Maks Chmerkovskiy Says Jan Ravnik ‘Has No Enterprise’ as DWTS Professional
Maksim Chmerkovskiy isn’t holding back about a controversial move on Dancing With the Stars’ current 34th season.
The former DWTS pro voiced his frustration over the show’s decision to hire Taylor Swift’s backup dancer Jan Ravnik as a professional partner, questioning the logic behind putting a non-ballroom dancer in such a high-stakes role.
“I’m sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars,” Maks said on the Oct. 24 episode of wife Peta Murgatroyd’s “The Penthouse With Peta” podcast. “There’s zero foundation technique, quality, understanding of the partnership. Bro, I’m getting emotional. It is absurd, and this is unreal how blind we have to be and God forbid say what’s obviously there.”
Maks specifically pointed to Jan and his partner Jen Affleck’s Oct. 21 performance during Wicked Night as evidence.
“He had no idea what foxtrot is supposed to look like,” Maks continued. “How are you going to expect him to teach it and deliver that message in a format that is completely different from even ballroom dancing? We had this criticism weeks ago, and I’m like, ‘Bro is anybody going to explain it to him?’”
While Maks acknowledged that Jan showed flashes of skill in one dance that “delivered some sort of direction,” he said that progress quickly “went off the cliff” in subsequent lessons with Jen, star of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
The 45-year-old stressed that his criticism isn’t personal.
“Jan, whoever he is, I have zero against him whatsoever,” Maks said. “No way, this was a missed opportunity.”
Fellow DWTS pro Peta Murgatroyd agreed, expressing concern that Jen is at a disadvantage with Jan as her guide.
“I feel bad because she’s not getting taught the basics that she needs,” Peta said. “She’s not getting taught the base of the dance.”
Maks emphasized that Jan’s lack of ballroom experience isn’t his fault, echoing Peta’s suspicion that his casting was tied to his work with Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour.
“They hired him. He’s a Taylor Swift dancer. It’s the obvious reason why he is hired,” Peta said. “Apart from that, he’s a lovely guy. He looks great, he obviously is a great dancer. Hiring a non-ballroom dancer to teach ballroom dancing to a celebrity as a job is outrageous.”