Chandler Kinney asks what the DWTS judges expect from her

Chandler Kinney has respect for Dancing with the stars judges, but she doesn’t understand their criticism at Dedication Night.

During the episode of Tuesday, October 15 of DWTSChandler, 24, and professional Brandon Armstrong performed a contemporary dance to “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack and dedicated the dance to his mother. They received a 32 out of 40, but several of the judges expressed that Chandler was not showing enough emotion throughout the dance.

“First of all, we’re relieved that we made it. I was really nervous,” Chandler said exclusively Us Weekly. “I just want as many opportunities to dance as possible.”

The actress admitted she was “disappointed” that her performance wasn’t her “best”, adding: “We both knew as soon as we finished. So I was nervous to hear what they had to say and I think they picked up on some things we were already hearing.”

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Recognizing that they have respect Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli and guest judge Marc BallasChandler and Brandon, 30, had some questions.

“The most complicated thing for us was the emotional aspect because I felt fully in the dance. It was true and authentic to me and how I feel about the song and how I feel about my mom,” Chandler noted. “It was really a celebration.”

Chandler asked what the judges thought he didn’t bring to the table. “I don’t know what they expected of me emotionally tonight,” he continued. “But for me, as someone who holds myself to a very high standard, I knew that. So it’s kind of hard.”

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Brandon later explained why he was “very black and white” with his response.

“For me, it’s not even a question of whether I agree or disagree. It is what it is. I think I’m always looking for critique and criticism. That’s what makes you better,” he shared with we. “I don’t think we can go through this life all smooth and patent. It’s just not how it is. So I like this review. I think it’s good. Every season there’s someone like that.”

While reflecting on past winners, Brandon noted that previous couples received harsh criticism before returning to the top of the leaderboard.

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“If there is something we lack, we want to be able to identify it and develop it. This is where we get a little frustrated, when we feel like we can’t even identify what it is. It’s difficult,” he continued. “It’s like I’ve said it a million times tonight, but we’re shooting at a moving target. We just want the target to stay still, so we can make progress.”

The pair aren’t letting their recent drop in ratings get them down. “We’re both motivated to do it,” Brandon concluded. “There’s been a fire that’s been lit. So we’re going to try to do that.”

Dancing with the stars simulcasts on ABC and Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8pm ET. Episodes are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ the next day.

With reporting by Carly Konsker