Ousted Bolton blasts 'Dancing With the Stars' judge

Ousted "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Michael Bolton erupted Wednesday at judge Bruno Tonioli, calling for an apology for Tonioli's savage denunciation of him on Monday night's show. The criticism has sparked sympathy from fellow contestant Jennifer Grey and others.

"You did it all very, very, very badly - this is the worst jive in 11 seasons," Tonioli lambasted Bolton after the soft-rock singer's routine, set to Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog."

"Of course I was disappointed with Bruno," a visibly upset Bolton, 57, told "Good Morning America." "He just, to me, let everybody down. My mom was there - she flew in, she's 90 and she came to see the show, and I thought she was going to really enjoy it, and I just didn't expect that level of disrespect from him. You heard the tone of it," Bolton noted. "Even [fellow judge] Len [Goodman] stopped him and said, 'That's inappropriate.' "

In a statement, the show's producers said, "Bruno's role as a judge is to give his honest opinions on the quality of the dances he's judging, which is what he did in this case. While we respect the feelings of our celebrities and dancers, we don't feel Bruno should be expected to apologize for doing his job."

Meanwhile Grey, 50, agreed with Bolton, telling E! Online Tuesday night, "It was just unfortunate, because it left a dark mark on a beautiful experience and it didn't need to happen."

Tonioli's comment "maybe went a little too far," said dancer Anna Trebunskaya, 29, who is paired with former Giants quarterback Kurt Warner. "I mean, saying that it was the worst jive ever? That's not true!"

Bolton had only praise for his fellow contestants, however. "Backstage you bond - you meet some amazing people and that changes you forever," he said.

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