Is Maksim Chmerkovskiy getting banned from Dancing With The Stars by publicly bashing Jan Ravnik? That’s what a source is now predicting!
OK, quick rewind — the former pro came under fire after he trashed the newcomer on wife Peta Murgatroyd‘s podcast, The Penthouse with Peta. He blasted the backup dancer as having “zero foundation technique” in ballroom dancing. Maks even claimed Jan only got the job because of his connection to Taylor Swift. Yeesh. After getting eliminated from the competition, Jan, along with his partner Jen Affleck, clapped back at him with some shade.
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Maksim eventually apologized to Jan for hurting his feelings and extended an invitation to meet in person to “bury the hatchet.” However, the damage is already done! We don’t know if the choreographer accepted his apology, but it was too little, too late for the folks over at DWTS!
An insider revealed to Dailymail.com on Friday that the executives “couldn’t care less” about the whole debacle. They care enough to possibly BAN the 45-year-old reality star from the show, though! The source claimed Maksim likely won’t be “welcomed back as a guest judge or dancer… now that he trashed Jan.” Whoa! He really f**ked up this time!
A second insider is in damage control mode! they insisted Maks was only “critiquing” Jan’s ballroom skills and “he did not slam his character,” adding:
“He just said he was not a ballroom dancer. Producers did not give [Ravnik] a quick step this season and I don’t think that’s an accident. They play to the dancers’ strengths.”
Isn’t criticizing his skills as a ballroom dancer just as bad? Considering the show he’s on? Heck, his comments coming out during the season could have even cost him the competition! Not only that, but a decent paycheck! We all know they don’t make much on this show if they leave early!
Meanwhile, Maks potentially won’t get an opportunity with and thus a single cent from DWTS anymore. And he won’t find any of the other pros coming to his defense anytime soon, either. The first insider shared that the cast members are putting on a “united front for cameras” amid the current chaos of the show. But behind the scenes? The source suggested that while everyone thinks Jan is a nice guy, some pros “might agree” with Maksim’s comments and feel he is too inexperienced in the ballroom! Yikes!
However, you won’t see any of them say that out loud! The source explained:
“[The dancers] don’t want to jeopardize their own career [by saying they agree with Maks].”
The remaining couples probably don’t want to risk losing any votes, too! We all know how loyal the Swifties are, even to Jan! The insider added:
“Jan’s been friendly with everyone and the dancers think he’s been a great addition to the show.”
We wonder which pros feel this way! A few rallied around The Eras Tour performer, including Maksim’s own brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, and sister-in-law, Jenna Johnson. Derek Hough and Ezra Sosa also chimed in to support Jan. Is it one of them? Or someone else? Hmm.
What are your thoughts, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments!
[Image via DWTS/BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions, Access Hollywood/YouTube]
