Audrina Patridge: Bruno Should Say Something to Michael Bolton

USMagazine, Friday, October 1, 2010, 5:57am (PDT)

Audrina Patridge has Michael Bolton's back.

The "Dancing With the Stars" competitor thinks Bolton, 57, deserves an apology from Bruno Tonioli, who scathingly chided the singer's jive number on Monday night's show.

"It definitely was really brutal, and Michael was really bummed out after that. I think [Tonioli] should say something," Patridge, 25, told UsMagazine.com at Thursday's Make Up Forever Boutique Launch at Sephora Soho in New York. (Tonioli said Bolton's jive was "the worst" in the show's history.)

But Tonioli has to be a little mean, the star admitted. "He is a judge, and that's his job, to give his opinion and be brutally honest.... If he was too nice, it wouldn't be an interesting show," she said.

The show's producers stood behind their sharp-tongued judge. After Bolton's Tuesday's night elimination from the show, he demanded an apology from Tonioli for his withering remarks. In a Wednesday statement, producers said, "We don't feel Bruno should be expected to apologize for doing his job."

How does Patridge (paired with Tony Dovolani) keep her wits about her come showtime?

"I get nervous and jittery before going out there with 700-800 people out there watching you. It's nerve-wracking!" she admitted."When I am on the dance floor, I just focus on Tony. I'm in this little bubble. That's all I focus on; otherwise, I will mess up."

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