Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars featured one new pro dancer. Jan Ravnik, who toured as a backup dancer for Taylor Swift, was added to the line-up. However, former DWTS pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy had some issues with Jan’s dance credentials. Namely, that he didn’t have ballroom experience.
And let’s just say that Maksim’s comments didn’t go over well. Before Jan and his partner, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck, were eliminated on Halloween Night, he got some love from Derek Hough. The judge praised Jan’s first-season performances, seemingly alluding to the controversy with Maksim.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy said Jan Ravnik shouldn’t have been a Dancing with the Stars pro
Maksim claimed that Jan had “absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars. There’s zero foundation technique, quality, understanding of the partnership,” he added.
After some backlash from fans, Maksim shared a video via Instagram, sending a message directly to Jan. “First and foremost, I want to apologize to Jan for the way my words had made you feel – for hurting your feelings,” Maksim stated.
He continued, “There’s a lot more that I want to say. I would like an opportunity to do it over coffee or any other time you have to spare. Maksim added, “I would love to meet, I would love to talk about this, you know, bury the hatchet.”
“I think you’re going to walk away with knowing me, feeling completely different, and dare I say, even be friends,” the former DWTS pro and judge said. Then he explained his rationale for making such harsh comments. “My commentary on dance does not come with feelings or emotions. It’s a completely different range of reasoning,” Maksim stated.
We will have to wait and see if Jan accepts Maksim’s offer to chat. Meanwhile, his partner Jen had Jan’s back. She posted a TikTok with Jan referencing Maksim’s criticism. She captioned it, “We don’t tolerate Jan slander in this house!!”
Dancing with the Stars airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney+. It will stream on Hulu the next day.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK THAT JAN WILL MEET WITH MAKSIM? ARE YOU IMPRESSED THAT MAKSIM APOLOGIZED?
