Think something’s off with the judging onDancing With the Starslately?Cheryl Burkeis with you.
“I don’t think it’s just this past season.
“Len had authority when he talked because he knew what he was saying.
Cheryl Burke and Len Goodman.Monica Schipper/Getty; McCandless via Getty
You could see our body language and our expressions whenever it was time for Len to give his critique.
He could boo all he wants.”
I would be inconsistent, or I would be scared of the negative feedback, or the haters commenting.
Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli on ‘Dancing With the Stars’.Eric McCandless/ABC
But Len’s particular background set him apart in Burke’s eyes.
Goodman, whodied in 2023, was a professional ballroom dancer, teacher, and adjudicator for years.
“It’s one thing to have competed like Len,” Burke said.
“It’s also one thing to have taught like Len.
It’s one thing to have also judged a real ballroom dance competition like Len had for many decades.
He’s very well respected.”
Burke remembers how strongly Goodman’s influence could be felt while he was still on the judging panel.
“Talk about jet lag and just not catching a breath.
They did that for like a decade at least, both of them, Bruno and Len.
And whenever Len wasn’t there…it kinda all fell apart in a weird, odd way.”
