Karina Smirnoff On Image Overcoming Actual Dancing Ability, Her Relationships Effecting Dancing With The Stars, and More
TampaBay.com has a new interview up with Karina Smirnoff. They ask her if she was upset about how harsh the judges were on her and Ralph this past season. Karina dishes about ‘the way image can overcome actual dancing ability’. Below is her reply.
“It was a little weird that people were like, ‘Oh you moved your little pinky, we love it, you get a (score of) 10!’ ” she said of Alley, who racked up impressive scores despite falling during one routine and losing her shoe during another.
“Once that happened, (the judges) were like, ‘You picked yourself up, you did such an amazing job.’ … We fell, had an injury and ‘Oh, we’ll take points away,’ ” said Smirnoff. ”Kirstie represents the majority of the demographic that watches the show … and the message she had — that you can lose weight and get into the shape you want through dance — was very strong.”
They also interviewed Karina on her upcoming nuptials and if she thinks getting married will make a success on the show tougher. I don’t think that’s true, do you? They also ask her about her and Maks’ relationship and if it helped them on the show. Wow, what questions! Unfortunately and right or wrong, I think Karina is right how anything that hit’s newsstands makes people watch the show versus dancing. It’s kind of sad when you think about it.
You and Penny caused worldwide headlines when you announced a January wedding date.
To me, that’s always, like, bizarre. Nobody cares that I’m still doing a lot for my charity with kids in LA. But when we got engaged, that was front page news everywhere.Do you worry getting married will make success on the show tougher because fans want to believe you might hook up with your partner?
Dancing to me is pretty much acting with your body without using words. If you’re dancing together you do want to portray that you have chemistry, that you have some sort of connection, that you have this passion for each other. Otherwise, you are a horrible dancer.But you once were engaged to fellow Dancing star Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Didn’t it help you on the show for people to know you were an item?
The show is a popularity, personality and a danceability competition. All three matter. If you’re popular and you’re a hot topic in the press, people will tune to see what everybody’s talking about. And possibly vote to see if there’s more gossip or more news going to come out in certain situations. But you want people to like you and you want people to see you the way you really are.
Karina will be judging the Millennium Dancesport Championships next week where more than 1,700 dancers are expected to compete. For dates, time, and ticket information, go HERE.
Heidi’s Note: Yep, Karina pretty much nails it, IMO. Kirstie got away with lots of stuff that Ralph didn’t. Crack is wack.
@PH couldn’t agree more about Jacoby getting...
She sounds like a sore loser!
I enjoyed that article/intrview. Thanks for posting. Heidi, I agree with your (and Karina’s) comments. Sad that the judging was so biased/skewed.
Bravo Karina, right on target!
Jealousy is an ugly thing…I hope Karina doesn’t come back! Ralph looked like a box with clothes. No rhythm. If Karina is going to talk about distractions, what about those ugly and skimpy dresses she wore. Let’s not forget the ‘butt pad’.
Karina is right about the judging although I didn’t like their salsa.
Well, it’s your right to not care for Karina and to hope she doesn’t come back. There are seasons where I simply can’t stand her, but this past season, it was my favorite season of hers. And as for wimpy and distracting costumes, probably the only female pro who doesn’t use revealing costuming to hide their partners flaws is Chelsie. Even the male pros have been known to use distracting costuming to hide their partners weaknesses. One has been duly noted many times on this site. I don’t need to name him…
But I do agree with Karina, she’s right on the mark. Does she have sour grapes, or is she a sore loser? Maybe, but that doesn’t make what she said any less true. She is stating something that has been pointed out here on this site numerous times: THE JUDGES AREN’T CONSISTENT! If Kirstie got a pass for a fall, why didn’t Ralph? Neither time was the contestant’s fault. If Hines and Kym got a pass for an injury, why didn’t Ralph and Karina? And while we’re on it, why was Romeo and Chelsea marked down for an accidental lift, when there were several other more blatant accidental lifts that Carrie Ann let slip past?
Karina is saying nothing different from what we were saying all season – she’s exactly right. Kirstie did have mishap after mishap, dance so-so and get much better scores than Ralph, who I think was actually a better dancer. Thats the way it goes – I don’t read her as complaining at all, just stating facts.
