After 'DWTS' Elimination, Michael Bolton Demands Apology From Judge

USMagazine, Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 5:36am (PDT)

Michael Bolton, who was eliminated on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" on Tuesday, wants an apology from judge Bruno Tonioli, who famously slammed the singer, 57, by telling him that he performed "the worst" jive in 11 years.

"I was disappointed with Bruno -- to me, he let everybody down," Bolton said Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." "My mom was there. She's 90. She flew down to see the show ... and I just didn't expect that level of disrespect from him."

Even fellow judge Len Goodman told Tonioli, 54, his remarks were "inappropriate," Bolton noted.

"I think he should apologize publicly and he should be reprimanded for it," Bolton said.

After his elimination Tuesday, his partner Chelsie Hightower also told UsMagazine.com Toniolo was too harsh.

"I don't know where it came from: I really don't," she told Us. "It was hard to hear."

She told Us it "sucks that it had to end this way. It sucks that we didn't get another week to come back because I know he could have done better."

Dancer Cheryl Burke also told Us she thought Bruno was "too mean."

"He didn't have anything constructive to say," she added. "Michael's been the hardest-working one. He's been there eight to 10 hours every night. I think he was in the studio sometimes until 2 in the morning! I thought Len [Goodman] was right: You can say your negativity, but back it up with something you can go home and work on.

"It's just rude when someone works so hard, and they have never danced before, and then you give them that criticism," she went on. "If he never worked and was lazy and never came into the studio, that's one thing, but the fact that someone like Michael Bolton comes here and pours his heart out and then gets treated like that, it's not a good thing."

Contestant Kyle Massey said the judges are "there to judge the dance," but they don't see all the hours the contestants put in. He added, "We know, and we can commend him for that because he worked super hard on that dance."

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