‘DWTS’ Fans Demand Return of the Judges’ Save After Lauren Jauregui’s Exit
Lauren Jauregui‘s shocking elimination from Dancing With the Stars has fans of the show begging for the return of a since-removed rule.
The Fifth Harmony singer and her partner, Brandon Armstrong, were the third couple of the season to be sent home on Tuesday, September 30. After the episode, viewers took to social media to demand that the ABC series reinstate the judges’ save rule, which allowed the show’s panel of judges to choose which of the lower-ranking couples would leave the competition and which would stay to dance another week.
“They NEED to bring back the judges save because what the actual f**k? justice for lauren !!!! screw this show,” one fan wrote via X on Tuesday, while another added, “They need to go back to where the judges pick who gets to stay and go from the bottom two because what the hell was that.”
Another angry viewer tweeted, “Bring back the judges save because it prevented stupid s*** like this from happening.” Someone else wrote, “BRING BACK JUDGES SAVE.”
“Bring back the judges save because America is too dumb to vote. There is no reason Lauren should have gone home tonight,” a different user posted.
Several fans also criticized judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli for underscoring Jauregui in Episode 3 after landing near the top of the leaderboard during the first two episodes of the season.
Disney/Eric McCandless
“Me EVERY SINGLE SEASON when yall care more about sympathy votes than actually dancing skills😭 absolutely no reason Lauren should’ve gone home when she’s out dancing more than half of the people who stayed. Just make a Golden Dancing With the Stars atp,” one X user shared.
“This is why you don’t give a person with good potential low scores,” a different person tweeted. “This is all because the judges gave lauren 6s F**K THIS SHOW AND F**K THE JUDGES.”
DWTS executive producer Deena Katz previously explained why the judges save was removed from the show after being introduced following Bobby Bones‘ controversial Season 27 win. “I think it should be about America,” Katz told TVLine in February 2024. “And at the end of the day, the judges’ save sometimes isn’t what America wanted. And [eliminations are based on] half the judges and half America voting, and so that’s kind of the reason we did it.”
Jauregui and Armstrong earned 18 out of 30 points for their cha-cha-cha to Fifth Harmony’s “Work From Home” during Tuesday’s “TikTok Night,” tying with Andy Richter and Emma Slater at the bottom of the leaderboard. In reaction to her elimination, Jauregui stated with a smile that she was “pissed.”
“I mean, they asked me how I was feeling in the moment, and that’s how I was feeling in the moment,” the singer exclusively told TV Insider of her reaction, adding, “I’m feeling just emotional about the whole thing. I feel like I had a lot left to give the show, and I just wish that I would have had the opportunity to do that especially because I was working with Brandon. We were going to keep progressing. That was our strategy. It’s sad not to be able to do that.”
Dancing With the Stars, Season 34, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+ (Streaming Next Day on Hulu)
For a more extended celebration of two decades of Dancing With the Stars, from exclusive interviews to retrospectives and must-see photos, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Dancing With the Stars 20th Anniversary special issue, available for purchase online at DWTS.TVGM2025.com and on newsstands now.
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