For many viewers, ice dancing is one of the most entertaining events at the Winter Olympics. But the opening of this year’s competition did not come without controversy.
The 2026 Winter Olympics kicked off on Friday (February 6) in Milan, Italy, and will run until February 22.
On Monday (February 9), several viewers expressed their disappointment over what they deemed an unfair score for the US ice dancing team.
- Team USA ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished second in the rhythm dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
- French duo Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron won the rhythm dance with the highest cumulative score of 90.18.
- Viewers accused French judges of bias after awarding the French team top scores while giving the US team lower marks during the event.
Figure skating pair performing a routine at the Olympics amid fans accusing suspicious scoring by judges.
Team USA ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished in second place in the competition’s rhythm dance portion
While the French pair had the highest cumulative score of the day, several people scrutinized the judges for missing points in their routine, which was out of sync in some areas, as per Newsweek .
Viewers found it suspicious that the French judges awarded the French duo the highest score on the panel—almost two points higher than any other judge–while giving the USA skaters their second-lowest score.
Team USA figure skating athletes and coaches celebrating with American flags at the Olympics amid suspicious scoring claims.
“I honestly don’t get what the ice dancing judges love with the French pair. That was just a lot of arm flailing in the rhythm dance,” one person fumed.
“If you’re just tuning to ice dance for the 1st time in 4 yrs, welcome! Find your fave but beware the trash judges,” read another comment.
“Judges overscoring the French ice dance team what else is new,” echoed a third viewer.
Figure skating pair performing at the Olympics, fans accuse judges of suspicious scoring against Team USA.
The Team USA skaters were defeated by Team France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron
Screenshot of a forum comment discussing suspicious scoring by Olympics figure skating judges against Team USA.
Comment from jupiterrhapsody criticizing figure skating judges for rewarding mediocre skaters amid controversial scoring claims.
The French duo scored 90.18 points, their best ever, for their routine to Madonna’s Vogue . Meanwhile, triple world champions Chock and Bates’ rock-and-roll performance earned them 89.72 points.
The rhythm dance theme was “music, dance styles, and feelings of the 1990s.”
Figure skaters are scored based on connecting their footwork throughout their routines, but ice dancers are more like ballroom dancers and are evaluated on precision as well as the connection between the couple, Team USA’s Bates explained.
Figure skating pair performing a routine on ice as fans discuss suspicious scoring and judge controversies.
Ice dancing also has more restrictions compared to figure skating.
“We can only do lifts that are below the head, so I can’t raise my hands above my head, which is a really easy distinction when you’re trying to differentiate between pairs and ice dancing,” the Olympian told People in 2018.
Chock and Bates, who are also a couple off the ice, are competing at their fourth Olympics together. The married pair won a gold medal in the team event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Viewers protested that the French judges gave the French team the highest score on the panel
Olympics figure skating judges’ suspicious scoring with Team USA trailing in official results leaderboard.
Comment from a fan accusing Olympics figure skating judges of suspicious scoring affecting Team USA’s placement.
Comment criticizing French judges for bias and suspicious scoring affecting Team USA in Olympics figure skating competition.
Screenshot of a social media post expressing anger about suspicious scoring in Olympics figure skating judging.
The ice dancers will have a chance to defeat Beaudry and Cizeron, the European champions, on Wednesday (February 11) in the free dance segment that will determine who takes home the gold medal.
“We’re not changing anything. We’ve got this locked in, locked in where we know ourselves, know our routine. And yeah, we’ve got this,” said Chock.
“Every time we step on the ice, we feel very grateful and happy to be able to do this together. It’s just bonus time doing a sport that we love,” expressed Team France’s Cizeron.
Olympic rings mounted on a building with snowy mountains in the background, symbolizing Olympics figure skating controversy.
This is not the first setback encountered by Team USA at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn lost control a few seconds into her downhill run and had to be airlifted to a hospital on February 8.
The 41-year-old, who had suffered a serious ACL injury in January, underwent surgery to stabilize a fracture in her left leg following the accident.
“I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash,” Vonn explained on Instagram.
The controversy comes after skier Lindsey Vonn’s horrific accident that required surgery
Female winter athlete in Team USA gear celebrating, highlighting figure skating judges and suspicious scoring debates.
The four-time World Cup champion stated that she has “no regrets.”
“Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.”
Smiling man in outdoor jacket, with fans accusing Olympics figure skating judges of suspicious scoring against Team USA.
Donald Trump called skier Hunter Hess a “loser” following his remarks about representing the US
The games also took a political turn when Donald Trump called Team USA’s Hunter Hess a “real loser” after the Olympic skier declared that he had “mixed emotions” about representing his country.
Hess previously said during a press conference, “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US. It’s a little hard; there’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of and I think a lot of people aren’t.”
Vance booed during the Olympic opening ceremony pic.twitter.com/JCiQwjhKlh — Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) February 6, 2026
Unlock an Enhanced Experience with Bored Panda Premium
Go ad-free, access unlimited content, and enjoy our sleek dark mode. Your favorite stories, uninterrupted.
No fees, cancel anytime
Olympian Makes Stunning Admission After Judge’s Conspicuous Scores Ignite Cheating Accusations
