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The rapper gave Earle and her partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, a score of 9, while all of the other judges gave a 10 -- and according to Flav, he "really wanted to give" the couple a 10 as well, but he put in the wrong score in the computer, and it was too late to change it.
Dancing with the Stars guest judge Flavor Flav is owning up to an apparent mishap that kept Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy from a perfect score.
During Tuesday's episode, which featured the couples performing to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame hits, Earle, 24, and her pro partner performed a Paso Doble to "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli all gave the pair a 10, while Flav put in a score of 9. However, according to the rapper, it was an "accident" -- and he meant to lock in a 10 on the computer, but he made a mistake.
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View Story"I gave them a nine which was an accident. I really wanted to give them a 10, but they wouldn't let me change it," Flav, 66, told People after the show.
"I went, 'No. No, that was an accident. I don't want to give them a nine. I want to give them a 10.' But they was like, 'Flavor, it's already locked in. You can't change it.' I'm like, 'Oh man,'" he added.
"That's how the game goes. You know what I'm saying?" Flav said.
As for how he approached his gig as a guest judge, the Public Enemy founder said he was looking for "precision," and "preciseness," along with "perfect timing" and "perfect teamwork."
"Each one of these couples tonight had all that and more," Flav added.
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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee also took to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday night to further explain his mistake.
"As a judge on #DWTS,,, you hit your score on a computer first,,, then hold up the sign," Flav wrote. "I accidentally hit 9 for someone and told the crew I meant to hit 10,,, and they said they can't change it and there’s nothing I can do. That girl deserved perfect 10s."
A user chimed in writing, "It seemed like you were struggling at first with the system so that is a bummer, but thanks for letting us know!!"
Flav replied in a follow-up post, saying, "Thatz why I kept looking down at the computer and got all confused,,, I thought I hit a 10."
So far, neither Earle nor Chmerkovskiy have commented on the scoring.
Despite Flav's mistake, Earle and Chmerkovskiy were tied with Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas at the top of the leaderboard with 39 out of 40. However, after everyone received bonus points from team dances, Leavitt and Ballas took the lead.
Meanwhile, Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel and her partner Pasha Pashkov were ultimately eliminated on Tuesday night.
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesday nights on ABC and Disney+.
As a judge on #DWTS,,, you hit your score on a computer first,,, then hold up the sign. I accidentally hit 9 for someone and told the crew I meant to hit 10,,, and they said they can’t change it and there’s nothing I can do. That girl deserved perfect 10s. @FlavorFlav
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