Fans of Dancing with the Stars have expressed outrage after Jenn Tran was eliminated in week seven, despite tying with retired NBA star Dwight Howard on the leaderboard. The Halloween Nightmares episode on Tuesday (29 October) featured dance-offs and regular performances, with both Tran and Howard scoring 31 points after winning their respective dance-offs.
Tran, a former Bachelorette star, performed a contemporary to Olivia Rodrigo's 'Vampire' with partner Sasha Farber, then beat Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik in a salsa dance-off. Howard danced a contemporary to 'Ring Around the Rosie' with Daniella Karagach, featuring numerous lifts, and won his cha-cha dance-off against rugby player Ilona Maher.
Despite the tied scores, the judges opted to eliminate Tran, prompting a backlash on social media. Viewers took to X to criticise the decision, with one writing: 'Dwight should've gone home. Jenn was actually improving.' Another commented: 'This is Dancing with the Stars, not Lifting with the Stars.'
Tran, speaking to Access Hollywood after her elimination, remained positive: 'I'm very proud of myself. I didn't think I could do all the things I did today – we won the dance-off, we salsa-ed, we moved our hips and we did a contemporary. We ended out on a bang.'
The controversy marks the latest in a series of shocks this season, with fans suggesting that Howard's continued presence is due to his popularity rather than his dancing ability. Tran's elimination also reignited criticism of ABC's treatment of her, following her disappointing stint as the Bachelorette.