I completely disagree with what Karina said. Kirstie and Maks received a 21 for their dance with a fall. Karina and Ralph got a 24. Not only that, but BOTH couples were praised in the judges comments after those dances for the way they continued after the mishap. As for the shoe, Kirstie received a 22, still lower than a 24. I think she’s just complaining.
I totally agree with Karina. I also like that she calls things like she sees them instead of taking what some would consider a more PC route (which is what I would have done, but I’m not as brave as her). I hope we see her next season!!
Actually, Amy, karina isn’t talking about scores she’s talking about how harsh the judges were. Are you going to try to claim that they were as harsh on Kirstie as they were on Ralph?? Kirstie got raved over, Ralph had horrible, unnecessary things said to him – that is fact.
Karina is absolutely right. She saw what I saw on my TV. Ralph was called out on his hands, his feet, his sexiness, just about anything. The judges were at times brutal to Ralph, not to mention, very disrespectful.
But with Kirstie the judges were salavating over her. And definitely overscored her most of the time. I loved Karina this season and hope that she returns.
I totally agree with Karina.
She knows what she is saying and shows who she really is. I always admired her intelligence and especially her talent. She’s the strongest pro on the show with the highest world ranking among them all in real ballroom competition world (she was ranked 2nd on the world). She’s a legend in dancesport and has all my respect for what she is and says.
Karina is the reason I watch DWTS.
Heidi, she also talked about scores.
“Oh you moved your little pinky, we love it, you get a (score of) 10!”
“Once that happened, (the judges) were like, ‘You picked yourself up, you did such an amazing job.’ … We fell, had an injury and ‘Oh, we’ll take points away,’ ”
She said Kirstie was praised for falling while Ralph had points deducted. That’s an odd statement considering the judges were very kind after both falls and Ralph’s dance with a fall scored higher than Kristie’s. Ralph may not have been a judges favorite at the end, but I don’t think they were against him as much as Karina implies.
Amy,
I totally agree with you. The judges were very kind to both couples after their falls. I think that the judges are always inconsistent throughout the season. Their favorites can change from week to week. The one and only time I thought they were too hard on Ralph & Karina was when Bruno went off on his tangent and had to be bleeped out during 1/2 his feedback. That was totally out of line and he still owes them an apology. The fact is that Ralph does not have as many fans as Kirstie, which kept her going til the end. I think that Karina is acting like a sore loser.
I don’t think Karina is a sore loser and I really respect, admire, and commend her saying things the way she sees it, no sugarcoating and trying to save face, look good, etc.
Besides, all the things she said is true. And she is not (overly) bitter about it. I mean, if you read the whole article, in the end she says “I want to be mad, but I can’t.”
I say, that shows that she’s a really good sport. IMO there’s nothing wrong in pointing out unfair things that happen to you, esp with all the stuff that Kamacchio had to endure. It maddened me week after week too. Even if she stated those things with sour grapes or whatever, she is still right and she has a right to voice her opinion.
It’s sooo much better then too much PC-ness anyway, don’t you think?
Karina is an awesome dancer. I watch DWTS to see her dance NOT for the celebrities!
I haven’t always liked Karina in the past (and it’s not that I really didn’t like her. I just liked other pros more than her). But, I agree with those who said this past year was Karina’s best. I loved her with Ralph and she’s a creative choreographer. One of DWTS best! As much as I love Maks and Kirstie, I admit Kirstie got away with a lot. They knew it too, but, their fan base kept them in it (me included). Ralph did much better than her and the judges favored them over Ralph and Karina continually. It would be hard not to be bitter over that.
I disagree with how everyone is saying, “Kirstie got away with a lot”. Kirstie didn’t “get away” with anything! Kirstie went out there and danced & entertained. That was her role on the show. What the judges say or don’t say, what the judges give or take away points for, and what the judges do have nothing to do with Kirstie. It would be more appropirate if you said, “the judges got away with….” not Kirstie. Last I checked she did her part and the cards fell where they fell.
