Ballando con le stelle: Mariotto sprays perfume on Barbara d'Urso, who gives Carlucci an ultimatum

A row over a judged performance

The seventh episode of Ballando con le stelle, broadcast on Saturday, 14 November, turned a judging round into an open dispute between jurors. The actress Ornella Muti, dancing with Pasquale La Rocca, had been stopped after 38 seconds the week before because of a shoulder injury. Juror Barbara d'Urso had made a joke about the injury, and Muti answered by accusing d'Urso of always measuring herself against her. The argument sharpened when Muti addressed d'Urso directly.

“You only judged me for my fragility, which I will not allow, because as a woman you are not here to judge me.”

Perfume and an ultimatum

Juror Guillermo Mariotto then interrupted, called d'Urso fake and began spraying perfume in her direction, saying it smelled bad. Alberto Matano asked the panel to keep to a code it had agreed on and offered to swap seats with d'Urso to ease the tension. Mariotto justified the gesture by saying he could smell a strong odour and that rats were reportedly at Saxa Rubra, which is why he had brought perfume. d'Urso demanded an apology and turned to Milly Carlucci with an ultimatum.

“Milly, choose: me or him. I have already chosen.”

Apologies and reactions from the panel

Ivan Zazzaroni asked Mariotto to apologise to d'Urso directly, saying he did not believe the story about rats. Mariotto's apology kept its provocative tone, and he continued to suggest that a bad smell was in the studio. Carolyn Smith, the jury president, then stepped in and said she had heard far too many such remarks that evening. Muti's exchange with d'Urso and Mariotto's spraying had by then pulled the whole jury table into the dispute.

“I humbly apologise, but honestly there has been a stink here for quite a while.”

Questions on La Rocca and a separate dispute

Simona Ventura, who was at the side of the floor, asked d'Urso whether her criticism of La Rocca was linked to his refusal to take part in her winter theatre show. d'Urso denied it in a mock courtroom tone and said she had no grudge against La Rocca. In a separate exchange on Saturday, 14 November, dancer Nikita Perotti, who performed with Aurora Ramazzotti to Smells Like Teen Spirit, asked the judges to explain criticism of the choreography. Mariotto defended him and accused other dancers of envy, pointing to Perotti's route through Ballando on the Road and naming Sara Di Vaira. The reports do not say how Milly Carlucci responded to the ultimatum.