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Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles Addresses Viral ‘Gold Medal’ Comment

Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles Addresses Viral 'Gold Medal' Comment

Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles Addresses Viral ‘Gold Medal’ Comment

Simone Biles set the internet on fire during Monday’s “Dancing with The Stars” when she clapped back at the judges, who criticized both of her routines for not having enough emotion. After her second dance of the night, Biles did not look pleased to hear some inexplicably harsh feedback about her routine, especially from Carrie Ann Inaba who shared her notes along with some kind words and supportive comments. When asked by host Tom Bergeron why the positive comments didn’t elicit a smile from the 20-year-old Olympian, Biles replied: “smiling doesn’t win you gold medals.” The biting comeback received an outpouring of support from her fans, who applauded Biles for standing up for herself against the judges’ surprisingly lackluster feedback. Biles has been one of Dancing With the Stars’ fan favorites since the season began, but the four-time Olympic gold medalist has had a tough time connecting with the judges and has yet to earn a perfect score.

ET’s Nischelle Turner caught up with Biles and her pro partner, Sasha Farber after the show where they opened up about the disappointing response and how they are going to move forward. “I feel like everyone has their own opinion, clearly, and I feel it’s just how you take it,” Biles said, adding that in spite of the judges saying they can’t get a feel for who she really is during her performances, she’s doing her best to convey real emotion. “I feel like I am trying, I am being honest, but if they don’t see that, I don’t know what more I can do,” Biles explained. “I just know how hard this girl works,” Farber shared. “Each week she comes in and she delivers something different. There’s a lot of expectation on her shoulders, and we’re just gonna go back into the studio and keep digging.” One thing Biles has struggled with is knowing and understanding what the judges want from her, in terms of her emotions in her performances. While some of the dances call for her to show her sexy side, others require nuanced emotion, and from her point of view, there’s never a clear sign as to what will impress them from week to week. “You don’t know which wild card of sexy or of happy they want you to bring, and you almost have to read their minds and find it,” she explained. While Biles dealt with the criticism like a pro, the young star admitted that she nearly started crying. “I had tears in my eyes,” she recalled. “I almost ran to the bathroom at one point, but I pulled it together.” Longtime DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy opened up about how much of an “honor” it is to have Biles on the show. “Hopefully this incident doesn’t leave a bitter taste in her mouth. I know that she’s loved, she’s welcome, everybody loves having her here.” He fully supports the Olympic champ, and backed her up when it came to her response. “She kept it real, you know, and sometimes the truth hurts,” he said. “Smiles don’t get you gold medals and I agree with her as an athlete and I side with her. It doesn’t always sound pretty, you know, the gym, the locker room, none of these places are all fun and games. There’s hard work and sweat and tears and, most of the time, everything but smiling.”

Was the DWTS Judges Overly Critical of Biles?

Susan Z’s Conclusion:

Yes, just a bit. There is a striking difference between the way a trained dancer and an athlete moves with grace. I believe this might be the communication break down between the judges and Biles.

The Wheel of Fortune:
Inverted (Upside Down)
This card is going with the flow of life’s changes. Since inverted, I feel this shows Biles is learning that winning gold as an athlete might not make her the best at everything with rhythm and movement.

Four Swords:
This card is emotional exhaustion and wanting to withdraw from the world. This may also show where Biles is at the moment and so a little sensitive about criticism.

The Sun:
This card is joy and optimism. I believe this is Biles natural state of being so this is just a little bump in the road for her in her enjoying her hard earned 15 minutes of fame.

 

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