Amy, you clearly weren’t watching the same show as the rest of us. They were horrible to Ralph all the while they kissed Kirstie’s ass for dancing that was no better. They even questioned his manhood at one point. It was ridiculous. Scores or not, Karina is totally justified in her comments – which, by the way, still don’t read as complaints to me, as much as statements of fact. Ralph’s slightly higher score was later in the season, when all the scores have gone up slightly, typically. They always start to go up slightly (sometimes unfortunately) the longer the season goes on. The commentary was still off base and he was very underscored.
At least she’s not complaining about scores after doing stuff she KNOWS the judges don’t like, like Maks, Mark and Louis have all done – she sticks to good, standard, entertaining choreography.
Eh, Cami, you’re splitting hairs. It seems pretty clear to me that we ARE referring to the judges in this discussion, when talking about Kirstie’s scores and dancing versus Ralphs.
Amy & Lisa,
I agree with both of you. I understand Karina’s complaint about inconsistency in judges scores and comments but this inconsistency was not a new thing this season. It has happened every season. Additionally, better dancers being eliminated before others is not new either.
Having said that, I don’t agree with Karina’s choice of comparison and I think she could have made her points without taking a dig at Kirstie about getting a 10 for moving her pinky. She further used the falls as a comparison as well. If memory serves me correctly, Ralph too was praised for being there for his partner, picking her up, & moving on. And as has been mentioned, Kirstie received a 21 and Ralph a 24.
Again, I understand her being upset with inconsistencies and she isn’t the first pro to talk about them. However, I feel she could have done that without slamming another competitor in the process.
As much as I don’t care for Karina, and as much as I stand by and love Kirstie, she has a point. The judges need to judge right, and people, this is a DANCE competition. So why can’t we appreciate good dancing when it is provided?
And I agree with Michelle, she didn’t need to take it out on Kirstie, because Ralph did get better scores than her. Hmm, jealousy?
She wasn’t taking it out on Kirstie. Her references to Kirstie imo were used to demonstrate how biased the judges were. In her mind, as well as mine, Kirstie did not dance better than Ralph, yet the judging reflected that Kirstie did dance better than him. Kirstie’s dancing imo should never have received higher than 8′s, yet on more than one occasion she received 9′s for performances that were just mediocre. I’m glad that Karina had the guts to point out the inconsistencies in the judging and as far as her being jealous, I don’t buy that at all. Karina is a world Latin dance champion. Who or what pray tell would she have to be jealous about considering that she has more credentials than 99% percent of the people on that show. I think Louis is in her league but other than that, I don’t think anybody else comes close to what she has accomplished.
I agree Tiffany, Karina has nothing to be jealous about. The woman is a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion. There is no way she would be jealous over losing a MBT that has no significance in the Ballroom world.
As for Kirstie she was given favoritosm by the judges. Which is not her fault but she was allowed to get away with doing very little dancing in the jive and recieved a 6,7,8 from the regular judges and a 9 from the guest judge. While Ralph recieved 7,7,7. He did not forget his steps and actually did kicks. As Sara said the judges need to judge right and make this a true dance competition.
Karina, jealous?? Of what? LOL!!! She’s the most decorated female pro on the show – she’s only saying what we have been saying for a few seasons now. AND, I do love how those of you who feel compelled to put Karina down conveniently forget about what was actually SAID to Ralph on several occasions and which is the real heart of the problem.
Heidi, I guess we did watch two different shows. On the show I saw, the judges praised Ralph after Karina’s fall. Len and Carrie Ann said they were proud of him and gushed over the performace.
Judging is subjective, and I have no problem with any pro disagreeing with the judges. I can’t say the judges are always completely fair or accurate, but I think Karina twisted what happened to suit her argument. The judges didn’t throw 10′s Kirstie’s way all the time nor treat Ralph badly because Karina fell. Her examples were very poorly chosen and, in my opinion, unkind to Kirstie.
Glad to see at least Lisa and Michelle saw the same show I did.
Well done Amy, on refusing to see the actual point that has been reiterated over and over again. Of course, that point isn’t very convenient, is it?? Poor thing.
I haven’t refused to see anything. I just have my own opinion, as you have yours.
Amy,
Again – very well said & I have read your latest comment above, agree 100%, & do not see where you have attacked or belittled anyone so kudos for you in staying classy.
