Jan Ravnik joined Dancing with the Stars as the new professional dancer in Season 34. He’s a backup dancer for big-name stars such as Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, and Taylor Swift. Now, he’s found himself embroiled in drama with Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Key Takeaways
- Chmerkovskiy spoke to his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, on an October 24 episode of her podcast, where he spoke about Ravnik’s background in dancing.
- Ravnik and his partner, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck, danced to a Taylor Swift song on Tuesday’s live show.
- They also responded to Chmerkovskiy’s claims about Ravniki’s dancing abilities.
- Ultimately, it wasn’t enough as they were eliminated.
Chmerkovskiy Gets Candid
On the Friday, Oct. 24 episode of The Penthouse with Peta, Chmerkovskiy shared his thoughts on the new professional dancer. He called out Ravnik’s lack of training in ballroom dancing.
“There’s zero foundation, technique, understanding of the partnership,” Chmerkovskiy explained. “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.”
He didn’t hold back during his interview with his wife. The DWTS veteran called Ravnik a “Taylor Swift dancer.” He questioned his dancing abilities, especially when it came to their foxtrot.
“How are you going to expect him to each and deliver that message in a format that is completely different from ballroom dancing?” Chmerkovskiy asked.
Look What You Made Him Do
On Monday, October 27, Affleck addressed the backlash on TikTok. She shared a clip of herself typing away on her phone. The caption read, “Me when anyone talks trash about Jan.”
In the video, Ravnik shook his head as a soundover says, “Take it down. Take it down. Take it down. We need it gone. That doesn’t represent me or what we need to be doing.”
The caption made it clear: “We don’t tolerate Jan slander in this house!” In his interview with Glamour, the Eras Tour dancer shared how he shakes off the drama, much like the pop singer herself.
“Haters gonna hate,” Ravnik simply stated. He also noticed that there has been a lot more hate this season. Hilaria Baldwin previously claimed that online trolls were responsible for her elimination.
Eliminated On Halloween Night
On Tuesday’s live show, Affleck and Ravnik performed a contemporary dance to Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” from her 2017 album, Reputation. The lead single was her response to the media scrutiny.
Unfortunately, their performance didn’t secure the votes from the Swifties. Affleck and Ravnik were eliminated during Tuesday’s episode. Despite the hate and drama, this season of DWTS has been all about friendships.
At the time of this article, neither Ravnik nor Affleck shared parting words about their elimination on social media. Following their performance, Ravnik bluntly told Entertainment Tonight that Chmerkovskiy was trying to stay relevant and spreading hate.”
But he’s not taking the bait. What are your thoughts on this drama? Whose side are you on? Sound off below in the comments section.
