Gene Simmons and His Appearance on Dancing with the Stars Sparks Conversation
By Elizabeth Forsatz
Tuesday night’s favorite program, Dancing with the Stars, is a lighthearted and friendly dancing competition between celebrities that leaves fans eager to tune in every week. The judges of the competition include Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli, who, each week, judge a dancing couple and give scores that determine a team’s overall rank and ability to stay in the competition. However, a few times during the season, the show features a guest judge. This past week featured a double-day special, including a special Monday episode in addition to a regular Tuesday episode. On the “Hair Metal Night” episode aired on Tuesday, Gene Simmons, 75-year-old member of the band Kiss, sat as the guest judge. While guest judges are usually an exciting change for the audience, Simmons has been receiving questions and hate about the comments he made during the episode.
Simmons, aside from his unpredictable scoring, is also being questioned for his suggestive comments made during the episode, including many comments about the female dancers on the show. While judging Chandler Kinney he said “You move me, not just with your gyrations and so on, but your beautiful face,” and in a similar fashion, as he spoke to celebrity Danny Amendola about pro partner Witney Carson. He said, “Danny, I’m telling you, you’re right next to somebody, one of the more beautiful women on the planet.” These comments and other awkward moments of the night’s show caused reactions from viewers online and even comments from those on the show.
While many of those online have called Simmon’s comments “creepy,” those involved in the show have also made comments regarding the guest judge. Chandler Kinney’s partner Brandon Armstrong told Us Weekly his own perspective on the comment, saying, “I said, ‘Hold up now.’ I have two little sisters. I heard it. I said, ‘Wait, wait, wait.'” While Simmons has made statements regarding his appearance on the show and the drama that followed, stating “I stand by every word I said” and “I had a great time”, it is clear that not everyone enjoyed the night’s show.
Having guest judges on the show has always been such a fun part of Dancing with the Stars episodes. However, after the drama that has followed Gene Simmons and his brief time on the show, it is safe to say that he or anyone who may make comments like this while on live television will most likely not be offered a guest judge seat again.
