Dancing with the Stars isn’t all spins and sequins, tangos and top-notch taps, there’s also a heck of a lot of drama that spurs onto the stars and keeps them moving on and off the hit show’s dance floor. From unpopular contestants to overqualified competitors, voting disagreements and elimination kerfuffles, here are some of the most controversial moments in Dancing with the Stars’ history.
13. Alfonso Ribeiro, The Tap Dance Kid
When Alfonso Ribeiro signed on as one of the competitors on season 19 of Dancing with the Stars, audiences were wildly excited to see the famous (or infamous) Carlton Dance that became the actor’s signature style while still starring as the geeky cousin on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. But eyebrows raised when it came out that Alfonso had starred in the 1983 Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid which made him in many people’s eyes already professionally trained in dance. A definite no-no for DWTS. Alfonso denied the claims that he was more experienced than he should be when he told OK Magazine, “The only dancing I’ve ever done was tap dancing and that was yes, on Broadway, but they taught me how to tap dance on the show. I’ve never taken any dance classes. When people call me a professional dancer that’s actually so incorrect.” In the end, The Carlton did make it to the stage and Alfonso made it to the end and his slick moves won him the mirror-ball trophy.
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