Dancing With the Stars’ Maks Chmerkovskiy Slams Jan Ravnik Casting

Maksim Chmerkovskiy has a bone to pick this Dancing With the Stars move.

The former Dancing with the Stars professional openly explained his concerns about the show’s choice to bring on Taylor Swift’s backup dancer, Jan Ravnik, as a professional dancer for the current 34th season.

On the October 24th episode of his wife Peta Murgatroyd’s podcast, The Penthouse With Peta, Maks expressed his strong disapproval of Jan’s performance on Dancing with the Stars. He felt Jan lacked the fundamental technique, skill, and understanding of partnering needed for the show, and was frustrated that these obvious issues weren’t being addressed. He admitted he was genuinely upset by it, calling the situation ‘absurd’ and ‘unreal’.

And he found Jan and partner Jen Affleck’s Oct. 21 performance during Wicked night to prove is point.

Maks explained that the contestant didn’t understand the foxtrot. He questioned how someone could be expected to teach a dance – and convey the right style – when it’s so different from what they already know, like ballroom dancing. They’d discussed this issue weeks prior, and Maks wondered why no one had simply explained the foxtrot to him.

TopMob News has reached out to ABC and Jan for comment and has yet to hear back.

Maks was pleased with Jan’s initial dance, feeling it provided a good starting point. However, he felt things quickly went downhill when Jan began teaching moves inspired by the reality TV show Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

He clarified that his issue isn’t with Jan personally, but with the initial decision to bring him on board.

The 45-year-old stated he has no issues with Jan, whoever he may be. He added that a chance to do something positive was unfortunately lost.

Professional dancer Peta, recently seen on season 32, also believes Jen is at a significant disadvantage. She explains that having a pro partner guide her every week puts Jen behind the other contestants.

She’s worried her daughter isn’t learning the fundamental skills she needs in dance. She feels like her daughter is missing the core foundations of the art form.

Maks agreed, pointing out that Jan’s lack of ballroom dancing experience compared to other professionals wasn’t his fault. This led Peta to claim he was hired solely because of his previous work with Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour.

She explained they hired him because he’s a professional dancer for Taylor Swift, which was the main reason for the decision. She also added that he’s a genuinely nice person and physically fit, and clearly a talented dancer. However, she thought it was unusual to hire someone who doesn’t specialize in ballroom dancing to teach a celebrity how to do it.

Maks avoided mentioning specific individuals, but explained that some newcomers lacked the necessary skills and approached things very differently than Jan did.

Peta thought it would have been better if Jan had started with a different role on the show before becoming a professional contestant.

She explained that he really should have joined the group and taken dance lessons. It would have been good for him.

Keep reading for more on this season of DWTS…