I too think Karina could have pointed out judging inconsistency (which happens EVERY year & I could go season by season with examples) without sarcastically saying all Kirstie had to do was shake her pinky to get a 10 & then of course the fall example she used was probably not the best comparison either. And if by me saying what I just did is putting Karina down then some pros have been crucified on here because the comments I have read in this thread have been mild in comparison.
Again, I agree that there is judging inconsistency & I even agree that the judges were harsh sometimes with Ralph on their comments but I don’t feel singling Kirstie out was necessary to make that point. There were other contestants eliminated earlier who were also the receipent of some generous scores like every season.
Finally, nice to see that Kirstie who seems to love dancing so much that she is still doing it & promoting the heck out of it.
Karina could have used any of the contestants when trying to make her point, because the end result is the same. I believe she chose Kirstie because out of all of the finalists, Kirstie is the one that didn’t belong there if we are going by dance ability, whereas Ralph did belong there to have a shot at the trophy. The judges completely destroyed his chances of giving Chelsie and Hines some real competition in the finals and that’s a shame. If you read any of the post-show interviews, Ralph is saying the same thing.
He knows what went on over there and did say there was unfair treatment going on behind the scenes. Why not believe him, is he supposed to be jealous too? The evidence of how badly he was treated is right there on the screen if anyone really cares to look. 
Well..if anyone cares to look, I actually said in my post that the judges were harsh on Ralph. That wasn’t ‘my point’ at all. : ) As far as Karina or Ralph being jealous, I never said that either so I will assume Tiffany that your post isn’t directed towards me. : )
Having said that, I have to disagree that Ralph could have given Chelsea & Hines some real competition. I thought Ralph seemed very awkward/stiff when he danced, and like Kirstie, was not in the same league as Hines & Chelsea.
I guess for me personally I just put myself in Kirstie’s shoes and think would I be offended if I read what Karina said? I think I probably would. Yes Ralph was subjected to harsh & unfair comments from the judges but does it make it better to now be sarcastic towards Kirstie & her dancing while trying to make your point? That is all I’m trying to say because YES…there was inconsistency in judging and YES…they were harsh with Ralph.
Watch your step, Michelle – as soon as you start talking about other people’s posts, you get very close to a line where you are contributing nothing to the conversation except additional antagonism and behavior that YOU yourself complain about. Now, this topic has been hashed to death and NO ONE is changing their opinion. So DROP IT.
If we are talking about dancing ability though, can one really make an argument that Kirstie deserved that third spot instead of Ralph? I mean even if you don’t think Ralph danced good or was stiff, wouldn’t you say his performances were better than Kirstie’s? The Cha Cha and Salsa aside, if you compare the rest of their dances, Ralph did outdance Kirstie and he delivered some really strong performances.
And…..I could make several arguments that he was just as good or better than Hines, but I won’t because that’s not the topic at hand. 
I liked Kirstie a lot, but I thought that both Romeo and Ralph were better dancers than her. Kirstie was a fanbase ringer though and that’s part of the equation – it counts. It is what it is. This is why Kirstie is the one mentioned by Karina – she was the lesser dancer (in LOTS of people’s opinions) AND she made it farther. But the issue is what Karina said – I didn’t take issue with it, mainly because I think she’s right. I’ll be the first one to take issue with what the pros say and her comments were FAR more innocuous than what Maks and Louis said on camera during seasons 10 and, to a lesser extent, season 11.
Actually, Michelle, I just deleted your last post simply because it’s nothing but bitching about me, I have not blocked your IP as tempting as it is.
I was responding to Tiffany about her comment about Ralph’s dancing ability because I agree with her. Period. It’s not all about you. Tiffany is the one person that has managed to just stick to her own opinion and I don’t want to ignore that.
Lets get one thing straight..I don’t like Karina, I did like Ralph , but to me Kiristi came the furtherest in her danceing from day one to end…I don’t care for Kirstie at all now because of her foul mouth…BUT I do like Maks and so proud he got to finals,Want him to get that MBT…Know this is not all about him….But Kirina is just so jealous or hates Maks so much any partner he had would have done wrong in her sight….But don’t think their is any love lost with Maks toward her….Why don’t she just fess up say it is all because of Maks, stop blaming Kirstie….