Karamo Brown, star of Queer Eye, has been eliminated from Dancing with the Stars’ Halloween special. This marks the season’s most shocking elimination since Sailor Brinkley-Cook and Val Chmerkovskiy exited the show.
Brown was booted from the competition on October 28 following the team challenge and his impassioned dance to “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child. He and his partner Jenna were decked out in Victorian-inspired Day of the Dead costumes as they danced the paso doble. Their efforts garnered a 9 from judge Carrie Ann Inaba, and two 8s from judges Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman. With a 25 out of 30, the duo was sitting pretty.
Inaba credited Brown for his dancing, which she likened to a “sonic boom.” The judges seemed to really respond to the sultry dance number. “You were really on it,” said Goodman. “You didn’t lose what you wanted to do.” Brown was also part of Team Treat, which danced to Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams.” He and his teammates received three 8s, for a total 24 out of 30 score. Despite the strength of Brown’s dancing, it just wasn’t enough to keep him in the competition.
The bottom two of the night came down to The Office star Kate Flannery and her partner, Pasha, along with Karamo and Jenna. Inaba voted to keep Brown on the show, while the other two judges cast their votes for Flannery. Brown’s time on Dancing With the Stars was its own roller coaster ride of emotion. Early in the season, he found himself embroiled in controversy when he expressed kind words about Sean Spicer. The former White House Press Secretary and Dancing with the Stars competitor has been a polarizing figure in the U.S. Brown’s followers reacted to his compliment of Spicer by harassing his sons, as well as leaving angry posts on the reality star’s social media profiles. Brown deactivated the comments feature on his Instagram page and disabled his Twitter account in response to the trolls. Spicer, to date, has remained in the competition, despite low scores.
Brown can be proud of what he accomplished on Dancing With the Stars. He expanded his audience from the niche Netflix viewer to a nation of adoring fans. Not only that, but through Brown’s disclosures about his troubled relationship with his dad, to his own experiences with fatherhood, he has offered solidarity to others with similar struggles. True, it may feel like a defeat to be off the show before the finale. However, Brown’s legacy speaks for itself. He’ll always have the opportunity to redeem himself and reconnect with those who kept him in contention once Dancing With the Stars goes on tour. As he continues to change lives on Queer Eye, he’ll be able to do so with an added layer of empathy, thanks to his time in the ballroom.
Source: People
