Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Maksim Chmerkovskiy is still in search of his first Mirror Ball trophy.

With Melissa Gilbert as his latest partner, the quest may be difficult.

In fairness to the Little House On The Prairie star, she showed potential, and is coming off a rough stretch, divorcing her husband and breaking her back.

The nerves she showed last night, when she finished with a score of 20 (well behind leaders Katherine Jenkins and Jaleel White) will likely fade in time.

Hopefully Maks, great teacher that he is, can guide her through next week until she has a chance to shine. Here's their performance from last night ...

Melissa Gilbert & Maksim Chmerkovskiy - Cha-Cha (DWTS Week 1)

Sherri Shepherd took to The View today to address rumors that she's been rehearsing for the show since January and thus has an unfair advantage.

The Season 14 hopeful denied ever working with Val Chmerkovskiy (her pro partner on the program) and/or Maksim Chmerkovskiy at their dance studio.

“We have never, I say never, we’ve never danced together,” Sherri said of the rumor. “I’ve never danced with Maks, I’ve never danced with Val."

However, she did attend a dance class at their venue.

She did clarify that she loves dancing and had taken classes, however, “This started long before I started negotiations with Dancing With the Stars.”

Sherri said she took lessons before her wedding to Lamar Sally in August.

Radar Online had said Sherri was spotted this past December at the Soho Studio owned by the Chmerkovskiy brothers and Maks was there at the time.

Also, PureDWTS reported in December that they saw a photo of Sherri and Val go up at Dance With Me's website but it was promptly taken down.

Since Sherri is still tweeting about Monday’s DWTS season premiere it doesn’t sound like the allegation that she “cheated” is being taken seriously.

She and Val should be taken seriously as contenders though, apparently! She's been practicing, and the Dancing With the Stars cast is on notice.

Jack Wagner, Sherri Shepherd, Maria Menounos, Gavin DeGraw and Melissa Gilbert will all be among those competing on Dancing With the Stars March 19.

A pair of sports stars - Green Bay Packers wideout Donald Driver and tennis legend Martina Navratilova - will also be lacing up their dancing shoes.

Perhaps more importantly, Maksim Chmerkovskiy says he'll be back!

DeGraw is up for some serious double duty, as he will also continue his current U.S. tour for the first few weeks of the season, if he can last that long.

Gavin's pro partner, Karina Smirnoff, will most likely join him on tour so they can keep up the practicing, but none of his concerts conflict with DWTS dates.

Wagner, Heather Locklear's ex, will compete amid a minor scandal, while Menounos and Shepherd represent the entertainment show contingent.

The full Dancing With the Stars cast for Season 14 this spring:

The rumors are swirling again, as they seem to every spring and fall as Dancing With the Stars prepares to unveil a new cast: Will Maksim Chermkovskiy return?

He certainly didn’t endear himself to the judges last season when he made arrogant quips to Len Goodman about how the elder statesman should leave the show.

Even though he claimed in the same breath that “this is my show, you know,” is Maks calling it a career? He's hinted that he might, and ABC won't comment.

The DWTS producers won’t reveal which pros will return for the 14th season until they announce the latest round of celebrities (February 28 on Good Morning America). 

When the new season begins March 19, there would be a gaping void without Maks - love him, loathe him or a little of both - that very few if any celebs could fill.

EW even lists the obvious reasons why:

• His passion makes for great TV. He's over the top sometimes, but he cares.
• He's an institution at DWTS, having been with the show since Season 2.
• He has yet to win the Mirror Ball trophy. C'mon, Maks. One more shot?
• He's actually a very good teacher ... occasional tough love and all.
• Women seem to love images such as the one above.

What do you think? Would DWTS be the same without Maks?

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy made it all the way to the semifinals before being eliminated on Tuesday evening's Dancing With the Stars results show.

But instead of going out on a high note, did the soccer star and her mercurial pro partner demonstrate the bad attitude they've been accused of in the past?

Certainly not in the immediate aftermath of their elimination, when they were gracious to one another and to their fans before their last dance of the season:

Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy Elimination

In the last nine weeks, the pair weren't the first or only couple to be criticized by the judges, but they were the ones who made it into a controversial issue.

Starting with Chmerkovskiy lashing out at Len Goodman, the couple's combative ways - with each other and the judges - was a continual thing all season.

In a video recap of Monday's performances, Solo complained about her scores: "Sevens? The same thing I got in week one. Kiss my booty," she said.

"The scores at this point, the judges at this point mean nothing."

