Copyright hellomagazine
Former Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy is stirring up some controversy in the DWTS fandom after a comment he made about new dance pro Jan Ravnik went viral. Maks, 45, who previously spent 17 seasons on the show, joined his wife, fellow former DWTS pro Peta Murgatroyd, on her podcast on Friday. While recapping last week's Wicked Night, the couple had some critiques of Jan's performance and execution. Jan, 30, joined the DWTS cast this season following his previous gig as a backup dancer on Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour. Jan is partnered with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck. "He's learning," said Peta, 39. "He's learning slowly. It's his first season. We have to give him grace for not understanding foxtrot technique. It's very hard to watch." Maks, on the other hand, had a different opinion: "No, we do not have to give him grace. Are you kidding me? ... I'm sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars. There's zero foundation, technique, quality, understanding of the partnership. Bro, I'm getting emotional. It is absurd." While Maks maintained he has nothing against Jan "whatsoever," he still believes the new casting was a missed opportunity. Peta agreed that it put Jen at a "major disadvantage," because "she's not getting taught the basics that she needs to." Elsewhere in the episode, Maks noted that he takes issue not with certain pros not possessing dancing skills, but the ability (or perceived lack thereof) to educate others how to dance. "It's not about the pro that can dance, it's about the pro that can teach," he said. "Everyone is spectacular. As a dancer, they're amazing. They might not be trained in ballroom but still amazing. It doesn't matter. If you can't teach fundamentals, you should not be a pro on Dancing with the Stars." While Jan hasn't commented directly on Maks's comments, he did appear in a social media video with Jen seemingly making light of the situation. "Me when anyone talks trash about Jan," Jen captioned the video, which depicts her furiously typing on her phone as Jan acts out an audio of a man saying "take it down. Take it down. We need it gone. Take it down. That doesn't represent me or what we need to be doing." "We don't tolerate Jan slander in this house !!" Jen wrote in the description. Fellow DWTS pro Ezra Sosa, who was the newbie in the cast last year, joined in supporting Jan in the comments: "I'll ride at dawn for this man," he wrote. While some longtime DWTS viewers agreed with Maks's comments ("Loved this one!" one fan commented on a clip from the podcast. "Especially with Maks' honesty because we aren't getting too much of that on the judging panel."), a large portion of fan commentary online has been coming to Jan's defense. "I'm SUPER disappointed in Maks and even Peta for that podcast," one fan commented on Jen's video. "I didn't even watch more than a few minutes. It wasn't constructive. It tore down the show." "So this is how you stay relevant?" another commented on one of Maks's recent videos. "Talking like that to another person that is trying his best on a new path on his dancing career?" "You know what to do, Swifties," another fan commented on Jen's video.
