usual live-finale joy.

During a break, actress Danielle Fishel was seen carrying a stuffed unicorn to Dylan Efron’s younger sister, Olivia.

According to those close to production, the gesture was meant to replace a unicorn that had been taken during the previous week’s show by Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov’s daughter.

Olivia had reportedly said nothing about it, prompting Fishel to locate an identical one at a nearby Target for the finale.

As the final results approached, the cast, troupe, and crew, who typically remain in the skybox or backstage, gathered just behind the cameras, ready to rush the floor once the winner was named.

As soon as Robert Irwin and Witney Carson were declared the winners of Dancing with the Stars Season 34, the ballroom lit up right away. Xochitl Gomez dashed into the middle to hug them tight.

Alfonso Ribeiro walked up to Carson, pulling her into a lengthy embrace as this moment came exactly 11 years after they celebrated her debut Mirrorball victory together.

The season 34 finale of Dancing with the Stars provided the anticipated show of performances, reunions, and confetti.

However, the shocking chorus of boos on Carrie Ann Inaba- and the necessity of a live reminder as to why respect needs to be observed- became one of the most apparent instances of how the fanatical fan reaction of the show has become more vocalized within the ballroom.

It was an unusual time when the lines between judging, audience emotion, and live television were put to the test in real time.

Stay tuned for more updates.