The season 29 cast of Dancing With the Stars may have to stay put in Los Angeles to abide by coronavirus safety precautions, but that doesn't mean they're immune to the world's opinions.
During the second week of competition, Carole Baskin broke down in tears while addressing Tiger King and the public's reaction to her role in the documentary—reactions that still negatively affect her. As fans might recall, the Netflix hit raised questions about whether or not she killed her ex-husband, allegations that Baskin has repeatedly denied.
Speaking to E! News after her performance on Tuesday night, Baskin said the emotional interview segment certainly contributed to her state of mind. "It did not help my performance at all to see that up on the screen," she said. "In fact, Pasha [Pashkov] had seen clips of it and he was like, ‘It's okay if you just wanna just cover your ears and your eyes, it would be okay not to see any part of that.' And thankfully I didn't see much of it."
Though Baskin and Pashkov were in the bottom two (Charles Oakley and Emma Slater were eliminated) after dancing the Vietnamese Waltz to Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?", the judges delivered positive criticism that'll fuel them for week three. "I felt that the dance went very well. I was so pleased with every bit of it and so thankful for the judges' reactions to it," Baskin said. "So I felt really good about that.
Despite her televised breakdown, Baskin said she's turning to her family for additional support. In fact, her daughter and her boyfriend even wore flower crowns and tiger masks while watching the latest episode.
"I've got wonderful feedback from my husband," she said. The encouraging reactions also came from one unexpected fan: her mother. Baskin continued, "I even got a text from my mother saying she appreciated it even though it was considered a sin in our family to dance. Apparently I haven't been disowned. I can repent later, I guess."
Perhaps having her mother's blessing will boost her confidence when she hits the stage next Monday.