Olson issues public apology after deleted comment
Jackson Olson, a Savannah Bananas player currently competing on Dancing With the Stars, has publicly apologized to fellow contestant Guillermo Rodriguez after a comment he made about Rodriguez's dancing. Olson posted a video to Instagram on Oct. 6 in which he and Rodriguez dance together to the Hannah Montana song Nobody's Perfect. In the caption, Olson wrote that he was sorry from the bottom of his heart for the comment he made the other day and for the negativity it caused. He added that he loves Rodriguez and urged everyone to focus on dancing, which he said is what the show is meant to be about.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
The uproar started after Olson left a remark on an Oct. 3 TikTok clip shared by Loco Beach Coconuts. That clip showed player Erik Ostberg playfully mimicking the routine Rodriguez and his partner Witney Carson had performed during the Sept. 29 Yacht Rock Night installment. As reported by Cosmopolitan, Olson's now-removed comment asked how Ostberg had managed to do it better than Rodriguez with only two hours of rehearsal. Many took the message as a jab at Rodriguez's dancing.[S1][S8]
Rodriguez remains a fan favorite as the two move on
Despite the brief controversy, Rodriguez and Olson appear to have put the matter behind them. Rodriguez, who is paired with Witney Carson, and Olson, who is paired with Emma Slater, have both maintained their status as fan favorites this season. Carson is pregnant with her third baby with husband Carson McAllister. The two contestants' continued popularity suggests the apology has been accepted by the show's audience.[S1]
Rodriguez's appeal has even reached late-night television. On the Oct. 1 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, host John Oliver told Rodriguez that his two sons, aged 10 and 8, have become obsessed with season 35 of Dancing With the Stars because of him. Oliver said his kids had never seen the show before and that his 8-year-old son, who normally has to go to bed before the judging and scores, woke up at 4 a.m. one night and asked if Guillermo was still in the competition. When Oliver said yes, the boy celebrated.[S1]
