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Dancing With the Stars pro Emma Slater addressed why she appeared to have a "sickled foot" during her and Jackson Olson's waltz performance, sharing it had to do with judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
By Paige Catton Oct 11, 2026 11:16 PM | Updated 2 hours ago
‘DWTS' Pro Emma Slater Shares How Romance With Alan Bersten Affects Competition
Emma Slater is waltzing Dancing With the Stars fans through a recent choreography choice.
After a fan called out the professional dancer over a potential technical error during her and partner Jackson Olson’s performance on the Oct. 7 episode, Slater set the record straight.
Indeed, the season 35 pro commented on a recent TikTok video posted by a user who criticized Slater’s footwork in her and Olson’s waltz to “Without You” by Mariah Carey, writing, “im sorry but this sickled foot ruined this entire dance for me.”
But according to Slater, the move was intentional to avoid getting a point deduction from judge Carrie Ann Inaba.
“Guys I get it!!!” she commented on the TikTok video Oct. 10. “I’m [sic] this dance you have to keep your foot on the floor to stop CAI from docking a point and this is was I was doing, trying for [sic] life!!!!!”
“But because I was being dragged backwards that was what it looked like without me bending my leg!!” she added. “But I did it to stop him being docked a point.”
During one moment in Slater and Olson’s performance, the 37-year-old’s left foot appeared to be pointed inward as the Savannah Bananas star spun her.
Though she didn’t dispute the fan’s accusation of her having a “sickled foot”—a technical fault where foot and ankle are curved inward, breaking the visual straight line—her concern over being potentially being docked by Inaba for an unauthorized lift is valid.
After all, the DWTS judge is known for catching prohibited lifts, which aren’t permitted during certain ballroom styles, including waltz.
And Slater making sure both of her feet weren’t off the floor at the same time paid off as she and Olson earned their best scores of the season so far: a 21 out of 30.
Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Image
But the road to week four wasn’t easy. While the pair are improving, they’ve landed toward the bottom of the leaderboard throughout the season.
Despite the criticism, Slater emphasized she and Olson aren’t giving up.
“You got to just take it. So it could be a little disheartening, not gonna lie,” she told Us Weekly in a Sept. 29 interview. “Even for me as a pro—I’ve been here for so many years—but you just show them how to handle it, how to take it and bring improvement to the table, and don’t lose that fire, don’t lose that light, keep on going.”
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