Val Chmerkovskiy, the reigning king of the cha-cha and occasional thrower of shade, has waltzed into the drama ballroom, declaring that those juicy Dancing with the Stars βshow-mancesβ are about as professional as wearing flip-flops to a black-tie gala.
In a spicy tell-all on the Lightweights Podcast (ironic name for someone clearly dropping heavyweight truths), Val admitted he once dabbled in the forbidden world of partner romance. βYeah, back in the dayβlike, first couple of seasonsβI mightβve had, letβs call them tango tangles, with a partner or two,β he spilled. But don’t let the nostalgia fool you; Val is no longer a fan. βLooking back, incredibly unprofessional. I mean, itβs like teaching someone calculus and then asking them to split dessertβit just gets messy.β
Don’t Mix Salsa with Saltiness
Val broke it down with some cold, hard truth: βThe pro is supposed to be the teacher. This isnβt a Nicholas Sparks novel. The whole βdonβt sβt where you eatβ thing applies here.β (Pro tip from Val: Save the romance for the wrap party, not the rumba rehearsal.)
But waitβplot twist! Val, now happily married to fellow DWTS pro Jenna Johnson (aka the actual queen of his ballroom and baby Rome’s proud mama), clarified his past mistakes. βOff-season romances? Sure, go wild. But mid-cha-cha? Thatβs just sabotaging your own choreography.β
Shall We Gossip?
Valβs comments come amidst whispers that Gleb Savchenko and Sasha Farber mightβve been bitten by the βshow-manceβ bug with their celeb partners this season. Cue dramatic music and possibly a slow-motion tango to underscore the tension.
Val isnβt here to judge (publicly, at least) but made his stance clear: Keep it professionalβor risk undermining your season. Translation: You might end up with more chemistry off the dance floor than on, and nobodyβs giving a mirrorball trophy for that.
So, while Val has learned from his missteps, heβs offering some sage advice: βDo the paso doble, not the double date.β