Gene Simmons experienced a chilly reception as a guest judge on Dancing With the Stars during Tuesday night’s Hair Metal Night. The music icon faced a chorus of boos after announcing his score for Reginald VelJohnson, who performed a cha cha to Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock” alongside pro partner Emma Slater. VelJohnson and Slater received a score of 6 from Carrie Ann Inaba while Simmons, along with judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, each gave them 5s.
The audience began to voice their discontent as Hough revealed his scores, but the boos escalated significantly when Simmons followed suit.
Before the scores were revealed, Simmons shared encouraging words for VelJohnson, who noted he had drawn inspiration from the Kiss frontman for his performance. “Hey Reggie, you’ve got a beautiful woman right beside you who can twist it and turn it,” Simmons stated. “But I want to tell you, as a guy that’s been on the stage for half a century around the world, I’m kind of a big deal, Reggie. It’s all in the attitude. And you’ve got something in that beautiful face. They love you.”
Despite consistently landing low scores this season, Inaba acknowledged VelJohnson’s popularity with the audience. “You blow my mind, okay? There’s something about you that’s just so engaging to watch,” she remarked. “You’re doing the fewest steps of anybody else in this competition, but somehow we’re all so with you, and that is worth mentioning, right?”
The episode featured various performances to classic rock hits, celebrating iconic bands from past decades. Other dances included Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold’s foxtrot to Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again,” Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong’s jive to Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” and Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten’s jive to Quiet Riot’s “Cum on Feel the Noize,” among others.