Pasha Pashkov is hitting back at comments made about Danielle Fishel’s jive (Image: ABC)

Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov got fans feeling emotional on Dancing With the Stars’ Dedication Night with a Boy Meets World-inspired dance dedicated to Bill Daniels, but Carrie Ann Inaba’s criticism of it is now getting some pushback from the pro dancer.

Fishel and Pashkov’s routine, a Jive, landed them near the bottom of the ABC show’s Judges’ leaderboard at the end of the night, earning only 29 points out of 40.

While the lack of an elimination, which confused some fans, did automatically guarantee them a spot in the Wicked-themed week of the competition, that doesn’t mean Pashkov is pleased with one of the longtime judge’s comments in particular.

After the routine, Inaba criticized the pair, saying that while she liked the nostalgia, she felt like she was starting to “watch the same dance over and over again” with them, something that earned loud boos from the audience.

“I know that sounds really critical,” she said. “But if I don’t give the comments now, she can’t work on this. And I want you to have the best chance for success, so I’m bringing it up now. Try to give a little bit more variety as far as dynamics–this is also on you, Pasha–together, as a team.”

Inaba slammed the dance as being too similar to past routines (Image: ABC)

Now, in a new post-show interview with Variety, Pashkov came to Fishel’s defense, saying he didn’t think Inaba’s criticism was fair because of the dance styles they got two weeks in a row.

“I was not happy. I always get protective. For me, that comment felt unfair, especially being that she said that the dances looked similar,” he said.

“But the thing is, we did have a quickstep and we had a jive this week. These are two dances that [are] very, very similar. If we had dances that were drastically different and they felt the same, I’d understand.”

“Based on the dances that we had, that did not feel like it made sense to me. In my heart, I’m overprotective because I know how hard Danielle is working. I don’t think she deserved that comment.”

Fishel and Pashkov dedicated the routine to her co-star Bill Daniels (Image: ABC)

Thus far in the competition, the pair has performed a Tango, a Cha Cha, a Foxtrot, a Quickstep and their Jive.

Though Quickstep is considered a Ballroom dance and Jive is Latin, both are characterized by fast-paced movement, energetic performance, and frequent kicks of the legs and feet.

Fishel is the only member of the cast who performed the two similar styles two weeks in a row. Following their Quicksteps, Alix Earle, Elaine Hendrix, Jen Affleck and Dylan Efron performed Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Cha Cha and Contemporary routines respectively.

Robert Irwin and Jordan Chiles have also already performed Jives, meaning they will be exempt from the two styles two weeks in a row as well. The only celebrities who have yet to perform either style are Andy Richter, Whitney Leavitt and Scott Hoying.

Pashkov found he critique unfair because they had done a quickstep just one week earlier (Image: ABC)

Fishel and Pashkov weren’t the only ones to receive critical feedback from Inaba during Dedication Night, or who were left confused by their scores.

Alan Bersten was visibly shaken and surprised when his routine with Hendrix, which featured her friend Lisa Ann Walter, earned only 30 points, with Derek Hough and Kym Johnson both giving it a 7.

The teams are all now preparing new routines for Wicked Night, which will be the sixth night of competition. Though unconfirmed, after the lack of an elimination on Dedication Night, it is expected to potentially see a double elimination.