Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovsky does not seem interested in making any kind of apology for back talking the judges on Monday night. Maksim Chmerkovskiy got in a bit of a spat with the judges after Len Goodman called partner Hope Solo‘s Rumba her “worst dance of the whole season.”
The judges were not impressed by Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Hope Solo on Dancing With the Stars last night. Carrie Ann Inaba said the dance went against Hope Solo’s “natural feistiness” and she “forced the moves” too much. As for Len Goodman, he said he was “at a loss” and thought the dance was her worst of the season.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy was not at all pleased with the negative criticism he and partner Hope Solo received after their performance on Monday night. Following Goodman’s comment, Chmerkovskiy encouraged the audience to boo the judges by waving his arms wildly at them.
Goodman told Max not to “start all that” because “half the fault is yours.” Chmerkovskiy shot back that the audience obviously “liked our journey.” Goodman puffed up as he said he had “been in this business for nearly 50 years.” Chmerkovskiy interrupted and told him well, “maybe it’s time to get out.”
Carrie Ann Inaba jumped on the pro and told him “don’t be disrespectful like that.” While Chmerkovskiy continued to rant and imply that not everyone was being judged equally on the show, his poor partner Hope Solo virtually curled into an embarrassed ball on the stage.
After the judging, while Chmerkovskiy was being interview in the holding pen by co-host Brooke Burke, the pro added insult to injury by saying a bit pompously: “With all due respect, this is my show. I helped make it what it is.”
Maksim Chmerkovsky is not issuing any apologies over his comments on Dancing With the Stars last night, but he does want to clarify a few things. First, he said backstage after the show that of the judges, “Len is the only one who comes from a ballroom background, and I really respect his opinion.” However, he added, “I’ve danced for 27 years, and I’ve won more titles than Len ever even participated in.”
As for saying that Dancing With the Stars was “his show,” Chmerkovsky said he did not mean to detract from anyone else’s efforts on DWTS. “I feel like it’s my show, and together, with other pros, I dedicated six years of my life to this show,” he said. “I’ve helped make it what it is, but I’ve never taken it away from anybody else who participated.”
“Like I said, it’s my show, and I didn’t mean it in a selfish way,” Chmerkovsky said. “I love it. It’s what I love doing. Our fans are phenomenal.”