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Dancing With the Stars contestant Jackson Olson is sending love to competitor Guillermo Rodriguez after sparking controversy.
“To G and to all of you, from the bottom of my heart I am so sorry about my comment I made the other day and that it caused this much negativity,” Olson, 29, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, October 6. “I love this guy ❤️ now let’s do what this show is meant to be about.. DANCE 🕺 ily G.”
The Savannah Bananas player shared a video using audio from the Hannah Montana hit “Nobody’s Perfect.” In the clip, Rodriguez, 55, and Olson shrugged off the discourse while wearing matching sunglasses and danced with each other.
Ahead of Tuesday’s Mariah Carey Night performances, Olson raised eyebrows on social media with a comment he left on a post shared by the Loco Beach Coconuts. The video showed one of the athlete’s dancing choreography performed by Rodriguez and Witney Carson earlier in the DWTS season.
“But seriously, how did you do this better than him with 2 hours of rehearsal,” Olson wrote, adding a laughing emoji.
Fans were quick to assume Olson was throwing shade at Rodriguez, who has frequently landed at the bottom of the leaderboard throughout season 35.
Both Olson and Rodriguez are hitting the ballroom floor again on Tuesday for Mariah Carey Night. The athlete is dancing a waltz with pro Emma Slater, while Rodriguez and Carson, 32, are performing a samba.
Despite his consistent low scores, Rodriguez has maintained a positive outlook during the competition. Carson — who is currently pregnant with her third baby — has also defended her partner’s work ethic in the studio.
“This is not a dance competition,” she said in an Instagram Story following the season premiere. “Yes, of course, us pros take pride in, like, making the best dance possible, and we want our celebrities to become better. If it were truly a dance competition, every single celebrity would come into the competition with the same level of dance experience.”
Carson added that Rodriguez came into the show with no dance experience, unlike some of the other celebrities in the cast.
“So it isn’t fair, and that’s the point. The point is to vote for your favorite, and that’s why the voting system is in place,” she continued. “So, just wanted to give my two cents. Remember, it is [to] vote for your favorite. If you love to watch dance and you love to watch good dancing, that’s what you’re gonna vote for.”
Though the duo haven’t had the highest scores this season, they’ve stayed in the competition with the help of fans voting from home. Carson is also seeing a change of heart from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.
“I feel like we’re slowly winning them over,” Carson told Us exclusively after the pair’s Viral Hits Night performance.
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
