Dancing with the StarsSeason 33proBrandon Armstrongis embarrassed after making a rookie mistake during the semifinals, which aired on July 14, 2025. Armstrong and his partnerChandler Kinney(Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin)were performing the foxtrot when helifted his foot off of the floor twiceduring the routine. JudgeCarrie Ann Inabawas quick to let Armstrong know that this was against the rules of ballroom-style dances.
Sadly, this little errorcost the duo the perfect score they were looking forwardto receiving. But Armstrong took a moment later to clarify that they had no idea that the lifts were not allowed. However, the judges still loved their performance and the duo received 10 points from judgesDerek HoughandBruno Tonioli. But Inaba gave them a score of 9. After receiving their scores,Armstrong apologized to Kinneyfor costing them that one point.
Before the performance, Kinney had told the cameras thatanything less than a perfect score would be a downgrade for her. However, after the mistake, she reassured Armstrong andtold him that he had no reason to apologize.Later on, in an interview withEntertainment Weekly, Kinney confessed thatshe doesn’t mind criticism from the judgesbecause it pushes them to work hard.
Chandler Kinney Was Extremely Anxious Going Into the Semifinals
Kinney and Armstrong have emerged asone of the strongest duos ofDancing with the StarsSeason 33. Even though they were sitting on top of the leaderboard right before the semifinals,Kinney was extremely nervous before the semifinals. In an exclusive interview withUS Weekly, the actress admitted that she was trying totake some time for herself amidst all the madnessjust to feel grounded.
While speaking abouther and Armstrong’s perfect scores during the show’s 500th episode, which aired on August 21, 2025, Kinney shared that their process consists of a lot of back and forth. She revealed that whileshe likes to fully understand what they want to achievewith a performance. On the other hand, Armstrong likes to dive into it and learn as he goes. Over time, she haslearned a lot from his approachto just “go for it.”
Despite their different approaches to rehearsing, though, Kinney expressed thatcompeting on the show with Armstrong has been a major source of joyfor her. She claimed that she would love nothing more than to continue dancing even when the show is over. She noted thatdancing has been a passion of hers since her childhood. And now that she has gotten back into the groove of things,she doesn’t want to stop anytime soon.
Dancing With the StarsSeason 33 airs Tuesdays at 8 on ABC andDisney+.
Dancing with the Stars
U.S. reality show based on the British series “Strictly Come Dancing,” where celebrities partner up with professional dancers and compete against each other in weekly elimination rounds to determine a winner.
Watch on Disney+
