Jackson Olson Weighs In On The DWTS Judges & Their Scoring

The scoring system of Dancing with the Stars may not be as clear-cut as a baseball game, but Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson is adjusting to the new rubric. “You have to take it in, and not with a grain of salt,” he says.

In Season 35 particularly, the scores that Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough have been doling out are getting a lot of intense reactions from fans and even cast members. But as tensions mount, Olson has been able to view it all as constructive feedback rather than harsh criticism. “I’m an athlete. I’ve always been a numbers person, so I do take those scores to heart, but not in a negative way ever,” he says. “I view those judges as my coaches and I want to make them proud.”

“You have to make sure you’re implementing what the judges say, because you don’t want them to say the exact same negative thing they said last week,” Olson continues. “They’re pros. They know everything. They’ve been doing this for so many years. I've been dancing for what, two months? I know nothing.”

The judges’ scores are just part of what helps a celeb move on to the next week. There’s also the fan vote, which is just as important — and the audience really has a lot to say this year.

The DWTS Fans Are Heated Online

The DWTS discourse for Season 35 has gotten more heated than the dancers working overtime in the ballroom, which is why Olson has limited his time on his phone. “There are so many different opinions on social media, and sometimes those opinions will affect your opinions of yourself,” he says. However, the positive reactions have really helped him get through those lower scoring nights.

The score doesn't always mean that people aren't enjoying your dance. It just means that you need to get better technically.

“My favorite moment so far was when my teammates had a watch party, and reacted in real time to my dance,” he says. “I got three 5s, so I wasn't totally excited about it, but when I saw their reaction, I was like, ‘The score doesn't always mean that people aren't enjoying your dance. It just means that you need to get better technically.’”

At the end of the day, Olson is his own biggest judge: “Mirrorball or not, I want to make sure that I can tell myself afterwards, ‘Jackson, you put everything into this and you tried your hardest.’”