‘DTWS’ Fans Are Divided Over Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold’s “Recycled” Dance-Off Choreography

Maura Higgins and her pro partner Rylee Arnold defeated Connor Wood and Mark Ballas in a bonus dance-off to Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do,” winning by two extra judging panel points in a closely contested competition.Judge Carrie Ann Inaba criticized the runners-up for incorporating excessive country line dancing into their cha-cha routine, sparking debate among fans about whether country choreography fit the song choice.Despite the competitive loss and online controversy, Connor and Maura publicly supported each other with encouraging comments, demonstrating their friendship and sportsmanship ahead of next week’s semifinals.I never thought I’d say this, but this week’s episode of Dancing With the Stars was a tough watch. Hear me out—it was only because my faves, Maura Higgins and Connor Wood, competed in a bonus dance-off to Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do.” I just couldn’t choose between these charming celebs. Sue me!That being said, it was a tight race between the stars and their pro partners, Rylee Arnold and Mark Ballas. Team Tink won in the end thanks to two extra points from the judging panel, but DWTS fans seem divided over who really deserved the win after the scores were given.“ANYONE who thought connor had a chance i hope you're feeling real embarrassed MAURA ATE HIM UP SOOOO HARD,” one person wrote, while another said, “I don’t even care that they lost (whatever) but I like watching Rylee and Connor WAYYY more.”After the performance, Carrie Ann Inaba criticized Rylee and Connor for incorporating more country-inspired moves into their cha-cha.“So much fun, both of you! It’s like the battle of fringe dance,” she said, before telling Connor and Rylee, “You had a lot of country line dancing. You threw that back in, which was fun for the audience, but I don’t know. It’s not a cha-cha.”Naturally, fans took issue with Carrie Ann’s comments. “What’s the point of picking a country song if you don’t want them to incorporate that into their dance. The feedback made no sense,” another viewer said.If that wasn’t enough to keep the debate alive, others pointed out how similar Rylee and Connor’s dance was to their week 1 cha-cha to another country song, “I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw.However, longtime fans know that repurposing choreography is the name of the game when it comes to DWTS.One commenter on Reddit explained, “Truth be told, all the pros recycle dances for the dance-offs, which is why the concept has never really worked for me or been particularly entertaining. However, those Hee Haw moves definitely threw the entire dance-off off, and I’m glad CAI called it out. You could tell she absolutely hated every second of it.”Either way, it doesn’t seem like Connor or Maura were phased by the online chatter after their dance-off. They actually dropped a series of comments supporting each other’s performances.“So much fun with you guys @fibula @ryleearnold1,” Maura wrote, to which Connor responded, “we had too much damn fun I love you all.”The podcaster even jokingly chimed in when a fan claimed Maura “cleared” him, saying, “agree that’s my queen.”Dancing With the Stars//InstagramAnd that’s why these two are my faves—can’t wait to see them in the semifinals next week!