Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy is on a roll this week, first bad-mouthing judge Len Goodman and now lashing out at the show’s fair-haired Derek Hough.
The outspoken Ukrainian ballroom professional let his mouth run on Monday night while the judges were critiquing the performance of his dance partner, celebrity contestant Hope Solo.
On Tuesday the media canvassed a handful of DWTS celebs and pros to see if they supported the pointed criticism that Maks was dishing. Derek was careful not to ruffle the feathers that sign his paycheck and continue to gift him each season with the most promising partners, a fact that hasn’t been lost on Chmerkovskiy.
Hough said, “I was personally extremely surprised. I feel like the judges have been incredibly generous, but we’re all very emotional. Being seasoned professionals, we know how the show works. We understand the ins and outs. I can pretty much tell Ricki Lake exactly what the judges are going to say, literally verbatim. You know what to expect.”
Maks told Robin Roberts this morning on GMA, “Derek Hough has been very supportive of his personal career on the show. When you say judges have been generous, with all due respect, if I had Nicole Scherzinger followed by Jennifer Grey followed by Ricki Lake, I probably would not be very upset with the judges either.”
We hate to suggest such a thing, but could this all be an orchestrated publicity stunt aimed at generating increased ratings? Or … has Maks temporarily lost his mind?
Check out all of the DWTS fireworks on the GMA video below:
Photos: WENN