The pair were also overheard swearing about the judges as they awaited their second set of scores during Monday's performances: "F--- 'em," they said.

Hope then reportedly refused all interviews after the program.

What do you think? Did their attitude and competitive ways actually hurt them this season, with the judges and with fans? And are you sad they're gone?

Hope Solo is a tough-as-nails competitor. That much is obvious.

Sadly, that alone isn't likely to carry her to the Mirror Ball trophy.

Monday night on Dancing With the Stars, we learned she has shoulder pain from a tear she suffered at some point, and needed a huge shot just to get on the floor.

J.R. Martinez also battled through an injury last night, but Hope's grit failed to impress the judges, who remarked that she's "lost finesse" and needed "artistry."

Later, her fierce Argentine tango was much stronger, but in the cha-cha relay, a last place finish and total of just four points put another dent in Hope's hopes.

Any chance Hope survives tonight's results show? You tell us:

Hope Solo on Dancing With the Stars (Week 9 - Paso Doble)

Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Hope Solo looked to be falling apart just two weeks ago. Now they could have a good shot at the Dancing With the Stars finals.

Two weeks after Hope‘s “worst dance of the entire season,” which led to Maks' feud with Len and Derek Hough, she made the case that she’s a contender.

Solo's turned in her best performance to date last night and was awarded a season-high 27 points for her quickstep to Amy Winehouse’s hit “Valerie.”

Take a look at the pair's energetic routine below ...

Hope Solo on Dancing With the Stars (Week 8 - Quickstep)

“Tonight is a night of miracles rebooted, reenergized. Light, breezy, radiant. You’ve never moved so well,” Bruno Tonioli said, calling it "Your best dance yet!”

Carrie Ann Inaba was even more to the point. “Hope, come here,” she said. “I just want to give you a hug.” Believe it or not, Len even got in on the love.

“This was fantastic,” Goodman said. “It was everything a jive should be!” He then earned a kiss - yes, a kiss - from Maks after his praise of their jive.

Check out Hope and Maks' second effort here:

The recent Dancing With the Stars feud between Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Derek Hough appears to indicate an increasingly heated rivalry and then some.

"They hate each other," a DWTS insider says.

Chmerkovskiy slammed Len Goodman on last week's show, then criticized Hough after he sided with the judge. Maks also referred to DWTS as "my show."

"I had a laugh about that," Hough said, then referred to a list of past champions at the studio: "I was just looking at the plaque upstairs and ... well, never mind."

Derek (with Ricki Lake) and Maks (with Hope Solo) are in this fall's final five.

That reply by three-time winner Hough (Chmerkovskiy has yet to hoist the Mirror Ball in 12 seasons; Both are alive right now) is just the latest chapter.

"The professional dance community is really small. The dancers have known one another their entire lives," says a source close to the smash hit show.

"Now that the group is famous, it's added a new level of competitiveness."

There's also the Julianne Hough factor.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy largely kept a very low profile this week.

On the heels of laying into the judges for their critiques on Dancing With the Stars a week ago, he was more or less reserved this week. Except in rehearsals.

Last night, viewers saw a clip from a group rehearsal in which Maks got aggressive with partner Hope Solo, at one point appearing to push her in the shoulder.

He was then shown exiting the room, leaving others uncomfortable. But Hope says she has no problem with Maks' teaching style - in fact, she encourages it.

"Obviously it's working," she said backstage. "We're here for the 7th week. We're getting OK scores. You wouldn't want to see me if he wasn't tough on me."

The judges praised Hope's improvement this week, so there's something to it. Check out their routine below and see the soccer star in action with Maks ...

Hope Solo on Dancing With the Stars (Week 7)

Maksim Chmerkovskiy sort of backed off his comments Monday about Dancing With the Stars being "his" show, but is still plenty pissed at the judges.

Chmerkovskiy laid into Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli after what he believed were scathing, personal critiques of his routine with Hope Solo.

Lacey Schwimmer and Chaz Bono, who were eliminated Tuesday night, felt similarly and supported Maksim, but Ricki Lake's partner Derek Hough took the judges' side.

That drew a stinging rebuke from Chmerkovskiy ...

"Derek Hough has been very supportive of his personal career on the show," Maksim said in an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America.

"With all due respect, if I had Nicole Scherzinger followed by Jennifer Grey followed by Ricki Lake, I probably would not be upset with the judges either."

Maksim wishes he hadn't said in the heat of the moment that DWTS is "his" show and he is the reason for its success, acknowledging it's a team effort.

But he won't praise the judges, either.