ABC’s Dancing With the Stars recently featured rock icon Gene Simmons as a guest judge for the highly anticipated Hair Metal Night. The 75-year-old KISS frontman joined the judging panel alongside Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli for an evening filled with electrifying 80s hair metal hits, including classics like “Cherry Pie” and “Rock You Like a Hurricane.” However, his appearance left many fans feeling discontented.
Simmons’ overtly suggestive remarks during the episode did not sit well with the audience, with some critics dubbing him the worst guest judge in the show’s 33-season history. Even host Alfonso Ribeiro seemed to take issue with Simmons, delivering a sharp retort in response to the rocker’s comments.
The night also saw the double-elimination of two fan favorites, Reginald VelJohnson and Eric Roberts. Throughout the evening, Simmons frequently commented on the female dancers’ appearances, which many viewers labeled as “creepy.” For instance, when commenting on Danny Amendola and Witney Carson, he remarked on their attractiveness, saying he couldn’t decide which was more “hot hot hot.”
Simmons lavished praise on Reginald VelJohnson’s partner, Emma Slater, calling her “a beautiful woman,” and later commented that Chandler Stevens “fogged up my glasses” and moved him “not just with your gyrations but with your beautiful face.”
Viewers took to social media to express their discontent. One user, @gray_dwts, lamented, “From sweet Ilona messing up to them torturing her more during the elimination to Chandler getting underscored, to practically seeing the same dance 500 million times to that whack ass creepy ass judge Gene, this night was a CHOP.”
Another user, @bambiisugars, stated, “Gene Simmons made the worst guest judge on Dancing With the Stars… definitely gave some entertaining TV, I guess.” User @sambothehambo01 went so far as to demand, “ABC needs to issue an apology after having Gene Simmons on there and subjecting their cast to that. Why didn’t a producer tell him to knock it off?”
As the show drew to a close, Simmons made a remark that caught Ribeiro’s attention. After Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy’s routine, he said, “I’m a big fan of the bad boy and the bad girl.” When Phaedra responded, Simmons quickly added, “Settle down. It’s a family show. Settle down.”
With mixed reviews following his guest judging stint, Gene Simmons certainly left his mark on Dancing With the Stars—though not all of it was favorable.
