Ballando con le stelle controversy and eliminations

The 2026 season of the Italian dance competition ‘Ballando con le stelle’ has been marked by public disputes involving judges and contestants.

Following the season premiere, judge Barbara d’Urso faced backlash for criticizing a tango performance by Ornella Muti and Pasquale La Rocca. D’Urso’s comments regarding a perceived lack of passion led La Rocca to describe the critique as ‘not very objective’ and potentially premeditated. This sparked further verbal exchanges between judges Barbara D’Urso, Simona Ventura, and Francesca Fialdini following Muti’s routine.

By the fourth episode, contestant Aurora Ramazzotti also clashed with the jury. Ramazzotti pushed back against suggestions from judges Guillermo Mariotto and Barbara d’Urso to appear more spontaneous, questioning if she was expected to ‘play the fool’ to satisfy their requirements. She stated she refuses to act like a ‘jester’ to satisfy judges and remains committed to her authentic self. During this episode, she also discussed her long-term experience with therapy, while Anna Safroncik expressed emotional distress during her performance.

In the same episode, Massimo Ghini and partner Valentina Fiorini became the first contestants eliminated from the competition. Following a runoff against Anastasia Kuzmina and Jimmy Ghione, Ghione secured 86% of the public vote while Ghini received 14%. Alessandro Matri and Giada Lini won the round, earning 20 bonus points from judge Francesca Fialdini to reach 73 points. Ornella Muti and Pasquale La Rocca led the general standings with 95 points, followed by Eugenio Finardi and Rebecca Gabrielli in second place. Eugenio Finardi also shared his history of addiction.