Dancing with the Stars: Why did Brandon shade Hilaria? Details explored

Disney Night on Dancing With the Stars got a little weird, and not because of the dancing. In some behind-the-scenes clips, pro dancer Brandon Armstrong made a joke that kinda blew up online. While Robert Irwin and Hilaria Baldwin were chatting, Brandon suddenly laughed and said he couldn’t understand a single word they were saying.

Robert said something about their super-strong accents blending. He was clearly joking, but people online lost it, mostly because Hilaria’s accent is famous for being a little all over the place. What was meant to be a silly moment turned into, like, a mini internet meltdown.

Hillary Thomas, born in Boston to American parents, has long been questioned for her fluctuating Spanish accent and claims of cultural links. Fans quickly recognised the irony of Brandon's comments, which came just before Hilaria and her partner, Gleb Savchenko, were voted off, along with Danielle Fishel and Andy Richter.

What might have been a light-hearted moment instead reignited old questions about identity, authenticity, and how reality TV always manages to create real-world conflict, even on a Disney-themed night.

What happened between Brandon and Hilaria on Dancing With the Stars?

Backstage on Dancing With the Stars, Brandon's statement appeared to be a foolish jest. He was joking around with the other dancers when Robert Irwin and Hilaria Baldwin began conversing closely. Brandon stared at the camera and quipped that he couldn't understand a single word because of Robert's thick Australian accent and Hilaria's ever-changing one.

It sounded funny in the moment, but fans caught on fast. They knew he was throwing a little shade, especially since Hilaria’s accent has been one of the internet’s biggest mysteries for years. The video went viral, reigniting long-running arguments about Hilaria's true voice and identity.

Though born Hillary Thomas in Boston to American parents, she is often spoken with a Spanish lilt, even slipping into phrases that sound straight out of Madrid. Critics have long noticed how her accent seems to come and go depending on the setting. Still, Hilaria insists she’s not faking it; she says she grew up spending time in Spain and feels deeply connected to the culture.

Hilaria and Gleb landed in the bottom three alongside two other couples during Disney Night on Dancing With the Stars. Boy Meets World actress Danielle Fishel and partner Pasha Pashkov also faced possible elimination, as did comedian Andy Richter and Emma Slater. Ultimately, Hilaria and Gleb received insufficient viewer votes to continue.

The Dancing With the Stars elimination ended their run on the iconic dance competition. Just days before, Hilaria had celebrated surviving the previous week's cuts. She posted gratitude on social media, thanking supporters for their votes. Praising Gleb as "the best dance teacher," she wrote:

"This is all such an amazing dream."

What did Hilaria say to fans of the show post-elimination?

After being sent home from Dancing With the Stars, Hilaria didn’t stay silent, at least not online. When fans began questioning the judges’ decisions, she quietly showed her agreement in the most modern way possible: By liking a few spicy comments. One supporter argued that her dances were scored unfairly low, especially compared to other contestants who didn’t exactly light up the floor but still walked away with higher marks.

The fan didn’t hold back; they basically called out the judges for missing the mark and hinted that the whole scoring system was a bit of a circus. Hilaria quietly hit “like,” which wasn’t exactly a battle cry, but definitely enough to say that she wasn’t particularly thrilled about it either. It added a dash of extra drama to her exit, the kind that makes you wonder if she left the ballroom feeling a little underscored and a lot underappreciated. Hilaria communicated her argument loud and clear without saying anything, one "like" at a time.

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Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays on ABC and streams the next day on Disney+.

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